Neighborhoods

== ==
Many in our city, from Realtors to residents, have a strong desire to start "building neighborhoods." Thousands see the quality of neighborhood life as their own personal responsibility. They do this in many ways; either as a hobby, a good neighbor, and/or professionally. Realtors and others have great pride in their hometown, whether adopted or native. Most Pittsburghers do whatever they can to improve "quality of life" in and around our fair city. We have to facilitate this.
===Department of Neighborhoods.===
Others beyond the campaign trails in past years have suggested the formation of a Department of Neighborhoods. At first blush, this is a fine idea. I support the notion, but it isn't yet blended into the overall planks of this platform. Rather, the city's existing departments, such as City Planning, Zoning, URA, and others perhaps, need new priorities and masters. So, for now, this platform gives a soft endorsement to the concepts. 
=== Priorities: Neighborhoods ===
* Give city neighborhoods attention and higher priorities than the neglect that has occured in the past decade.
* Much more neighborhood attention needs to be devoted the human conditions in the neighborhood. Too often in the past the efforts were on building new, upscale, row houses and loft apartments, yet alone downtown shopping malls. More effort is put into the building facades, the window treatments, the brick exteriors. Little effort is put into job training, crime prevention, and teaching people to read and be more self-reliant. The city's role is not in doing all this work, but rather for coorination among agencies and organizations. In the past, the city has rewarded Local Development Corporations for building buildings, not building healthy citizenship and citizens.
== Vision==
* Neighborhood Wellness
* 
==Links==
* Nuisance properties
* Neighbors Project's A Neighbor's Manifesto A Neighbor's Manifesto