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Valley to host rustbelt huddle
STAFF REPORT
YOUNGSTOWN
More than 200 community leaders and elected officials from Youngstown, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are expected to attend Friday’s “Rebuilding the Cities that Built America” conference at Trinity United Methodist Church, 34 W. Front St.
Those at the conference, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will discuss the best ways to change the three industrial cities into smaller and sustainable communities.
The event’s keynote speaker is Dan Kildee, president and co-founder of the Center for Community Progress. According to its website, the center is a nonprofit organization that helps local and state governments seize the opportunity of reusing abandoned or vacant properties for the economic and social benefit of their communities.
Those at the conference can attend workshops on issues facing older industrial cities and meet with local and regional representatives of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The event is sponsored by the Regional Network, a collaborative of agencies in the three cities.
Maureen Hogan, deputy director of Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, a partner in the Regional Network, said the group provides people the ability to network, share best practices and develop skills to create more vibrant, sustainable communities.
“At the end of the day, community development is really about quality of life and the development and sustainability of neighborhoods and cities where we all can live, work and raise families,” she said.