Kinetic Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, like every city, has potential. The Manifesto for a New Pittsburgh outlines what a few of us imagine Pittsburgh could be. Creative Class champion Richard Florida reminds me that more than a manifesto is needed:

But the truth is there is no lack of ideas. There is only the lack of action. What’s still missing in Memphis is the kind of action that show that we are not afraid to do things differently. After all, what we really want is for Memphis to be Memphis and not a pale imitation of some other place.

The Burgh Diaspora blog is full of ideas and creative potential, but I must admit that I hoped that my efforts would spur someone else into action. After all, what can a non-native Pittsburgher living in Colorado possibly do to help the city he has come to love?

Pittsburgh doesn't need more ideas and the region, along with its Diaspora, doesn't benefit at all from any of my posts. There are enough boosters and critics. There are a number of people much more clever than I. However, I now know that I can make a difference once I decided to take a chance to find out what would happen if I were bold enough to act.

From this point forward, this blog is no longer about possible solutions to increasingly geographically mobile human capital. It is about an experiment to harness this potential and drive an entrepreneurial economy for Pittsburgh and all the people who care about this great city. And all I want in return is for Pittsburgh to be Pittsburgh, and not some pale imitation of Silicon Valley or Boston or even Israel. Better yet, I hope I can convince you to act as well.