Mayor to create "Propel Pittsburgh Commission"

[TheGerbil]

This commission would be made up of young people who would advise the city government on various issues, with the goal of making Pittsburgh more attractive to young people, especially those who come here for college.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07101/776893-53.stm

I think this sounds like a great idea. Having a group of young people advising the mayor on everything from economics to culture could really help to improve the way the city does things. Not just for other young people but for everyone.

My only question is, how does one apply?

[Evergrey]

the focus should be on "attracting" young people as opposed to "retaining" even more... we may be losing population... but we have one of the lowest out-migration rates of the top 25 metros... however... we also have one of the lowest in-migration rates... which is where we should focus... so many people don't realize that... and it's not helping when we have people quoted in that article who make uninformed statements like "every year it seems we bring in all these bright college students and all of them leave the city"... which is patently false and really has nothing to do with this phenomenon... higher education is one of the region's core industries and it is impossible to retain all of our graduates... same thing for Boston, Philly, wherever... however... we have experienced a positive trend in the amount of graduates who stay here... both from the region and who come from outside the region... and from everything from RMU to CMU...

some of the region's sons and daughters will leave for other locales to flourish... which seems to be our regional obsession... this is healthy and normal... if this region is to truly shake off the last vestiges of the post-steel doldrums... we need to increase our in-migration rate both domestically and internationally... we need fresh blood and new ideas and vastly increased entrepreneurial talent... we do so much great research here but we rarely capitalize on that research commercially... and we need new, diverse people in leadership positions here... in private and public sectors... I love Pittsburghers... but the "Pittsburgh Pedigree" should not be a pre-requisite for leadership like is so often the case here...

The hyperbolic and misguided Katrina comparisons have added a certain sense of hysteria to this year's media-induced population loss obsession

[TheGerbil]

I 100% agree with everything you said. However, I believe that in trying to make the city more attractive to those who come for college, it will become more attractive in general. I am willing to bet that the creation of this commission will be good for in-migration. The important part is that there will be a group of young people advising the mayor on a variety of topics. That can't possibly be a bad thing

But yes, I do agree, we need to get over this "everyone is leaving" mentality. It's untrue and it hurts the city's image when it gets repeated.

[globalburgh]

I was in Pittsburgh this past Thursday speaking with some folks at CMU about some of the demographic issues and ideas to better facilitate entrepreneurial activity. While I have no sympathy for the Border Guard Bob approach, I do like the idea of improving the experience of students while they are in Pittsburgh. When these folks graduate and move to places all around the world, I'd like to think they would prove to be good ambassadors for Pittsburgh (or, at least Oakland).

There are some efforts brewing along these lines, but we need to see more stakeholder push in this direction. Could the Propel Pittsburgh Commission help? I'm skeptical (to the point of being cynical) that they would or could help, but perhaps I'm wrong.

[blueblackcat]

When 20-something mayor makes a commission of 20-something advisers, I think he will pay attention. In a few more years, Pittsburgh will be one of the youngest cities in the country. This is just a preview, I think, of a younger and more forward thinking government to come. Whether the commission itself helps or not doesn't matter... it shows that the city is finally starting to take young people seriously, which was the biggest problem in attracting young people in the first place.