15211.org

Have you ever gone to the CEO for Cities site? I don’t read it nearly often enough for having launched a community-oriented blog. There was a great piece called A Place to Be More of You  that struck me because it encapsulates the difficulty we’re having as we try to create a unifying vision for Mt. Washington. According to the author, the question we should be asking ourselves when pondering quality-of-life issues is “how can our community be a place where people can be more of themselves?” I bet you have a response. As do I. And I’m sure my neighbors do too, but I’m fairly sure that our responses differ. Can Mt. Washington be a place where we can all be the most ourselves?

I think first, we need to come to the conclusion that we cannot get what we want all of the time. It’s impossible and I wish more people would say it. Local government officials, MWCDC board and staff, members of the REDO committee, and whatever other community groups crop up in Mt. Washington should not have to spend time tiptoeing around and appeasing individuals or small groups. Everyone should absolutely have forums by which to express their opinion, but understand and accept that things may not go in their favor.

Unfortunately, people get swept up in the conflict. It’s human nature to push back when you are being pushed. You get fixated on how to get exactly what you want; be it by subtle manipulation, befriending opposing groups and swearing your loyalty to each, calling in political favors, or forging alliances with anyone. Sometimes, you will triumph, but if you stand back and look at it all, what do you really win?

According to VisitPittsburgh, 12.7 percent of the tourism spending in the state of Pennsylvania is spent in Pittsburgh. Yet blocks from the biggest tourist attraction in the city, businesses struggle and storefronts remain vacant. While there are signs of progress to be sure, we’ll all lose something if we continue to get caught up in the drama that accompanies every community decision we face. We’ll miss out on the opportunity to figure out what will make Mt. Washington the place where we can be most ourselves. And we’ll forget why we ever thought it was possible in this neighborhood in the first place.