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It’s Contagious!
by Mountain Girl ~ May 8th, 2008. Filed under: Community, Development, MWCDC.It looks as if other community organizations have taken advantage of the Internet as a way to organize like-minded residents as highlighted in an article from this week’s Pittsburgh City Paper. A group of people living in the Northside who had not previously attended Central Northside Neighborhood Council meetings (their version of the MWCDC) became aware of development issues in the neighborhood and how they affected quality-of-life. It inspired them to start exchanging ideas online and the increase in enthusiasm and participation as a result of this interaction is evident. Attendance at CNNC meetings went from 18 people to over 100 in just one year.
I wanted to share this because I think it highlights some important points.
- We are not alone. Other neighborhoods just minutes away are struggling with similar issues and trying to come up with new and different ways to involve more people and explore solutions
- Community development is messy…period. There’s no way around it. Let’s expect to debate and we won’t come to community meetings wondering what’s wrong with us when decisions aren’t unananimous. This is not to say that Mt. Washington doesn’t have its own unique blend of drama, but when it comes down to it-we’re in good company
- Online forums are just as legitimate a gathering space as the Senior Center or CDC office. And because it’s not built around a certain day or time, more people can be included. Ideally, people will become engaged enough to physically show up at meetings and volunteer for things, but at the very least we’re getting a much broader perspective on what the people of Mt. Washington really want.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Online forums are just as legitimate a gathering space as the Senior Center or CDC office. And because it’s not built around a certain day or time, more people can be included. Ideally, people will become engaged enough to physically show up at meetings and volunteer for things, but at the very least we’re getting a much broader perspective on what the people of Mt. Washington really want.
That is an excellent point Mountain Girl. Not everyone who lives in the Mount can drop everything to attend these meetings in person. This does not mean that they don’t care about the future of the neighborhood or shouldn’t have a voice. It just means that they are busy.