On Monday, ten Pennsylvania communities were invited to a ceremony in Harrisburg to kick off the Blueprint Communities initiative. Leadership from these selected communities will lead the way in improving quality of life, building community assets, increasing local housing, and other comprehensive revitalization steps.
Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis says the Blueprint Communities method has already been successful in places like McKeesport as community members pitched in.
“We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to making sure we’re revitalizing our communities – it’s gonna take all of us.”
The program will last 18 months and will provide community leaders with valuable resources in hopes of building momentum for neighborhoods. The goal is strong local leadership, improved regional planning skills, and coordinated investments by public and private funders.
Participating communities were chosen based on community need, strength of local leadership, existing capacity, and readiness to participate in the program.
Lieutenant Governor Davis says Eastern PA in particular is a perfect place for the initiative.
“Eastern Pennsylvania, the thing that makes their communities so strong is their people. They are a hardworking group of individuals who are determined to see a brighter future for their communities… I think oftentimes we look outside of our communities for the solution – sometimes it’s just looking inside of your community. I would encourage people to look around; they are the leaders and the champions that they’ve been waiting for.”
By creating a few thriving communities, leaders hope others throughout the state will follow, and that Pennsylvania will flourish as a result.
