Race lecture addresses Hill District

Kerry O’Donnell is advocating neighborhood development in Pittsburgh’s Hill District to ease… Kerry O’Donnell is advocating neighborhood development in Pittsburgh’s Hill District to ease what she called “ongoing racial segregation.”

Pitt’s School of Social Work hosted the first lecture of the Reed Smith Spring 2008 Speaker Series yesterday. O’Donnell, president of public-policy group the Falk Foundation, discussed current responses to race and social problems, which are currently being dealt with on a local level in the form of this Hill District initiative.

One Hill Community Benefits Agreement Coalition is working alongside the city, with the use of Community Benefits agreements – private contracts negotiated between prospective developers and community representatives – to make changes within the community.

“The goal is to create a livable community with a community improvement fund, first source hiring among community residents and a grocery store,” O’Donnell said.

Discussion about the development began in August when nine Hill District members met with public officials and the Penguins. O’Donnell, along with One Hill Coalition, developed a “Blueprint for a Livable Hill” that negotiates their master plan to build in the lower Hill District and the new arena area.

In the late 1950s, the Hill District began a slow decline of out-migration. Large urban renewal projects forced 800 people and 400 businesses out, O’Donnell said.

After a site visit to Los Angeles, O’Donnell looked to replicate the model that has been implemented in areas surrounding the Los Angeles International Airport to build up neighborhoods.

Residents of the neighboring communities in Los Angeles received subsidies to insulate schools for noise control and fuel fumes.

“The areas surrounding the airport are primarily Hispanic,” O’Donnell said.

“With recent construction those in the area received benefits to better the opportunities and resources in the community.”

Community Benefits agreements are a major aspect of the development plans, specifying the benefits developers will provide to the community in exchange for the community’s support when the developers will look for public government subsidies and project approvals, according to O’Donnell.

Students believe the plan for the new arena to be an essential factor in neighborhood opportunity growth.

“We need to raise expectations in lower-end neighborhoods to those of higher-end ones in order to change,” first-year masters of public administration student Courtney Boyd said.

Although some community members have raised concerns about the plan’s lack of community input, O’Donnell disagrees. “I believe it holds a large amount of legitimacy because of its democratic process,” O’Donnell said. “I have been to many meetings, and it is incredible how democratic they are and how much time they spend on subjects because it is so democratic.”

According to O’Donnell, One Hill Coalition includes Pittsburgh United, an alliance of local community, faith and labor organizations promoting a progressive development agenda.

The group has legal and technical expertise and is currently working on CBAs to make sure policies are legally binding.

“CBAs are private contracts and in terms of justification, they can and should give back to the community,” Eric Springer, a Falk Foundation Board of Trustees member, said.

The lecture, “The Erosion of Civil Rights and Community Responses,” aimed to bring light to current Civil Rights policies, practices and responses at the local, state and national level focusing mainly on blacks and Hispanics.

“This is a forum to talk about race,” School of Social Work Dean Larry Davis said.

“There are few places in the city where people can get together in a positive environment and talk about racism.”

Most found the lecture informative and eye-opening for current racial disparities.

“It gets me so agitated that some people are still racist today,” Boyd said. “Where are we going? Canceling affirmative action is going backwards. We need a better education for all the kids.”