If anyone knows what Pittsburgh needs, it’s the people who live here. At Thursday’s “Town Hall… If anyone knows what Pittsburgh needs, it’s the people who live here. At Thursday’s “Town Hall Meeting for Pittsburgh’s Future,” concerned city residents – students included – have a chance to speak their minds.

The meeting is designed to identify and then prioritize the most important issues across all the city’s neighborhoods. It will be split into two sessions: from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., grass-roots leaders and development professionals will work to create an initial list of problems. From 5:30 to 8p.m., Pittsburgh residents and business owners will hear speakers, review the list of problems and ultimately vote on which issues they feel are the most urgent.

Problems range from parks and playgrounds to business growth, but include those of more direct concern to students, like public safety and quality housing.

Given the rash of shootings, robberies and other crimes that occurred in South Oakland this summer – on May 23, for example, houses on Dawson, Frazier and Ward Streets were shot at – students certainly ought to be concerned about how safe neighborhoods are. Though police considered those shootings to be possibly gang-related, targeted instances of rivalries, the fact remains that no one wants to live anywhere near gunfire.

Holding landlords accountable for the conditions of their rental properties is also an issue students can identify with. In part because they are young and transient and often have limited funds, many Pitt students find themselves at the hands of veritable slumlords.

The town hall meeting, which was the subject of an article in yesterday’s Post-Gazette, is the best opportunity students have had in years to raise these concerns in a public forum.

No government agency is sponsoring the meeting; instead, three community organizations have planned and will host the event. The fact that people are joining together to take decisive actions towards improving the city marks a great step forward for Pittsburgh. Ultimately, the list will accompany a hopeful plan for the city and both will be presented to the mayor.

The final list of priorities will be drafted before the next mayor takes office, according to the Post-Gazette.

Mayor Tom Murphy’s replacement, who will be elected on Nov. 8, is likely to be Democrat Bob O’Connor, since Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city by a 5-to-1 ratio.

The election marks a new chapter in Pittsburgh’s history; hopefully it will be one marked by decreased budget woes and one that continues to move the city away from its industrial roots and toward a more sustainable future.

For students not registered to vote or who wish to have a greater impact on the city’s future, this meeting provides a prime opportunity not only to speak out, but to be heard.

The meeting will be held at the Circuit Center (IBEW Building) at 5 Hot Metal St. in the SouthSide Works. For more information, visit www.ppnd.org. To reserve a spot, call Jennifer Fox at (412)391-4144 or e-mail her at [email protected].