Upcoming Events

Our cities and communities are changing whether we are ready for it or not. One place where that notion is especially evident is Atlanta, Georgia, which predicts incredible population growth in the coming years. Author, urban designer, and civic entrepreneur Ryan Gravel will explain how his city – Atlanta – is shifting the narrative of change through intentional investment. Ryan will share stories of the Atlanta Beltline, a $4 billion infrastructure project aimed at creating a cultural shift in the community’s expectations for its physical environment and turning physical barriers into new opportunities for connection with people and nature. Ryan will also share how the Beltline led to the Atlanta City Design. Inspired by famous Atlanta native and Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream for the beloved community, the City Design is a strategic realignment of plans, projects, policies, and priorities to leverage the city’s inevitable change into the kind of place that reflects the shared values of residents.

Gravel will be joined on-stage by Tiffany Taulton and Ashley Cox, who will present local perspectives and draw connections between Ryan’s stories and our own. NEXTPittsburgh’s Tony Norman will guest emcee the event and guide our speakers through a discussion with the audience.

Missing-Middle Models: Challenges and Innovations
Panel Discussion including Christine Mondor FAIA
Sunday April 2, 2023
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

To commemorate GBA’s 30th anniversary in 2023, we are re-visiting some of the green buildings that influenced our region’s path to sustainable leadership. These early adopters were among the first of their kind (the FIRST of their building type to achieve certain green building certifications!) and not only caused positive ripple effects throughout Western Pennsylvania, but also within their own industries. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank got its original LEED certification under LEED’s Pilot program and was one of the first ever LEED certified buildings in the country.

Hear from Food Bank representatives as well as practitioners Christine and Marc Mondor about the evolution of building projects at the Food Bank, paralleled with the evolution of green building standards. The Mondors were involved with both the organization’s original LEED project in the 1990s and the one that is underway today!