Redevelopment Works

Green roofs and vertical gardens are both becoming more popular as we attempt to create greener, cleaner buildings. In a Market Research Future report, it…

Community Gardens are assets that bring not only fresh food but a much-needed sense of community. In addition to the River Roots Community Farm located…

Sustainable or “green” landscaping is being used more and more in redevelopment. Purposeful landscaping with this method can mean savings in time and energy and…

When discussing redevelopment, we often think primarily about buildings or industrial sites being cleaned up and developed as another structure or business space. Redevelopment can…

We could go on about redevelopment theory, strategies, and plans, and that is all well and good, but what does redevelopment really mean for you…

The recent conversation around adaptive reuse has sparked a desire for me to share a personal note on not just the “how” but the “why”…

Wrapping up our series on adaptive reuse in redevelopment, this week we’re going to look at some future projects. First, let’s head downriver, through Pittsburgh,…

Last week, we looked at the concept of adaptive reuse in redevelopment. This week, let’s look at some real-world examples of adaptive reuse and how…

You’ve probably heard the term “upcycle”, but what about “adaptive reuse”? If you have ever used Pinterest, you’ve probably seen numerous upcycling projects, but on…

Last week we explored what it takes for a community to be adaptive and resilient. This week, I want to look at how one centuries-old…

“The only constant in life is change.” This expression is credited to Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher who lived approximately 2,500 years ago, but it still…

Community development and redevelopment – where do you even begin? Generally, there are two ways of approach: looking at the community’s needs and looking at…

Investing in the economic vitality of Downtown Oil City, from the bottom up. Moving away from the top-down, grant-based model for community development to a…

If you’ve been in Foxburg in the last 9 months, you’ve probably noticed a big change. The Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County (ARTinCC) has…

Last week, we looked at different levels of collaboration needed to build a resilient community. This week, I want to dive a little deeper into…

You’ve probably heard at least one of these phrases before, and they’re true. This week I want to talk about something that has the potential…

Community resilience has been defined as the ability of communities to prepare for, withstand, adapt to, and quickly recover from disaster or hardship. Hardships hit…

Winter might seem like it would be a pretty slow time for projects like River Roots Community Farm, but behind the scenes, the Community Farm…

Since 2014, the Blueprint Initiative has been the catalyst for projects throughout the Allegheny-Clarion River Valley Region (ACRVR). The Blueprint Core Team and subcommittees focused…

My name is Rachel Brosnahan. (No, not that one!) I graduated from Pittsburgh Technical College with a degree in graphic design. I am currently a…

Here we are, a month into 2023 already, and time shows no signs of slowing down! You may have noticed that our column has taken…

So, what does it take to ensure a school garden or farm project is successful? Based on the USDA and the Department of Health and…

As we get started on the work made possible by the USDA’s Farm to School grant, I’ve received a few questions from folks curious about…

When it comes to partnerships between public-benefit, non-profit organizations and private, for-profit companies, there is no shortage of confusion and misunderstanding. For quite some time,…

We’ve talked in the past about partnerships in a general sense – folks working together for the common good. Municipalities working with community groups working…

Events in different areas, even opposite sides of the planet, can sometimes collide in the most unexpected of ways. When we heard back in May…

If someone could please let me know where the year has gone, I’d much appreciate it. But, here we are in the middle of June…

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the ORA’s Redevelopment program has been selected to receive another EPA Community-Wide Assessment (CWA) grant! We were one…

To wrap up our discussion around agroforestry this month I wanted to share a successful tree-based bioremediation project out of Texas. Since much of the…

Last week’s Redevelopment Column introduced the concept of agroforestry and how it is often defined by specific practices. In the mid-Atlantic and Northwest regions of…

Given the importance of agriculture to our state’s economy, it’s no surprise that a fair bit of agricultural activity is included in redevelopment planning, especially…

With daffodils beginning to bloom all around us, it’s official. Spring is really, truly here, regardless of how many snow flurries we might still get!…

One of the greatest joys of traveling is seeing how other people do things, how challenges are identified and overcome, how resources are shared and…

We talk a lot in this column about the role of community organizations like the ORA, and we’ve touched somewhat on the role of individuals…

As we have gotten our regional redevelopment program off the ground, our first focus areas have been Emlenton and Oil City, where the ORA already…

I frequently talk about the concept and goals of redevelopment, but this week I’d like to step back a little and look at the even…

With spring just around the corner, I’m starting to get excited about the upcoming season of on-the-ground works, with projects kicking off or starting back…

When the ORA acquired the former Fuchs property in Emlenton, we were fortunate to partner with the skilled Environmental Engineering team at Moody & Associates….

Ever wonder how redevelopment projects are prioritized and planned? For those not involved in the behind-the-scenes strategy sessions involved in redevelopment work, it can sometimes…

Redevelopment – the action or process of developing something again or differently. When I first ventured into redevelopment work as an environmental biologist nearly a…

After last week’s article on upcoming solar-focused projects, I received some questions about other business opportunities that might arise around our region. If you are…