Image gap process continues
From its art to sports to economy to recreation to history – the region has much to offer to its current and future residents. That’s the message the Image Gap Committee wants to project by coming up with a new “brand’ by March 21.
But some area residents would like to see a little less emphasis placed on the urban and more on the outlying areas of Pittsburgh.
That was the tenor following another public meeting to gain support for the process.
Held Wednesday at Sony, the meeting brought comments from Fayette and Washington county representatives about the image gap and its solution.
“The general comments were it still appeared to be too urban focused,’ Mike Krajovic, president of Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, said.
Krajovic, who helped lead the discussion, said everyone agrees there is a misconception about the region that has to do with the rest of the country.
“However, the region is more than just the city and we need to incorporate that full flavor that the region offers that makes it world class’ into the process.
“Most of the comments were geared toward helping to expand the image beyond the urban core,’ he added.
The group, made up of more than 70 people from 13 western Pennsylvania counties, is working toward revamping the view that outsiders have.
“Everyone who comes to southwestern Pennsylvania is pleasantly surprised,’ Bill Flanagan, Allegheny Conference on Community Development chief communications officer, said.
“When they come, they imagine they will find old steel towns and a depressed region. They don’t. And we want to make sure we are all sending the same image out to the people in areas we compete with.’
Flanagan added the committee is interested it getting help from “people who are engaged in telling the region’s story.
“Our image is not in line with what we really have,’ Flanagan added. “The concern is we may not be getting on the list for business, tourism or talent. This is a real competition issue and one we need to address,’ Flanagan said.
Another problem is internal.
“Here in southwestern Pennsylvania we have a tendency to be puzzled why anyone would want to move here to live or work and to not recognize what we have to offer,’ Flanagan said.
“We might ask someone ‘Well, why did you come here from New York?’ implying they would have been better off in New York. “That means we all have to be better sales people. The more people who do that and get pumped up the more effective we will be.’
But an initial online survey shows many people agree there is much to find in this region. Some of those comments follow.
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“Pittsburgh IS an astonishingly beautiful city. (Except for a horrendous litter problem.) And, I’m an active outdoors person – I find plenty to do in and around Pittsburgh. Right in the city, there is rowing, kayaking, skating, biking, etc. And, a short drive away we have world-class whitewater, skiing, hiking, etc., etc. I think this is actually the most under-rated aspect of Pittsburgh.’
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“Having lived in New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, I have had the chance to observe these differences. Washington is the only city that has the access to the regional resources that Pittsburgh has. None equal Pittsburgh on safety and cost of living. Only Chicago has anywhere near the same sense of community. On cost of living we are clearly superior, with maybe the exception of Minneapolis/St. Paul.’
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“Having grown up in the New York metropolitan area, I really value the opportunity of living and raising my family in a “small town urban environment.”
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“These attributes are easily looked over when living in Pittsburgh, but once you’re living in a new area, they are severely missed. Quality of life, a better realism by the people of Pittsburgh, that work isn’t the only thing in life. Sense of community in other areas is lacking; Pittsburgh tops the list. Natural beauty and landscape are great in the Pittsburgh area, second only to the rocky mountain cities. Cost of living is low vs. other metro areas it’s size.’
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“I’m not a native of Pittsburgh, but have fallen in love with the city in the years that I’ve been around here. For me, the beginnings of my love for Pittsburgh began with the neighborhoods. Most big cities don’t have traditional neighborhoods that are intact. People know each other here; not so much elsewhere. Many of the city neighborhoods are a wonderful mix of the old and the new; they feel like home.’
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“I’ve always thought that Pittsburgh did have a small town feel. We have it all here – beauty, museums, great cost of living, fantastic restaurants and bars, transportation, safety. That’s why, as a 26-year-old looking to start a family in the next four years, I am staying here.’
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Flanagan said the committee is working on coming up with “five core brand attributes’ or specific things people look for in a region.
“These can be the quality of life, the heritage of a region that has a history of reinvention, the whole work ethic. The concept is that there are real values in the quality of work you get for what you pay
“The hard part is coming up with things that are different than our competing regions.’
One of the keys that needs to be better marketed, Flanagan said, is the region’s accessibility.
“That point is important. Where else can you go to work in the morning but be white water rafting in the afternoon? There are some other regions that have this kind of accessibility but that’s just one part of the process,’ Flanagan said.
In March, the committee will take those attributes and build them into a marketing and communications program to come up with a common message for all counties in the region to adopt and present to those outside.
“Over the next few weeks we will lay out a series of what the committee has come up with. We will look for evidence and support on why these things are important.’
While it won’t be a major advertising campaign, it will be enlisting the support of organizations whose job includes offering information. “The idea is not to sell a specific geographic area. We started off with the nine counties in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. Then we wanted to get the Laurel Highlands into it, and that brought in Somerset County. We go as far east as Butler and up to Mercer County in the north,’ Flanagan said.