PITT STUDENTS EARN STATE PLANNING AWARD

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 15 -- The Pennsylvania Planning Association (PPA) has chosen a class from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) to receive its 1999 "Student Project Award." The honor will be bestowed at a luncheon ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 2, during the PPA's annual conference at Seven Springs.

The class' Capstone Project, "Reclaiming Our Edge," identified sustainable growth and development that will support the economic and social viability of the City of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region, conserve fiscal assets and protect Pittsburgh's exceptional natural landscapes, environmental quality and heritage resources.

"The report focused on land use and metropolitan planning issues to revitalize the Pittsburgh region," said Sabina Deitrick, GSPIA professor who directed the project. "The class recommended that the region move from project planning to problem solving as a means to create a regional revitalization process and reclaim the region's power of place and its physical, environmental, and social edge."

Capstone projects at GSPIA are offered to give students the opportunity to address and analyze real policy and management issues. This is the second straight year Deitrick's class has captured this honor. The 1998 entry also earned honorable mention in the National Planning Association student project category.

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