Welcome back to Prism, a podcast series produced in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. In these conversations, we’re shining a light on the power of creativity in PA communities. This is the final episode of season two — click here to hear them all.
We talk a lot on this podcast about the intersection of arts, culture, the creative class, and economic development. One of the most essential pieces of not only bringing creatives into a neighborhood but keeping them there is housing. Affordable housing. If we all agree that these people add to the vibrancy and health of a neighborhood, then it’s important to translate that ethos into policy, and then that policy into actual homes and apartments available to members of the creative community, a population that goes beyond artists to include musicians, craftspeople, writers, and designers.
To dig into this challenge, we’re joined by Marimba Milliones from Hill CDC in Pittsburgh and Rachel Wenrick, from Writers Room in West Philadelphia. In the Hill District, New Granada Square will house the next generation of artists while preserving the spirit and culture of this neighborhood that some have dubbed Pittsburgh’s Harlem. And in the shadow of Penn and Drexel, a co-housing model looks to keep people in their homes and also give students and local families somewhere new to build connections.
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Lead image: New Granada Square in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
