Ray Gindroz, co-founder of Pittsburgh’s Urban Design Associates, claims that urban safety is a fundamental problem facing cities today. “No one wants to live, work, start a business, or shop in a city,” Gindroz says, “unless it’s safe.” One way Erie can become safer is by building, repairing, and using front porches.
Attending arts and cultural events in Erie for the last 20 years, I have been transported by music, transfixed by dance, lost in film, overwhelmed by theater, shocked by poetry, enchanted by crafts, challenged by visual arts – and engaged in conversation with people of all ages, races, economic status, levels of education, political views, spiritual practices, physical abilities, and birthplaces. Arts revive and hone our humanity, contribute to social interactions, foster innovation, and attract and retain human capital to the region, thus enriching our economy. Arts organizations also measurably put dollars into the local economy. They can’t out-source their workers and tend to buy supplies nearby (thus supporting other local jobs). Additionally, arts organizations attract visitors downtown to spend their dollars in Erie.
