Harris Steinberg: Inclusive planning and the "Civic Force Field"
Harris Steinberg is Executive Director of the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University.
Drawing inspiration from the university’s commitment to becoming one of the most civically engaged colleges in the country, the Lindy Institute was created to shape innovative strategies to equitably advance cities and provide experience-based training to a new generation of urban leaders.
Among many initiatives, the Institute houses the Nowak Metro Finance Lab, runs a Masters Of Science program in Urban Strategy, and fosters emerging urban leadership through its fellowship program. Locally, the Lindy Institute is focused on engaging more Philadelphians in the decision-making processes that are shaping the city’s future.
In this episode, Steinberg discusses his work at the Lindy Institute, his deep appreciation for Philadelphia’s urban innovation heritage, and the integral role that inclusive planning strategies must play if the city is to uncover equitable long-term solutions to the current challenges it faces.
21 Aug 2020
Alan Greenberger: Community connection in the "Village of Philadelphia"
[NOTE: This conversation was recorded in February of 2020, prior to the onset of COVID-19 in Philadelphia.]
Alan Greenberger is a Distinguished Fellow at the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation and Chair of Architecture and Interior Design at Drexel’s Westphal College.
He began his career practicing architecture at MGA Partners, before co-founding the Design Advocacy Group, an organization of community-driven volunteers with shared interests in design, development and planning in Philadelphia. That civic work eventually led Greenberger to become the Executive Director of the City’s Planning Commission, then Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Director of Commerce, under Mayor Michael Nutter.
While working in city government, Greenberger helped rewrite the Philadelphia Zoning Code and develop Philadelphia 2035, a comprehensive plan for the future of planning and development in the city. He was also instrumental in the launch of the entrepreneurial support program StartUpPHL and led a successful effort to make Philadelphia a World Heritage City, the first and only city to achieve that designation in the United States.
In this conversation, Greenberger discusses how a life-long passion for cities has propelled his career, ways in which Philadelphia can enhance opportunities for its small business community to thrive, and his work to help Drexel University fulfill its commitment to become one of the most civically engaged universities in the country.
Entrepreneur Shannon Morales launched her startup Echo Me Forward out of a frustration born from her own experiences navigating the employment landscape in the male-dominated field of finance.
Echo Me Forward offers an SaaS software tool that enables employers to streamline their outreach process to find and hire diverse tech talent with greater ease. The company also provides digital content, professional networking opportunities, career coaching, and mentorship to ensure that Black and brown professionals are equipped with the tools they need to succeed.
In response to the surge of support for the Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustice in this country and around the world, countless employers have pledged support and committed to more equitable hiring practices — Morales wants to ensure they follow through.
“Right now it’s Echo Me Forward’s time to be out there helping all of the companies that are saying that they want to be intentional about these hiring strategies and making sure that we’re helping them get there,” she says.
In this conversation, Morales discusses the experiences that prompted her to launch Echo Me Forward, her work with the Latinx tech nonprofit Techqueria, and another project that she started to promote safe social-distancing in response to COVID-19, called Stealth.ify.
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