Pittsburgh

Photo: www.facebook.com/StartUptown/

As more workers shed the conventional 9 to 5 office life, the number of coworking spaces continues to rise, and Pittsburgh is no exception.

Next month, New York-based Industrious opens on the 31st floor of 1 PPG Place. Chicago’s Level Office purchased a building at 606 Liberty Ave., Regus just opened Spaces Bakery Square in East Liberty, and New York coworking giant WeWork’s arrival, while not official, seems like the worst-kept secret in town.

The number of coworking spaces nationally is expected to rise.

With such an influx of national brands, local coworking spaces are looking to establish a niche to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, and establish new revenue streams.

According to the 2016 Flexible Workspace Review, the flexible workspace market increased nationally at a rate of 10 percent in 2015. The number of coworking spaces nationally is expected to rise as the gig economy grows and more and more businesses offer their employees the option to telecommute.

When StartUptown opened in 2006, it was Pittsburgh’s first coworking space. “Coworking wasn’t even a word or concept at the time,” says Tad Hale, co-director of StartUptown.

Today there around 30…

Read the full story at www.nextpittsburgh.com

Photo by Green Building Alliance.

By Amanda Waltz/www.nextpittsburgh.com

The Green Building Alliance (GBA) wants to help Pittsburghers fall in love. With sustainability.

For the second year in a row, the GBA will present stories via their Inspire Speaker Series meant to engage listeners in conversations about ways they can improve their communities. Under the theme Loving Your Place, the evening will feature seven local speakers telling short, five- to seven-minute long stories about working to create a healthy, vibrant, and just Pittsburgh region.

Seven local speakers telling short, five- to seven-minute long stories about working to create a healthy, vibrant, and just Pittsburgh region.

Jenna Cramer, GBA’s vice president of community and transformation, says the event was inspired by The Moth, a popular program that showcases storytelling with live shows, competitions and a podcast.

“When we first did the event, it was this idea of how do we get people to fall in love with the idea of sustainability again,” says Cramer. “A lot of people don’t get excited by the numbers or research around sustainability, but if you tell someone a story they’re more likely to be inspired by it or look at things in a different way.”

The latest lineup boasts storytellers representing areas such as activism, education, business and more. Among those presenting are Celeste Smith of the socially conscious hip-hop collective 1HoodMedia, Zero Six Eight founder Daniel Bull, Chatham University professor Héctor Sáez and Pittsburgh public school teacher Charles Herring.

The latest lineup boasts storytellers representing areas such as activism, education, business and more.

Also included are speakers working on environmentally-related causes, including Millvale sustainability coordinator Zaheen Hussain and green architect Laura Nettleton.

Cramer adds that they chose storytellers from a diverse array of causes in order to “redefine what sustainability means.”

“It’s not just about the environment,” she adds. “It’s also about social equity and impact and economic vitality. It’s so broad and interconnected…”

Read the full story at www.nextpittsburgh.com

Next Pittsburgh: Co-Working Spaces No Longer a Fad for Growing Cities

Next Pittsburgh: Inspire Speaker Series To Share Bold Stories About Improving Communities