Ep. 46 – Meet Ariam Ford-Graver, executive director of Grounded Strategies
Learn more about the local nonprofit that works with communities to revitalize vacant or neglected land throughout Pittsburgh.
by Stephanie Brea
September 22, 2020
iTunes | Spotify | Direct Download (right-click to download)
Meet Ariam Ford-Graver, executive director of Grounded Strategies
A city planner with a passion for environmental justice, Ariam Ford-Graver is the executive director of Grounded Strategies, a local nonprofit that uses land as a medium for community change. In this episode, she talks about the work that Grounded does to help people reclaim and revitalize vacant lots and abandoned spaces in neighborhoods throughout Allegheny County.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD32yq8j27O/
Learn why equitable access to high quality green space is important and how city planning decisions can have an effect on a neighborhood’s value (or consequent devaluing over time). “Land is the one thing you can’t make more of,” she explains. Ford-Graver believes that “you cannot achieve racial equity without addressing spatial inequity.” While we address this idea in this episode, Grounded’s “Black Neighborhoods Matter” website post digs deeper into what this means in the city of Pittsburgh.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCV_y3oDKhR/
For more information on Grounded
If you liked this episode, you might also want to press play on:
- Episode #16 – Making data digestible with Tara Matthews
- Episode #29 – Alicia Carberry and the Garbage Olympics
- Episode #40 – Shequaya Bailey, president of the Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club
This episode was hosted by Aadam Soorma, recorded remotely, engineered and edited by Epicast Studios.
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