Resilience: Meadville, PA - 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Globally: The United Nations defines sustainable cities and communities in terms of safety, efficient urban space management, green spaces, accessible public transporation and green spaces.

Meadville: Urban development, housing demographics and income rates were assessed.

Local Facts & Figures

How does Meadville’s budget compared to other similar communities?

The City of Meadville's operating budget is 33.7% lower than the average operating budget of similar communities. Meadville's per capita budget is 46.6% lower than the average per capita budget of similar communities.

Table 1. Budget Comparison with Similar Communities (1)

What measures are taken to improve resilience/sustainability in Meadville?

In June 2011, the Meadville City Building implemented energy efficiency improvements such as new lighting/heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The previous systems had been untouched since 1973 (2)
With Allegheny College and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Meadville completed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Climate Change Action Plan in December 2010, addressing only those emissions generated by Meadville’s own buildings, facilities and operations. The Climate Change Action plan details how Meadville can further reduce its emissions by 208 tons within five years (2)
Meadville replaced outdated traffic signals with stop signs and installed temporary pedestrian islands in Diamond Park improving traffic flow, and winning the 28th Annual Road and Bridge Safety Improvement Award, given by the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association, PennnDOT and the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities. Additional renovations in Diamond Park were narrowed roads and newly aligned sidewalks to increase accessibility and safety for drivers and pedestrians (2)
‘“Meadville PA: Not Your Run of the Mill Community” is an initiative that places Meadville’s natural assets at the heart of community and economic development efforts. Mill Run initiatives include environmental assessments, Shadybrook Park restoration, Market Alley development, and public art installations (2)
Meadville is the only Crawford County municipality to be recognized with a Gold-level certification of sustainability by the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program (3). Certification points are awarded based on the criteria: Governance and Community Engagement, Healthy Communities, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Education, Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building, Environmental Stewardship, Housing, Local Economy and any Additional Sustainability Initiatives (4).

What is the proportion of the Meadville population that are federally defined as low to moderate income?

56.13% are federally defined as low to moderate income (5)
The median household income in Meadville is $34,826 (6) which is 36.5% lower than the Pennsylvania median household income of $54,895(7), and 37% lower than the national median household income of $55,322 (8).

What percentage of homes are owned and rented in Meadville?

57.67% of homes are owned, 31.73% of homes are rented, 10.59% of homes are vacant (9)
In the U.S., 56.34% of homes are owned, 31.21% of homes are rented, 12.45% of homes are vacant (9)

Local Strengths and Opportunities

Gold level certification of sustainability
Energy efficiency improvements and Climate Action Plan could further reduce emissions
Meadville’s percentage of owned homes is slightly higher than the U.S. average is this accurate? compare with akeem/others?
Meadville completed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Climate Change Action Plan in December 2010, detailing how Meadville can further reduce its emissions by 208 tons within five years (2)

Local Weaknesses and Threats

Budget comparison shows Meadville’s budget as low compared to cities with similar or lower population size
Need to know how many live in subsidized housing
Though energy efficiency improvements were made in the City Building, they were improvements because the last time they were installed was 1974

Case Studies

LISBON: Decreasing drug usage via decriminalization and appropriate care

SAN DIEGO & CHULA VISTA: Implementing renewable energy

Citations