Smart Talk: How did Lititz become the coolest town in America?; Statewide project focuses on cities
What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, January 21, 2014:
Photo by Scott LaMar/witf
The Philadelphia skyline from the sports complex
Many of Pennsylvania’s cities and boroughs are struggling — especially financially. Two out of every five Pennsylvanians live in a city or town that has been declared financially distressed. Pension obligations are a huge burden for most of them.
An aging infrastructure often results in broken water mains or sewage and water backups when there’s more rain than usual.
Poverty, crime and low-performing schools also present challenges.
How did the state’s cities and towns get this way? The better question is what can be done about it to help them make a comeback?
Keystone Crossroads is a Local Journalism Center that focuses on the state’s cities It is made up of five public media services including witf . Multimedia news director Tim Lambert appears on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to explain Keystone Crossroads and get your input on the urban stories you would like to hear.
One place that is not struggling is Lititz in Lancaster County. Named the Coolest Town in America by Budget Travel magazine last year, Lititz is home to a thriving downtown that is filled with quaint shops, restaurants, and other attractions.
Kelly Withum, the director of Lititz’ Main Street Program joins us to describe how Lititz became so cool.
Watch a video of Lititz here.
{mp3remote}http://witf.vo.llnwd.net/o35/smarttalk/radiosmarttalk/RST_January212014.mp3{/mp3remote}
