Keith Srakocic, Associated Press Pittsburgh's Downtown skyline is seen above the Ninth Street Bridge and an inflatable lion fish balloon before the bridge was renamed Saturday in honor of environmentalist Rachel Carson, a native of Springdale. The city will get a dose of youthful exuberance in June, when 33 middle school students will redesign a part of Downtown. Click photo for larger image.

Pittsburghers should consider themselves lucky. We have city and county leaders who have teamed up on projects that will revitalize Downtown because they know that this city is an essential economic driver for all of Western Pennsylvania, providing jobs, business leadership, and educational and cultural attractions. And they understand the Downtown area remains Pittsburgh's public face, an important component of the city's economic and cultural life.

But while cooperation between city and county is extremely important when planning to modernize a downtown, we need to address the second important factor in planning for Downtown's future -- the children of the region. Retail plans, big hotels, and luxury apartment buildings could help to revitalize a city's core, but the key to any city's future is the children of the region. Our challenge in Pittsburgh is getting our kids into the habit of coming Downtown and experiencing this city as a great place to spend time.

Bringing the area's young people to the city is essential to ensure the long-term prosperity and quality of life not just in the city but also in our entire region. Kids and teens who develop the habit of going Downtown, who experience the vibrancy and visual splendor of Downtown life, will become adults who return to Downtown to live, work, shop and enjoy their leisure time.

Downtown boasts excellent universities, wonderful performance halls and theaters, fine restaurants and elegant department stores. There are top-notch businesses and nonprofit organizations and a helpful array of local, state and federal government offices. Most of these places and organizations, however, were not designed for kids and teens and are of limited interest to them. The movie theaters are gone and the retail environment is largely adult-oriented. Any plan for the future of Downtown must include resources and assets that attract today's youth.

The best way to find out how to appeal to this younger generation is to go to the source. That is why this summer, Point Park University's Summer in the City, the Heinz Endowments and Port Authority are teaming up to sponsor the Downtown Vibrancy Project, which will have 33 middle school students spending the week of June 26 engaged in redesigning a part of Downtown.

The Downtown Vibrancy Project will transform these middle school students, representing 33 school districts from all over Allegheny County, into the civic leaders and urban planners of tomorrow. The students will discover the many connections between Downtown and the rest of Allegheny County as they take a fresh look at the Market Square and Fifth Avenue district and propose their own youthful vision for its future.

The students will spend their mornings at Point Park involved in lectures and discussions focusing on the role of the city and county governments and other local planning agencies involved in planning and developing communities.

They will spend their afternoons investigating the resources of Downtown, discovering its retail and entertainment attractions, analyzing its businesses and confronting its challenges.

The goal is for the students to enjoy the Downtown ambience, see the core of Pittsburgh in action and begin to learn what makes our city tick, as they initiate ideas to deal with the challenges Pittsburgh currently faces.

By the end of the week, the students will develop plans to create an exciting new Downtown corridor that encompasses shopping, dining, housing, working, health care, parking, mass transportation, accessibility, recreation, culture and green space and that meets the needs of businesses, employees, residents and the public in the city and throughout Allegheny County. The students will have the opportunity to present their plans to both city and county policymakers and citizens.

To be sure, many urban planners and developers have offered their opinions on how to renovate and rejuvenate Downtown. But when the problem lies in attracting the younger generation to the city, we cannot ignore the needs, wants and ideas of our region's youth. They are the next generation of Pittsburgh and therefore should be included in the discussion of this city's future.

The Downtown Vibrancy Project is a logical extension of Point Park University's own commitment and participation in the rebirth of Downtown.

The hope is that the project will help to expand the dialogue of the issue concerning the future of Downtown so that we can ensure the continuing vitality of the city's -- and the region's -- core.