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Check out this week's top events.

At a recent event co-hosted by Flying Kite, the Job Opportunity Investment Network announced an ambitious grant program to promote innovation in the workforce development space.

Issue Media Group publications such as 83 Degrees in Tampa, Confluence in Denver and Model D in Detroit cover "what's next" for urban centers. In this recurring feature, we highlight the top stories in urban innovation from across our national network.

Whether they're solving an energy-efficiency problem, democratizing wind power or developing mobile solar solutions, these PA entrepreneurs are turning sustainability into success.

With a culture of collaboration, a willingness to change and a focus on creating the kind of urban environment that attracts creative talent, the Steel City has moved from gritty to green and is now poised for the next wave of growth.

Check out our picks for the week's top events.

The current labor market requires innovation, creativity and commitment -- not only to finding the best workers, but to cultivating them. Meet two local companies committed to rethinking how they train and hire. PTR Baler, a manufacturer in Port Richmond, and Wash Cycle Laundry, a green bike-powered laundry service, both looked at the challenges of maintaining an engaged, talented workforce and declined to take the easy way out. PTR has taken it upon themselves to train the next generation of high-skill workers, while Wash Cycle emphasizes upward mobility and taps vulnerable populations. Both solutions have bred success.

Flying Kite chatted with the organization's director about the importance of collaboration, the skills gap and Philadelphia's unique workforce challenges -- and opportunities. Starting with her time in the Mayor's Office, this passionate leader witnessed the interconnectedness of human capital issues, and is working to tap the region's canniest employers and most aggressive advocates to solve the jobs riddle.

Many of Philadelphia's inner-ring suburbs are recapturing that Main Street magic -- their resurgent downtown districts feature cool bars, creative dining and plenty of charm. To explore, all you need is a SEPTA ticket and an open mind.

Check out our favorite upcoming events.

Summer is here, and Flying Kite is taking a week off. See you in June!

Local colleges and universities are developing innovative ways to foster entrepreneurship and cultivate the next generation of startup leaders. They are joined by schools across the state.

In an effort to upend gentrification and boost struggling areas, community groups and artists are banding together to throw blockbuster events and push creative development strategies.

Flying Kite continues our look at the fate of the city's shuttered schools. In North Philadelphia, a valuable neighborhood institution is caught between community interests and an ascendent university.