If you ever come to downtown Cleveland, you know that Public Square is a bit dodgy. One of my close friends is literally afraid to walk across Public Square at night because of the characters that line up along its four quadrants, waiting for buses (or not) while cars whiz by. Even during the day, the people who spend quality time in Public Square are homeless.
And this is the focal point of our city.
But things are changing. Hopefully. Tonight, at CSU’s Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs, local nonprofits ParkWorks and Downtown Cleveland Alliance are hosting an interactive public forum on three designs for transforming Cleveland’s Public Square.
The three proposals will be presented by James Corner, urban designer and landscape architect with James Corner Field Operations and the Kent State Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. The forum will provide an opportunity for participants to view the plans, ask questions, share their ideas and discuss ways to make Public Square a gathering place connecting Cleveland’s downtown.
Transforming Public Square: Three Strategies for Enhancing Cleveland’s Civic Core
January 21, 2010 (today)
5:30 – 7:30 PM
Cleveland State University, Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs Atrium (1717 Euclid Ave)
Additional information on the proposals is available the Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s website.
So, I feel that an apology is in order since it’s been almost a month since I posted. And it’s not because there isn’t a plethora of sustainable activities going on in this region. There is. And I want to write about All of them.
The real reason why it has been so long since I’ve posted is that I was doing nothing in Florida. That’s right. I drove down to Key West with a bunch of other young and too-poor-for-a-plane-tickets and we were stuck down there for two weeks because A) we couldn’t get on a plane back to Cleveland, and B) we were staying with a band that was playing down there for New Years and they weren’t driving back until two weeks later. So there we were, in Key West, having a blast and not doing anything even remotely productive.
The reason why I don’t think that this is a lame excuse, or at least the way I will justify it, is because sustainability isn’t just about the environment and economic development. You can’t forget the social side of sustainability. Everyone needs and deserves a break sometimes. And why not go to Florida to do it? Continue Reading »
The following video by Graham Veysey summarizes the proceedings of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit hosted by Mayor Jackson.
I have heard multiple Clevelanders state their frustration about the lack of visible results that have come out of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit so far. But what I say to them each time is that this is a 10 year project. And we are responsible for the results. Continue Reading »
“The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to build a new, $450 million I-90 bridge through downtown Cleveland. Although all of us should be able to use it, the existing plans do not include pedestrian and cyclist access. We need your help to change this.”
“Thirty highway bridges across the U.S. have safe and attractive bike and pedestrian amenities on them. It can happen in Cleveland with your input.”
Let your public officials know you support access for all on the new bridge. Here are three ways you can help:
Learn more about the issue, including important public hearings and who to contact, by logging on to www.gcbl.org/innerbelt
Or call ODOT Innerbelt Project Manager Craig Hebebrand at (216) 581-2100.
This is not just another road building project, this is an urban redevelopment. To read more about why bicyclist and pedestrian access to this bridge is critical for creating a more sustainable Cleveland, and for a history of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s fight against the community’s request for a separated bike/pedestrian lane on the bridge, I highly recommend that you read GreenCityBlueLake’s articles on the subject.
We need your help to support this once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve Cleveland’s inner city quality of life and sustainability. Continue Reading »
Cleveland is currently the second most active city in the nation on SustainLane’s Local Action Challenge. With a whopping 284 points, we are beat only by Colorado Springs (which currently has 686 points).
SustainLane is hosting the Hopenhagen Local Action Challenge to empower people to be more environmentally responsible on the local level. Cities set up their own challenges and residents take pictures of themselves completing the challenges for points and prizes.
GreenLight Zine is hosting the release party for their 6th issue – The Environmental Justice Issue - tonight at Bela Dubby in Lakewood! GreenLight Zine is an online and printed magazine that aims to educate and empower young people around important environmental issues.
Music at the release party will be provided by the likes of… Letters to the Moon, American War, RandomStereo, Ancestors, Unwelcome Guests, Wisdom Tooth!
Check out SustainLane’s Local Action Challenge – Hopenhagen to make your city a more sustainable place for everyone. I just signed up and will be looking to win points for Cleveland through lightbulb changing, composting, bike riding, and much more.
Here’s what SustainLane had to say about the Challenge:
As global decision-makers prepare to hammer out a new climate treaty at the December 2009 Climate Conference in Copenhagen, the Hopenhagen movement inspires local, on-the-ground action in communities across the US. Grab a camera, and join the movement. Take SustainLane’s Local Action Challenge, and win prizes every week! Each point you earn is an entry into that week’s drawing for prizes from green business sponsors. Earn points by completing challenges from your city’s list.
How can we use art to improve the quality of life in our post-industrial cities?
The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) launched a multi-year initiative in 2007, called Creative Compass, to help artists gain access to affordable housing and business space and to encourage them to become active contributers to the revitalization of our urban neighborhoods.
For the past two years, CPAC has hosted the conference From Rust Belt to Artist Belt to “explore how industrial cities are using artist-based community development to change the stories being told about their communities.” This year’s conference took place on Sept. 17-18, but make sure to attend their upcoming events and join their network.
Watch the following lecture about how artist Lily Yeh used art to improve the quality of life for impoverished neighborhoods around the world:
“In the most devastat[ed] place – that’s the place most ready for transformation. I see abandoned lot[s] as endless resources for us to create innovative way[s] to create our new future.” – Lily Yeh
This past weekend, Bioneers Cleveland showed the national plenary speakers of the 2009 Bioneers Conference, in addition to hosting workshops and tours focused around sustainability and Northeast Ohio’s local food system.
Here are some of the national speakers from the conference…
Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food:
This blog is all about sustainability initiatives in Cleveland and other post-industrial Great Lakes cities that are making our region more globally competitive.
