Urban Renewal Does Not Have to Mean Gentrification

This Tuesday and Wednesday I went to a conference for Smart Growth in Pittsburgh.  At the conference, a local documentary filmmaker – Chris Ivey – presented a few clips of his documentary series: East of Liberty. 

East of Liberty covers some raw topics that developers interested in urban renewal don’t like to talk about much: gentrification and low-income residents.  As plenty of post-industrial Great Lakes cities (not just Pittsburgh – where East of Liberty was shot) draw up plans for revitalizing their urban cores, we must take into account the current residents of those spaces.

Here’s a promo for the film:

Why does gentrification hurt communities? 

While it may seem that bringing in new businesses and nicer apartment buildings is good for these cities, they often raise realty prices and property taxes, pushing low- and moderate-income residents out of the newly developed spaces.  Often, no alternatives or quality low-income housing arrangments are made for these urban refugees.

What are solutions?

Urban renewal does not have to mean gentrification.  Low- and moderate-income people deserve safe and family-friendly neighborhoods as much as anyone else.  If we want to re-develop existing communities, then we should engage the people who live there in the planning process and offer low-income housing options in those developments.

In areas where developers work on integrating housing of different price ranges (think of the west side of Cleveland), there can be a rich diversity that renders vibrant neighborhoods.

And if you’re worried about safety, then invest in a quality police force that will protect all of the residents who live there.

The New Metropolis

Here’s a preview of a new pair of films that have just come out about “The New Metropolis”:

The two movies – titled “A Crack in the Pavement” and “The New Neighbors” – document the fate of America’s first suburbs and offer solutions for their revitalization.

Throughout the last half-century, many middle and upper-middle class Americans moved from suburb ring to suburb ring–consistently away from inner city congestion and racial diversity–leaving a wake of abandoned development and poverty behind them.

But as gas prices rise, people have begun to notice the problems with the suburban sprawl that they created.  Driving to work takes longer and costs more.  Car emissions and expanses of pavement are contributing to global climate change.

In a new “smart growth” movement, people have begun to redevelop those first ring suburbs that were struggling not long before.  People want to live closer to their places of work and play, and are moving in next to public transit lines that can usher them into the city.

Here’s a video by CBS that documents the smart growth movement:

Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Blog

That’s right.  The Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit and related initiatives now have their own blog, and it’s currently hosted by GreenCityBlueLake.

The Full (Green) Cleveland

Check out this wonderful article posted on the Urban Gardens blog about sustainable initiatives in Cleveland:

The Full (Green) Cleveland

Here are some of the initiatives mentioned in the article (Stay tuned to Renovating to read about many others):

• E4S Sustainability Implementation Groups
• RTA Healthline and tree planting along Euclid Ave.
• The Cleveland EcoVillage
• Cleveland Plus
• Tri-C Green Academy and Center for Sustainability
• Solar panels at the Science Center and at Progressive Field
• The Culinary Vegetable Institute
• The Chef’s Garden
• The Greenhouse Tavern
• Blue Pike Farm (click here to read about this and other urban farms!)
• Spice of Life Catering
• Green Corp
• The Fresh Fork Market

What’s missing from this list?  Leave a comment to add to it!

“Hope, Seeds and Concrete”

This movie by Heifer International demonstrates how they are working towards bringing urban agriculture and sustainable food system education to cities around the US.

Here in Cleveland, the movie Polycultures describes our local food system that is doing similar things to jump start urban agriculture.  Here’s one of them.

The Strength that Will Carry Momentum Forward

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.

Innerbelt Bridge Access for Everyone

A message brought to you from GreenCityBlueLake, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op, Cleveland Bikes and Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative:

“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:

1. Learn more about the issue, including important public hearings and who to contact, by logging on to www.gcbl.org/innerbelt
2. Send your comments in support to bridge@greencitybluelake.org and we’ll forward them to decision makers.
3. 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.

SustainLane’s Local Action Challenge – Most Active Cities

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.

The challenges that Cleveland has set up for itself include: Change a Light Bulb (or two), Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (& Compost), Use Less Water, Adjust your Thermostat, Spread the Word, Calculate your Carbon Footprint, Drive Less, Eat Lower on the Food Chain, Plant a Tree, and Buy Efficient Appliances.  These are all incredibly doable and we still have time to complete more challenges before the end of the contest!

“I will stay if…”

Share your ideas for a better Cleveland this Wednesday, Nov. 18th, from 5:30-8:30pm at the Speakeasy below Bier Markt (1948 W. 25th St. in Ohio City).

The event is hosted by the Great Lakes Urban Exchange (GLUE) and will include special presentations from:

• Matt Zone, Ward 17 Councilman
• Randell McShepard, Policy Bridge Board Chairman
• Lillian Kuri, Program Director for Architecture, Urban Design and Sustainable Development at The Cleveland Foundation

For more information on the Cleveland edition of GLUE’s “I will stay if…”, click here.

Raise your voice and let the city know what it must do to keep you.

The Local ‘Hopenhagen’ Challenge

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.

Sign up and make a difference for your community!