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I've seen Walmarts built within 1/4 mile of each other. The old one shuts down and sits empty. It's grand.

Tressel suspended 2 games. http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Ohio-State-suspends-head-coach-Jim-Tressel-for-NCAA-violation-030811/?gt1=39002

I expect that several west side neighborhoods in Cleveland will show growth, from Puerto Rico and from the east side.

So... post hoc fallacy?

Interesting... I wonder what the deal is. Are Chicago's shipping costs lower? I can't imagine their labor costs being lower.

sir2gees I think you're right overall... the issues are many, and they're structural, and they won't be fixed in five years. I just don't think we bottomed out around 2000, I think we're closer to it right now, so 2010's figures should reflect 10 years of mass destruction. Not sure how much growth the county will see by 2020, if any. But it seems reasonable to believe that the bleeding will subside.

Those who were screwed by the loss of manufacturing jobs largely remain screwed. Growth in new sectors is a drop in the bucket compared to what was lost. A significant part of that growth is well outside the city, and people working in those growth sectors are still choosing to live out there, even when their jobs are in the city.

Was there ever any intention of luring larger shows away from the IX center? I thought they were pursuing a narrower and more upscale market segment with this, and the logistics really don't favor massive shows here.

Cuyahoga's jobs have moved to the edges of the county, and into the collar counties, at a rapid clip. The city's east side is in free-fall and has been for most of the decade. That number's not at all surprising to me. And I don't think we're turning the corner yet either.

Neo-Brutalist, and it looks like bleu cheese.

I can't believe they're pressing ahead with that design. Back to the drawing board. We have a chance to do this right and should not settle for outrageously bad architecture.

It's a shame there's no momentum yet to build more like "Rockwell Chinatown" in the larger Asiatown area. Try as I might it's hard to get excited about a new strip plaza, however successful it may be. I hope the area can eventually brand itself through its architecture, to the point that we don't have to tell visitors "yes, this is Asiatown. You're in the middle of it. See that tiger statue over there?"

Agreed. But I think Keith M's point stands, regarding Columbus as well as Cleveland. Ohio cities need to start examining out-of-state successes and applying those lessons at home. I'm more inclined to view Ohio (and Detroit) as the outliers, and not in a good way. Anti-density forces are large and in charge here.

Not going to build four-story walk-ups anymore? Dense housing is a "nostalgic vision of the past?" What does she think "the modern role of cities" is?

Agreed. In the future, City Plannng needs to consult UO before approving any faux-vinyl siding downtown.

I didn't say I was. I was responding to your suggestion... of course he wouldn't turn away a deal that came right at him. Some of us may expect a little more, none of us know exactly what he's up to, and it might be nice to find out. So educate us. What are his plans for downtown, for retail, or for the city in 2050? I've read through the neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan Jackson's administration released during his first term. I found it to be unambitious, particularly regarding downtown. No harm in coming up with our own little side plans, is there? He can't be mayor forever.

Well, yes, that is one strategy, taking no action at all until something falls in our lap. He should campaign on that. Higbees was our last open department store space. I think they've all been repurposed now. Maybe we can get a new one in WHD or near 14th/Prospect, something along the lines of University Square on Cedar.

There are downtown department stores in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, St Louis and Milwaukee. Subsidies are involved, but that may not be the whole of it. So far our best homegrown plan involves creating an Amish furniture district. I'm not sure how that relates to best practices.

Maybe people bring up downtown retail because it's a serious issue facing our community. It's worth examining how other cities have solved the problem, and it's worth considering more than one possible approach.

It's not you I'm worried about. I'm thinking of the decision to put that ad agency (with its privacy barns) into the picture windows of 668, of the notion that 3rd Federal's HQ would somehow liven up Broadway, of the debates over Midtown and the Mall renovation. If our goal is street life then I think it's worth sorting out what enhances it and what doesn't. And if develpment isn't properly planned to facilitate street life, then no amount of greenspace or traffic calming will fix it. That's why I like these threads so much. This city needs a plan, it needs to look 40 years out instead of election-to-election.

^ I guess if it's 4 office tenants, I would opt for the single tower. If there's retail/entertainment tenants as well, that justifies spreading it out more. I really think it's important to minimize office frontage at the ground level.

Agree strongly that street level retail and entertainment lead to street life, especially concentrated strips like E4th. The best thing for downtown (other than landing a major retailer) would be an inviting pedestrian connection between E4th/Gateway and the WHD/Flats. Whatever goes into the last publc square lot needs to contribute with some street level offerings, but obviously the biggest piece is the empty WHD lots. As for drawing more population downtown, I believe improving the retail lineup is paramount. Without a department store our downtown is dysfunctional.

It's not clear to me how skyscrapers kill street life, or how breaking them up into shorter towers would rectify the problem. Offices aren't great for street life, but at least a skyscraper gets a lot of them into a small footprint, rather than spreading out the dead zone.

Dammit, I'm trapped. There's a narrow alley separating my carport from the outside world and it's got a foot of snow in it.

IIRC those plans involved moving the port to E55th, which now isn't happening. I'm guessing the plans will need to be reworked in light of that change in circumstance.