MissinOhio

That's all well and good, but if the numbers are close to accurate at all, or at least have the general direction right. there is simply no way to spin population loss as a good thing. Unless the goal is to have a desolate urban core, then no. In metros that have smaller city propers, this seems to be even more important, but it's really important for every city. There most certainly is a way to "spin" municipal population loss as a good thing and show that it isn't "really" important on its own for any given metro. While the number of legal residents of the municipality of cincinnati may or may not have declined in the last decade, the amount of investment and average wages have risen substantially in the municipality of Cincinnati, along with some other metros, while they have declined in almost every other area of the cincinnati MSA and in much of the U.S. generally in that same time. This means that high wage and high productivity activities are becoming concentrated in the municipality of cincinnati. The growth in the number of jobs in the municipality of cincinnati supports this view. Higher productivity is caused by the concentration of more educated and economically productive workers in the same place. This is the same dynamic on a much smaller scale that has supported the growth of central chicago while the south and west sides of that city have declined leaving chicago with 200,000 fewer people over all since 2000. The boom in the loop and near northside and the decline of the south and west sides of chicago are part of the same dynamic and are equally "important" to chicago. In our increasingly unequal economy, one professional class worker in a research hospital, corporate headquarters or research facility, or the business services that provide for them has the income, tax potential, and purchasing power of two, three, or even four traditional middle class workers. It's a kind of creative destruction where old economic patterns are dismantled and reassembled into new ones. People and businesses are moving around to take advantage of these new patterns. If they can't they have to go where their less productive work can still be sustained in lower value locations either in the suburbs, in other metros, or leaves the country entirely. All of which is separate from the fact that some key dense urban areas of the cincinnati metro are not in the city of cincinnati while Columbus includes what must be the only incorporated cornfields in any metro over 1 million in the U.S. Yes, you most certainly can look beyond superficial statistical calculations to find more complex dynamics at work within metro economies. Of course you'd only do this if you were interested in understanding these areas. If you weren't you'd be satisfied with easy conventional wisdom. Columbus? Cornfields? Clearly you haven't been to a large number of U.S. cities that annex a hell of a lot more than Columbus. It's unfair to watch Columbus' numbers, but Columbus is not near as bad as plenty of other cities out there. Indianapolis is much larger than Columbus in area, and not nearly as developed or dense (and speaking of cornfields, the topography around Indy is a lot more boring). What about Jacksonville, Florida? Jacksonville takes up all of Duval County. Ever drive I-10 into Jacksonville and see the bunch of nothing you drive into and think how can I even be in a city of over 800,000. Maybe Oklahoma City, a city that takes up over 600 square miles that is out in the middle of the county surrounded by a bunch of fields. Columbus annexes, but I can think of plenty including Charlotte, Austin, and Fort Worth all of which take up more land than Columbus, and Columbus has a density much higher than all of them.

Yes, I love the people that make cities that lose people out to be some war zone. No one is saying it is great, but it doesn't mean your city is in bad shape either. Cleveland is losing people faster than any other major city besides Detroit, but the city is healthier than ever, and Cleveland and Cincinnati are doing more than Columbus is, way more. Downtown Cleveland and its surrounding neighborhoods are showing healthy population growth. Still, Cincinnati should stabilize soon I hope, but Cleveland still has a long time of decline to go, unfortunately. And for the record, if Cleveland could annex, I would love to see what its population numbers would be then. I'm being serious.

I was thinking more of modern South Africa with its rampant crime and violence. Have you ever been to downtown Johannesburg? My uncle was a golf course superintendent in Gauteng in South Africa, I had the honor of visiting Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban. South Africa is a mess! Extreme income equality, and even in rich places like Sandton, gates are in front of everyone's driveways. But back to downtown Jo'burg, the CBD's in all of South Africa's cities are extremely rundown and rampant with crime. I never once felt comfortable in any of them. Cleveland easily could follow the South African model, isn't Detroit doing the same?

It's still hard for most CSU students to fathom, get this, walking to where they need to go. I guess I was the exception, but I loved walking to class from Fenn Tower to the urban affairs building in the morning being in the middle of the city.

I was shocked to see Cincinnati and Akron decline, especially Cincy with us all being fooled it was "growing" again, ableit slowly. Cleveland I could easily see going below the 300,000 mark, but I sure hope Cincinnati stabilizes soon.

I drive through there every few weeks, mostly to see updates or action at League park, so yes I'm very familiar with the area. I'm familiar with the random spots of suburban housing also. I'd rather see the City spend the $5 million to continue cleaning up the abandoned housing and making the area more attractive for development. Then in another 3-4 years if the progress continues, a League Park renovation might make sense. As far as being short sighted, it only makes sense, in a shrinking city like Cleveland, to focus development in the areas which are best poised for a rebirth and growth. Throwing development money at random projects in random areas will get random results. Focusing $5 million in areas which the City has already targeted for supporting new development would get much better results. Spending $5 million on what will essentially be used a handful of times for something other than a little league facility is silly. Spend a fraction of that on modest improvements to keep the place functional and let the area around it continue to grow to a point where further improvements are justified. I agree. And I am not trying to be negative or sound like a Cleveland.com poster, but in all honesty, having the Indians play a game or two here would only further peoples' negative perceptions of the city. They already have enough bad things to say about downtown before they get on 77 or 90 and head back to their houses in the suburbs; imagine what they would think if they had to go to a game here and see what the surrounding area looks like. I read an article the other day talking about the casino and how Presque Isle plans to lose out on people due to Cleveland's casino opening up next month, and the one lady that worked there that was interviewed said a lot of people she talked to said they would visit it a few times until the luxury of it all "wore off" and also made mention "most said they would never step foot downtown." The perception of Cleveland, even in its best parts, is not good by a lot of people out there. The eastside is in bad shape, not that it is news to most here, but this is definitely a good start, and I hope this becomes a huge success. Although, being matter of fact and a realist, this area has a lot to do before bringing people in from outside the city to actually feel comfortable visiting.

Close. Try: can't read, can't write, Kent State. Close enough. I've always said it the same as well.

I know the situation is bad in Dayton, but this isn't anything new to Ohio. What was said here, is basically true for all of Ohio's large cities, even Columbus. Ohio needs to get its act together, and do so quickly.

I spent my jail sentence down south. Sure didn't have that view moving down there (grass is greener), then I became the "boomerang" and headed back. I don't see myself staying in the Mahoning Valley or even Ohio for that much longer, I want to get my education and leave, but Ohio sure has a lot more to offer than I gave it credit for, and it definitely is home.

I thought the name sounded familiar. Kind of scares me.

I couldn't help but think when I read this on my phone that people see Cleveland as just another Detroit, especially with articles like this. Oh well, what can you do?

I have always wondered why they never considered Cleveland and Akron/Canton to be one area. Sometimes they add Akron into the mix, but never Canton. With 2.8 million and add on another 400,000, you have well over 3 million people along that stretch of 77. If you look at a map that maps out all the large CSA's in the county, Cleveland takes up a very small area. Even if you added Cleveland/Akron/Canton, it is still much smaller and can fit into the Pittsburgh and St. Louis CSA's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Combined_statistical_areas_of_the_United_States_and_Puerto_Rico.gif

Good for Dayton. I know they are just estimates, but the new estimates have the Dayton metro area growing by over 3,000 people, and Montgomery county also grew. Something is happening in Dayton.

Interesting. Apparently we have been somewhat fooled by the Cleveland areas lower unemploymnet rates than most places, since the same area is doing worse than most other places in the ohter ranking overall. I was really hoping things were turning around there. Cleveland's a lost cause city, maybe some day we will all come to terms with this (75% of the metro area already has). Casinos and new convention centers will only get you so far. We have been fooled into believing Cleveland's economy is actually going somewhere. The lies.... "Fooled"? "We"? Speak for yourself! I'm going to leave it at that, before I say something that I shouldn't. A bit of sarcasm in my post. Figured you being the king of it would understand. No worries, no need to say anything you would regret. On that note, it is worrisome where Cleveland is today. I think I have sat behind the rose colored glass and figured things were really starting to look up for Cleveland. Unemployment rates do not speak the entire picture of Cleveland, and unlike a lot of other cities that are also going through building booms, they are announcing big job prospects. Cleveland hasn't seen major announcements in jobs like other cities have, let alone watch its workforce grow. With a declining workforce, lackluster job growth, and one of the very few cities in the nation with its housing prices below 2000 levels, Cleveland is going to have to do a lot more than build a casino to say its future looks bright.

Interesting. Apparently we have been somewhat fooled by the Cleveland areas lower unemploymnet rates than most places, since the same area is doing worse than most other places in the ohter ranking overall. I was really hoping things were turning around there. Cleveland's a lost cause city, maybe some day we will all come to terms with this (75% of the metro area already has). Casinos and new convention centers will only get you so far. We have been fooled into believing Cleveland's economy is actually going somewhere. The lies....

If they are adding San Francisco and San Jose, they should just add Akron to Cleveland's.

Work on the pedestrian bridge linking the lakefront with Voinovich Park could start at the end of summer. http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/03/the_next_big_thing_is_clevelan.html

The wall dividing helps make a distinction between a park and cemetery.

Except that there's a parking garage attached to the Hanna Annex, just east of the annex on Prospect. I have a hard time believing that deck is maxed out to capacity. And I'm putting myself in the shoes of a prospective renter, not as urbanist who probably cares more about land use than the average renter. If I'm considering renting an apartment in the annex, a parking space in the attached garage would be more attractive to me than having to cross two streets in the weather before I can get to my car. That garage is never full. I walked past it last week and the entire first level had probably four cars sitting there. If they need parking, it's right there next to them. Turn that gravel lot into something like Perk Park, that area needs something attractive or at least green.

Ain't that the truth. From the southern fringes of CSU's campus all the way to the Gateway District is extremely depressing.

Just because Cleveland isn't on that list doesn't mean it is some cause for alarm. Detroit's on that list, they should be as they have fallen harder than any other city. Trends are showing if you have lost a lot or fallen really hard, you are showing more growth than cities that have been quite stable over the last few years.

That's what I was thinking. What buildings are being thought of besides the ones on Euclid between the Huntington Building and Statler, nothing else that I can think of.

New numbers came out today for Ohio. The unemployment rate sits at 7.6% compared to 7.7% last month and the national average is at 8.3%. Ohio, unlike other states who are seeing unemployment rates decline, is actually seeing month to month growth rates in its labor force. I have always been skeptical of unemployment rates for the fact of discouraged workers, dropping out of the workforce, or losing unemployment benefits, but Ohio is actually seeing its unemployment rate drop and its workforce GROW.

Is the value of a TOD somehow less because it doesn't occur in the mother city? And Shaker Square gets a pass because it's too close to Shaker Heights? I think you've placed some strange, arbitrary conditions for some unknown reasons. And considering the lack of progress in station-area development citywide for so many decades until very recently, the developments I cited (and others I did not) are all the more stunning especially since they were started shortly before the Great Recession and continued unabated through it. If anything, they are accelerating, especially in the University Circle area. Or is that too close to the edge of the mother city to be counted either? EDIT: I encourage a visit -- I'll even offer a guided tour. Once again, KJP writes up another kicka$$ post! Any new video updates on the streetcar?

Wow, this project looks awesome! Can't wait to see it start to rise this year.