Ethan

Literally anything would be better than having it sit empty and locked up all year. So I'm for it; as long as they can keep it safe and unvandalized this is purely positive, even if it falls short of everyone's expectations. Unfortunately I can't get rid of my pessimistic thought that this would likely turn into a homeless encampment if steps aren't taken to prevent that. Obviously I hope I'm wrong.

From an aesthetics perspective, I agree. That said, I think the residents will really appreciate the extra windows. I'd love to see windows added to the 668 as well.

The second floor. They are advertising like crazy to us folks living in Terminal Tower.

Cedar Point announces re-imagining and re opening of Top Thrill Dragster for 2024 https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/01/cedar-point-teases-reimagined-top-thrill-dragster-for-2024.html

No news, but a nice editorial on the subject from Crains. Basically just talks about how it's nice to have something resembling a functional city government. https://www.crainscleveland.com/editorials/crains-editorial-getting-around

Nice article on several biking and road improvements in Cleveland, including Superior Midway, Lorain Cycle path, Loop trail (which just got federal funding!), and Franklin roundabouts. https://thelandcle.org/stories/3-key-transportation-developments-come-together-as-urban-bikeway-and-trail-move-ahead-franklin-slows-down/

I totally agree that RCV is MUCH better than the current system, it just also has smaller versions of the same flaws. I'm not opposed to eliminating primaries, but you need a way to narrow down the list of candidates. RCV just isn't robust enough to accurately select anything close to a Condorcet winner (the winner would beat every other candidate in a theoretical 1v1 matchup) from a list of 20-30 candidates. A score or approval voting method could handle this a bit better, but there's still an information overload problem, some primary or first round process narrows the candidate selection process down to a manageable level. I think the main solution to the primary problem is jungle primaries, where everyone competes regardless of party, the top 4 to 6 candidates advance (I think approval voting might be best for selecting these candidates, but any method is likely acceptable), and the general election uses some form of voting more robust than plurality voting. I'd prefer STAR, but RCV has a lot more momentum, so I support it for that reason.

I'd certainly prefer RCV (I assume you're referring specifically to instant runoff voting) to the current system, but from what I've seen it hasn't eliminated the primary from any state that has implemented it. Instead they move to top 4 or 5 top vote getters in a jungle primary advance. That said, compared to other voting alternatives IRV isn't great. My preferred method is STAR voting (score then automatic runoff). Here's a cool video simulating the errors in different voting methods. That said, I don't think any of this addresses the concerns with direct democracy initiatives.

It seems to me that the more elegant solution to this problem may be to have a minimum voter turnout threshold. This isn't unusual in a democracy, lots of countries have some variation on this. The trouble is where to set the threshold. Maybe if less than 30% of the population votes the results aren't valid (or 40%, 50%, etc). Not sure that's needed, but it's an intriguing idea.

I'm sympathetic to that argument, but the proposed law creates a different standard for initiatives proposed by the legislature, and those from citizen initiatives. I don't like that, and it makes it seem like a power grab, not a principled stance.

This article makes the case that the 60% voter threshold for amendments bill is likely dead as a result of the new speaker elected by the moderate Rs and Dems. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/01/proposal-to-make-it-harder-to-change-ohio-constitution-likely-stalled-again-after-surprise-house-leadership-change.html

Thanks for posting the article. Cross posting here to keep everything in one place. At this point I'm just glad they're fixing it.

I guess the reason I currently prefer the bollards is that they will allow for easy jaywalking. Especially given that only professional drivers are allowed to use this road, I don't see an issue with allowing pedestrians more freedom to walk. Both of your suggestions are just moving PS closer to what it was prior to the redesign. The point was to make PS more of a mini park space; I prefer we lean into that. We don't need wider roads and more hardscapes in PS, precisely the opposite.

The issue I have with this design is that PS is designed to funnel traffic along the "butterfly wing" paths. While having buses go through the center necessarily impacts this original vision, with bollards I can walk freely along the intended path (which is the most natural thing to do whenever the Jersey barriers aren't there). Your solution is very pretty, but it will function exactly like the current Jersey barriers from a pedestrian experience perspective. Personally I'd rather have the freedom to walk through the bollards than more poorly maintained vegetation, but reasonable people can differ on that.

Okay, I guess that clears up that confusion, but isn't the percentage of eligible voters the more important metric? By that metric Ohio is shockingly average. https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_turnout_in_United_States_elections

Where are you getting these numbers? I'm sure the national average wasn't (and possibly never has been) 86%. Edit: I was curious, so I looked it up, highest turnout in US history was 82.6%. https://www.newsweek.com/highest-voter-turnouts-history-us-elections-1545235

Information on Garfield Park connector in most recent Metroparks agenda: "In partnership with the City of Garfield Heights, Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works has identified Garfield Boulevard (County Route 261) in need of repaving. Furthermore, Garfield Boulevard from Warner Road to Turney Road in Garfield Heights is denoted on the Cuyahoga Greenway Plan for a future on-road multi-modal facility. Through the work of the Cuyahoga Greenway Partners, of which Cuyahoga County, Cleveland Metroparks, and the City of Garfield play important roles, additional funding has been identified to increase the scope of a typical 0.9 mile repaving project to now include a “road diet”, green infrastructure components supported by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, and a multi-use path connecting the Mill Creek Connector Trail to Garfield Park Reservation, effectively connecting Garfield Park Reservation to the Towpath Trail (the “Project”)."

From the Cleveland Metroparks most recent board meeting agenda: "Interstate 71 Beautification Project, Brookside Reservation (Originating Sources: Sean E. McDermott, P.E., Chief Planning and Design Officer/ Chris Cheraso, Landscape Architect) "Cleveland Metroparks has received grant funding from the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), Energized Community Grant for the purpose of planting and maintaining trees in the City of Cleveland for the benefit of NOPEC City of Cleveland customers. "Using this funding, Cleveland Metroparks and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) have collaborated to enhance the freeway interchanges adjacent to Interstate 71 between West 25th Street and Fulton Road. ODOT will set the groundwork by first removing dead and dying trees along the interchanges. Cleveland Metroparks will follow, filling the voids with a tree palette focused on seasonal interest and viability." It's a great start!

Wildlife slowly returning to the metroparks! Bobcats were sighted this year for the first time in Cuyahoga County since they were extirpated in 1850. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmHrJgSL4So/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= I believe one was recently spotted in Summit Metroparks too!

Just did survey. Interesting to note that the boulevard picture looks different from the the listening session I went to. I am pretty sure they have added a bridge over E18.

I don't understand this perspective. A lot of people on this forum seem to have made the logical leap that transformational = urbanist. It doesn't, and it never has. Transformational means just that, projects that transform, or change the character of, their surrounding neighborhoods. This project, while imperfect, stands a very good chance of being transformational to the surrounding area, and even Canton as a whole. It's clearly a tourist centered project, and it's aimed at beefing up the only tourist attraction in Canton. If this project can increase tourist draw of the Football HOF (and thus Canton as a whole) by 10%, is that transformational? What about if it takes 10% of the tourists who visit the HOF and gets them to spend a day in Canton versus driving through? The latter in particular seems to certainly qualify as transformative to me. I'm rooting for this project to succeed.

Separate groups announce pursuit of abortion rights amendments in Ohio constitution "COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two separate groups announced Monday that they are working to get constitutional amendments passed to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio, setting up a possible vote as soon as November 2023." https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/12/ohio-physicians-for-reproductive-rights-to-pursue-constitutional-amendment-protecting-abortion-rights-in-2023.html

🥳 Purely a good thing! https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2022/12/west-side-market-food-waste-will-stop-going-to-landfill.html

Complaining about the Georges on Urban Ohio doesn't do any good. If you're upset about their behavior vis-a-vis Irishtown bend distribute pamphlets or talk to people outside of Townhall. That might put some pressure on the Georges to do get rid of the property. Complaining about them on this site has been done plenty and will accomplish nothing. (As per usual if you're going to protest, be smart, try to persuade, stick to one topic, and don't be annoying)

Public square to remove jersey barriers, replace with bollard, likely by Q3 2023. https://signalcleveland.org/jersey-barriers-out-bollards-in-at-clevelands-public-square-in-2023-planners-say/ Definitely click through to the article to see the plans. Nice picture. Will include "raised pedestrian crosswalk" which I think is the biggest deal in here. Some bollards will be removable for events.