8ShadesofGray

Sorry. I was a little vague on that one (although I think new construction on the block between Ontario and Franz Pastorius would be ideal). I certainly didn't mean that the historically designated buildings should go or that the green space should be invaded in any way . I do, however, think that a lot could be done to create a sense of continuity between the adjacent residential districts and the Civic district through signage, lighting, etc. I also think that, as was mentioned earlier in the thread, you could certainly draw tenants into the existing Convention Center space in a creative re-use project. While it might not be a good use of space to convert the entire space into a film studio space, there are certainly a lot of local businesses that could benefit from being in the same physical location as a film studio. That could be the cornerstone of reusing the space, without devoting the entire building to that activity. My main point was that use of the space as a convention center was not necessarily the best reuse of the district, given its general dirge of retail, proximity to trains, low visibility, etc.

Really? I can't think of a better city to house dry, witty fake news. Perhaps we should all come up with Onion headlines that you can share in staff meeting as evidence of Cleveland's joie de satire.

I am certainly not Forest City's biggest fan, but I have to admit, I think it's probably the better of the two sites. The direct link to the airport is huge. So is having an existing (albeit currently struggling) infrastructure for retail. And, despite being located on the "backside" of the Tower City complex, I think it's proximity to Euclid, Public Square, Warehouse District/Starkville and E. 4th are all reasonable, certainly as reasonable as on Mall B. Plus, while I don't want to reward Forest City's hardballing tactics, the Huron Rd. site surely would make development of Scranton Peninsula and pedestrian connectors more palatable to them. Meanwhile, from what I've seen of the initial schematics, it looks like the Mall B site would remain largely underground and i invisible to Joe Blow. In addition, the conversion of the existing site could certainly interrupt convention service for a while, destroying relationships with those organizations we are fortunate enough to currently draw to Cleveland. The large amount of vacancy that would show up via the County admin move and the Convention and Visitors move I think presents us with an opportunity for redeveloping the Civic District with better connections to both the Warehouse and Avenue districts. Again, I don't think that this has been a fair and transparent process, and I certainly don't like Forest City's approach throughout this whole submission, rescind, submission process. But I do think that looking at it objectively, the FC site is far and away a better fit for a Convention Center.

Cleveland's Family to Family program is a national model for child welfare reform (one Denver children's services professional called Cleveland the "Mecca" of the reform movement). Granted, in order for Cleveland to have a national model for children welfare reform, Cleveland would have to have a critical mass of children welfare problems, but I think this is still a great silver lining. http://www.cleveland.com/ohio/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/115381626892530.xml&coll=2

I had heard that they were initially planning for E. 12th & Superior being the third phase development but that they had actually revised those plans so that it would now be the first phase. But I don't know where I heard that and those of you who know me personally probably know to suspect the sources that find their way into my life.

I like that RTA remains vigilant in promoting my personal emotional well-being. Between "Ride Happy or Ride Free" and "Smile and Ride Free", they're obviously really concerned about me having a positive attitude ... or at least pretending to have a positive attitude. But then again, I'm a blue/green liner, so what do I have to complain about? :-D

That is such a beautiful site - it would be perfect! I had heard some speculation that a group was trying to establish a rail museum there. Guess I just didn't realize that that was CVSR. Now we just need to see some spillover from that into reopening the adjaced Detroit/Superior Bridge subway. I really, really hope this project takes off in the projected timeframe.

Here's the link to CVSR's current one-way bike and ride option. A little cumbersome (sounds time consuming), but it's beautiful. I almost hope they avoid Tower City as a station, as I'm sure that that would complicate and elongate the process for getting this thing started (plus, it sounds like one more way from bringing my bike aboard during "rush hour". I know these projects are bound to be multi-year affairs (I'm still waiting for my ferry!!!), but anything to make this happen faster would be great. I had heard about a year back, too, that they were talking about making the main terminal in the Flats (possibly Settlers' Landing?) and having a Visitors' Center complete with information on lakefront attractions as well as all the other things along the line. I can't imagine that they could get dedicated space at Tower City to carry out that plan. On the other hand, with (very) tentative plans for a Convention Center at Tower City, and with CVB planning a Visitor's Center for the ground floor of the Higbee building, it would be a good location for getting out-of-towners connected to the National Park. Hmmm ... I've backed myself into a quandary. I'll actually be riding the train this weekend (we'll be taking off from AND returning to Brecksville, Blinker), so I'll try to get some photographs to post.

Hey, what's wrong with Ziggy (and sorry to tell you, but Ziggy has some connection to Cincinnati as well ... I don't remember exactly what it was, but Ziggy definitely has his roots both there and in Lakewood). And Tom Wilson didn't just head up the creation of Ziggy but also Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears. As a child of the 80s, it's no wonder I ended up in Cleveland. Next thing, I'll find out Thundercats were invented here! And I just can't stop!!! Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland is part of a national assembly of arts education organizations. They coordinate opportunities for arts education both in and outside of the classroom. Cleveland's chapter is the sixth largest in the nation, has provided arts education activities to 275,000 children (even in school districts that cannot afford these services) and is currently working on a massive literacy curriculum using arts and culture that is expected to be nationally replicated as a method for teaching literacy skills. http://www.yagc.org/who/who.html

The Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Tremont has one of the largest collections of Ukrainian artifacts in the country. While I haven't been able to verify it online, I have heard in passing that it is actually THE largest collection outside of Ukraine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Ukrainian_Museum-Archives http://www.umacleveland.org/history.html The Intermuseum Conservation Association was the first regional art conservation laboratory in the United States. Today, it remains one of the most well-reputed restorers of fine art. http://www.ica-artconservation.org/about/history.html Karamu House is the oldest African American cultural arts-based institution in the country. http://www.karamu.com/ Greater Cleveland also has an often overlooked link to comic art. Harvey Pekar's graphic novels are well-noted, but local talent include the creators of Superman, Ziggy and Calvin and Hobbes. BTW, I saw earlier in this thread that people were talking about Harvey Pekar doing a book signing in Chi-town. He'll actually be doing one here in Cleveburg TONIGHT at Mac's Backs, coinciding with the Coventry Street Fair.

Cleveland has an incredible, nationally renowned civic infrastructure. The Cleveland Foundation is the oldest and, today, second largest community foundation in the country. The organization has assets of more than $1.5 billion. http://www.clevelandfoundation.org/page19868.cfm The Foundation Center is a national clearinghouse of information for individuals and organizations seeking grant opportunities. The Center operates an online database of information but also maintains physical libraries (where individuals can review records for free and get assistance from library personnel) in five cities. That's right ... Cleveland is one of those cities (the others are NYC, Atlanta, San Francisco and DC). http://fdncenter.org/about/locations.html;jsessionid=5LQ4KDPRD2A0TTQRSI4CGXD5AAAACI2F The first Community Chest in the country appeared in Cleveland in 1913. The Community Chest movement subsequently gave birth to the national United Way movement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Chest_%28US_organisation%29 The City Club of Cleveland is the oldest continuously operating free speech forum in the country. (NOTE: The City Club of Cleveland was founded in 1912; other free speech forums appeared in the U.S. earlier - e.g. The City Club of Chicago was founded in 1903. But these other forums have not operated continuously. Many discontinued operations either temporarily or permanently due to financial constraints and/or difficulties during times when free speech was particularly difficult, such as during both World Wars). http://www.cityclub.org/content/aboutus/index/index.asp

Thanks for redirecting me, folks. Good to see that there's a lot less work to be done assembling this stuff than I thought. And that is a beautiful montage ... fit for framing.

They're hosting an Open House on July 27th from 6 - 9 p.m. 1st Floor, Galleria.

Perhaps it was the Lincoln Center. Those are filler facts. See why I need to have these things assembled in one place and have corresponding sources? :-) Here's our first actual fact for the pro-Cleveland list ... SustainLane has determined that Cleveland has the third lowest risk of natural disaster among the U.S.'s 50 largest cities. We were beat out only by Mesa, AZ, and Milwaukee, WI, and tied with El Paso, TX, Phoenix, AZ, and Tucson, AZ. http://www.sustainlane.com/article/996//U.S.+Cities+in+Harm%92s+Way.html

I don't know about any of the rest of you Cleveland "boosters", but I'm exhausted from constantly tellling people about all the great things Cleveland originated back in the day and the things that we lead the charge on today. Moreover, when I recount positive statistics/facts about Cleveland, cynical Clevelanders always want to know my source. So this thread is my attempt to assemble this information in one place. Info like "Playhouse Square is the second largest performing arts complex in the country, after the Kennedy Center" or "Wind-generated electricity and the electric streetlight first appeared in Cleveland" or "The Economist ranks Cleveland the best city in the country in terms of livability." Basically, a random list of rah-rahs for our great little city. I did a quick search to see if this thread already existed but didn't see one; please feel free to refer me to it if it's out there. Otherwise, I'm going to start assembling these facts (and hopefully sources) right here. In the meantime, Team NEO has assembled a pretty good list of Cleveland greats and firsts here: http://www.teamneo.org/Content/MediaCenterNEONewsKnowNewNext.aspx. Happy hunting!

From what I recall, those planning this year's festival were initially interested in hosting it in the Flats and in bringing in a pyro-artist from Germany to set the Cuyahoga River ablaze (again). I think that James Levin remains committed to drawing attention to areas downtown that a) have a great deal of potential, b) currently have vacancy issues and c) would be ideal venues for a festival. While the theme of the festival is obviously the integration and interaction of art and technology, there also seems to be a conscious effort to draw attention to physical space and how we can creatively address issues of underutilization. Both years of the festival utilized alleys and abandoned buildings to expose individuals to often overlooked spaces. And hopefully, everyone caught Lost Prospect this year (the 2.5 hr. play Blinker talked about). The progressive play led participants through a variety of alleyways and both filled and vacant spaces. It also offered a pretty scathing indictment regarding citizen complacency and out-migration from the city core. I think that regardless of where it ends up in the future, we can anticipate that the festival will continue to encourage people to examine the very real assets that Cleveland has and continues to ignore.

I swear, you go on vacation and stop reading the blog for one week and the Clinic goes and does something like this! I have to say I think this would be a deplorable use of space. It has been so exciting to see the redevelopments that are slated for University Circle, to imagine a time when I don't fear for my safety when trying to catch the bike trail through Rockefeller Park and to envision a stronger and more economically integrated community in proximity to Case and the cultural institutions. I am an eastsider through and through, but one of my biggest complaints about my side of town is how cut off the city proper is from the relatively affluent Heights. I have always speculated that this type of planning was purposefully inequitable and that the street barriers were intentionally used to segregate those of lower means from those of higher means. Now we're talking about creating a major barrier that not only could affect the desirability of University Circle as a destination for visitors/residents but would also impede integration and development opportunities along the Euclid Corridor, without creating meaningful walkability for anyone but Cleveland Clinic staff. Has anyone seen if major players like UCI or NOACA have made public statements about this proposal?

I was really pleased with my Ingenuity experience this time around. As has been noted a number of times already in this thread, there is just something magical about being downtown when it is swarming with people. It was absolutely amazing to park next to the malls (sidenote: HOW can people complain about the dirge of parking opportunities downtown when I was able to find street parking in the dead center of downtown at its busiest?), look at the Tall Ships, catch a snippet of the Movies on the Mall series and then wander into a crowd of 20- and 30-somethings watching a live performance on E. 4th. I agree with the forementioned complaints: it would be good to see more technical innovation presented at the festival. The logistics were problematic (ticket booths not staffed on the first evening of the festival, changes in the schedule that precluded me from seeing events and poor visibility for some of the interior exhibits). I think my biggest complaint after seeing two rounds of Ingenuity is that the festival seems to fade away on its closing day; the events get spotty and stages are being taken down while events are occuring in other venues. I would like to see something really big and explosive on that last day that brings the community together and leaves people excited for next year. All and all, though, I thought this event was a steal at $10/day. I was wowed by some of the acts and even witnessed an out-of-state friend of mine talking to one of their friends about Infinite Number of Sounds; how crazy is it that people living 6 hours from Cleveland had heard about this band and were really excited about them when Cleveland itself seems to give them a lower profile than they deserve? I think the most exciting aspect of the festival is its creative use of space; it really gets you thinking about what vibrancy we could lend downtown alleys, rooftops and unused commercial spaces with a little creativity. Even if only once a week during the summer, it would be great to see similar ongoing events in Cleveland's semi-hidden nooks. I will close by saying that, in a town that obviously values arts and culture but continues to be skeptical about its economic impact, look no further than Ingenuity. I had a friend who visited from out-of-state to attend the event (her second year of doing so). By my estimates, she spent approximately $450 over the course of six days (had she stayed in a hotel, this would have hovered around $1,000. She spent the vast majority of this money in the city proper and all of it in Cuyahoga County. And unlike us Clevelanders, she didn't complain about the parking or the event prices or anything else; she left with an even more positive view of the city and will be walking around Indianapolis with a shirt that says "New York may be the Big Apple, but Cleveland's a plum" (not our finest slogan ever, but hey, it's something). If we can continue to build the momentum around Cleveland's arts and culture scene, I really think there's no stopping our little community. Congrats and thanks to Ingenuity!

Saw the Oh on Friday night. While it was a little uneven in pace (and included one entirely implausible waterslide skyline of the city), I think the critics were far too harsh. The acting was pretty solid and the dialogue and physical humor were hilarious. Plus, as an added bonus, the city of Cleveland looked extraordinary. There were some beautiful shots of downtown, including an aerial shot of the skyscrapers, river and lake. It wasn't exactly documentary in its accuracy (Parker Posey apparently lived in Cleveland Heights west of the city via the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge), but I will certainly forgive them. Definitely worth catching. And how great is it to live in a city where Ambiance distributes free gift bags to everyone at the opening? Ah, Cleveland.

I didn't mean to flog ya.

And one other thing. While I do think that taxes that disproportionately impact one segment of the population deserve closer scrutiny, we generate government revenue like that all the time! Boats, gasoline surcharges, real estate transfer fees, hospitality taxes - you name it, someone pays and someone else doesn't. When levies are property tax-based, they tend to be favored disproportionately by younger voters; When levies are income tax-based, they tend to be favored disproportionately by older voters. Why? As unfortunate as it is, most people recognize the social value of most levies but do not want their individual tax burden increased. I am certainly not a fan of seeking out tax revenues based on how small a minority they will impact. At the same time, however, I recognize that I often vote for levies knowing that someone else will foot the bill. So here's my chance to step up to the plate, light up a cigarette and actually do something of paramount importance for our community.

I'm a smoker who will be voting in favor of the levy. Granted, there seems to be little correlation between smoking and arts and culture. It may seem unfair to burden smokers with a levy that has little relationship to the actual "sin", but isn't it equally unfair that I, as a smoker, can adversely impact the health of those around me, not to mention drive up healthcare insurance coverage for my employer, reducing their profit margin and thus their ability to reinvest in further development, job creation, tax revenue, etc.? At the very least, this is a democratic process. And let's face it, it is a quality-of-life issue and does have economic impacts. It may not be a major reason that companies choose to locate or not locate in our region, but it is certainly a factor. So it's no surprise that not only will there be a cigarette excise levy but also two indoor smoking bans on the ballot. I certainly wouldn't ask that people support a levy that they don't believe in, but to me the tradeoffs are obvious. On the one hand, we'll generate $20 million in revenue for arts and culture organizations, increasing their ability to draw in tourism dollars, provide educational services and improve the overall brand image of Cleveland; at the same time, we'll reduce consumption of perhaps the deadliest legal product around, particularly among youths. For that, I think those of us who choose to smoke should be willing to shell out an extra 30 cents a day.

Walking around the neighborhood, you get a sense that the area has a strong identity and a vibrant micro-economy, even if the vast majority of greater Clevelanders aren't aware of it. Will the area gentrify somewhat in the next decade? I think it's certainly likely. Will it be the next Warehouse District? I don't think so. Granted, I wasn't walking through the Warehouse District in the mid-80s, but I get the sense that Chinatown has a far larger residential base, along with a lot of industrial investment and existing retail. My big fear would be that as property values rise and the suburbians discover this treasure, we might see a lot of exploitation of Asian culture that a) does little to improve the quality of life for existing residents, b) reduces the authenticity and, for lack of a better word, rawness of the neighborhood and c) if it follows suit with the Chinatowns of other major metropolitan areas, will be a tacky tourist trap. But if Cleveland knows how to do anything right, it's how to maintain a plethora of unique neighborhoods. So here's hoping!!!

I tried to download the mp3 but it kept coming up as a broken link.

I've been in love with this idea ever since it popped up on the Civic Innovation Lab website! I know it makes me an uber-geek, but I definitely cannot WAIT to do a self-led tour through Gateway! And how incredible will it be when we have equivalent tours in the neighborhood?! I have to say that I think the best element of this program is the engagement of authentic neighborhood voices. Instead of listening to a single narrator, we can hear from the people who are engaged in the neighborhood on a grassroots level. Definitely love this concept!