KJP

I have to be careful what I say about this here, because I have to report on this issue for Sun. But I will comment on erosion of the home rule provisions in the Ohio Constitution, particularly as it may someday relate to land use and urban policy. First of all, I find the Ohio General Assembly (particularly its leadership) to be downright anti-urban. Most of the issues they tend to address are of greater importance to rural areas (school prayer, gay marriage, etc). Yet pressing issues for urban areas (school funding, redevelopment, per-capita transportation investment fairness etc) are often ignored. If the Ohio General Assembly believes that Article II of the Ohio Constitution (which deals with the health/safety/welfare of citizens) is of greater importance than home rule -- and it may well be though the courts will affirm/set aside that one -- what about an individual municipality's ability to decide its land uses in the context of the overall urbanized area? If a municipality promotes development on agricultural, natural or vacant land and it's a "wealthier" community with respect to the average wealth for the whole urban area, should that development be permitted under Article II? Shouldn't a metropolitan government be established to redirect that investment to a municipality that is "less wealthy" when compared to the urbanized area's average? Under home rule, this is not permitted. But if Article II of the Ohio Constitution takes precedence, as Ohio's General Assembly has been saying, perhaps this regional land use governance should be permitted. I doubt this is what Senator Grendell (a former development lobbyist) had in mind when he advocated that Article II should take precedence over the home rule provision in consideration of SB82. But I can see some urban interests making that case. Perhaps even some rural interests (such as the farming and agricultural lobby) might make that case, too, in order to slow the alarming loss of Ohio's farmland. It will be interesting to see what happens next. As often happens, a change in governmental policy often has unintended consequences, and in ways the original advocates of that policy would not have wanted.

Many of you have commented that, while the all articles distributed about peak oil are interesting reading, what do we do about it and how do we communicate the issue to others who aren't familiar with it? The answer has finally arrived, from of all places the City of Burnaby in British Columbia. It is a document that provides a primer on peak oil from a municipal context, and lists in the appendix various actions that municipalities might choose to take to become less energy (especially petroluem) intensive. The information came from the following link, which I saved in a PDF document (if you'd like the PDF, send me your e-mail by personal message, as the one I have required a bit of reworking on my part to make things fit a bit better on proper pages). But you have the link (below) to the site from which the information was gathered in case you choose to develop your own community-specific primer. http://burnaby.fileprosite.com/contentengine/document.asp?Print=yes&ID=9181 Best of luck

I think the Flats East Bank project will offer a true neighborhood, too. With a grocery store and a multiplex cinema, how can it not be?

As a general rule, I don't support any bypasses around small towns. You'd have to provide one hell of a convincing argument that the traffic is so bad that the "main street downtown" area will be better off by taking traffic out of it. Too often, however, small town centers end up with vacancies as a result of bypasses where chain-type retailers replace the mom-and-pop stores that had made each small town unique, personable and friendly. If the traffic is so bad that downtown business is suffering (I haven't seen a small town suffer that much traffic!), consider using streets parallel to "main street" for overflow. In Coraopolis Pennsylvania, they took the through traffic out of downtown and built a "bypass" behind the main street businesses where parking was. Then, they added narrow, strategically placed parking lots between some main street businesses and separated the parking lots from main street with decorative fences. Or, consider sticking a two-level parking deck back behind the main street businesses. Add safer bicycle and pedestrian routes into and through downtown. Make it easier to access small town downtowns rather than reroute traffic a mile or two around it. Yeah, that will get rid of traffic downtown. It might also get rid of your downtown.

I come here for confessional. But I just thought it was a funny background story.

If the experts are the Association for the Study of Peak Oil, then yes, they have been taking the overstatement of reserves into account in estimating the peak oil date as 2008. But if the experts are the US Geological Survey and US Dept. of Energy, they have not taken into it account and thus pegged the peak oil date as 2035. I suspect that if more holes can be poked into the other OPEC nations' reserve data by industry insiders, the official government estimates will be adjusted to show we are at or near the crest. Hopefully that will motivate a dramatic change in energy policy, transport policy, land use policy, etc etc.

^ So do we at ''Sun Newspapers''

Did you notice the first sentence of the second paragraph? That was where I supposed to add an update on Westgate's construction... I was told to add a quote from the mayor of Fairview Park about the project, and I saw an instruction from Meredyth farther down in the article as where it should go. I never saw the second instruction at the top. Thus, I am to blame for that sentence that makes no sense... 30 lashes with a wet noodle for me

^ You're welcome. Correct. mrnyc, Chicago is just one of the places the brains are draining to. I cited my friend Mark because I knew of his experience. I know there are others, especially involving NYC, but none of my college friends moved there. I wanted to cite an example that was personal to me.

Welcome to the forum, Ryan! Glad to see you're aboard. I owe you a phone call about CityWheels, though I'm going to have to call you after I get back to the office from a working vacation Feb 6.

Thanks. It will run in more papers, but Sun columns aren't put on either Cleveland.com or sunnews.com. We also ran an editorial in all our five of our west-side papers (and maybe more that I haven't seen yet) about Stark's plans. Whatever it takes to get the point across.

Yes, Virginia, there is an Institute for Urban-Style Family Living... http://www.unconventionalideas.com/urban.html Here's a list of articles they've written for the above site: Family Car-Free Living Keeps Our Finances Healthy Children and Cycling Walking: A Burden or a Blessing? Late Summer 2003 Update: What's going on with the unconventional ideas family? Walkability and a Sense of Place: Photos of real neighborhoods. Give your children what they crave most: Mobility under their own steam! Five trends in the USA to watch during the next fifty years: We've got a bright future ahead. Replacing the Family Car with Bikes: How to do it. Does a Car Really Save Time?: Perhaps sometimes it doesn't. Lemon Meringue Pie in My Pannier: The pleasures of using a bicycle for shopping. Eleven Consequences You May Face If You Give Up Your Car: Read this before you take the plunge. Great Places for Car-Free Living in the USA: Cities where you can live the abundant life without wheels. Bike Riding at Night in the Rain: A pleasant surprise! Answers to Questions About Our Family-Car-Free Lifestyle: Just how do we survive after giving up the car? Sold the Gas-Guzzling Van Today: Our family of four is now on bikes! Portland's New Eastbank Esplanade: Reclaiming a disregarded urban space. The Middle Class Kids Move In: About a family with two children who live in a rowhouse in San Diego. "Award-Winning" Sustainable Communities: Innovative, but overpriced and missing the main point. Bikes and Light Rail: A Perfect Match in Portland Read about our exciting discovery. Reversing suburban flight, families move back downtown: CNN article from the 1998 "Sprawl America" series. Downtown Seattle: Once-seedy area now drawing empty-nesters and families alike Without a Car in the World: Jane Holtz Kay describes her car-free life. Way to Go, Seattle: about a project that helps families to get rid of one of their cars. The End of Long Distance Passenger Trains in the USA Could Signal the Blossoming of High-Speed Rail: A bright prospect. Why is There Such Shame in Riding the Bus or Walking?: The logic of that escapes me. Why I Own Two Gas Hogs and Live in the Suburbs: True Confessions: Get the real scoop. Suburban Intellectual Atrophy: What it is and how to prevent it. Does the Car Spoil Our Fun?: How convenience and enjoyment can work against each other. An Urban "Day in the Life": March 23, 2002: Join us for a family foray downtown. Another Rewarding Day Downtown: Wow, we have transit that comes to our front door and doesn't cost extra. Urban-Style Suburbs: A Viable Alternative for Families on a Budget: It's the next best thing to living downtown. Walkable Communities: True Freedom Enablers: Before you buy a house in any old neighborhood, have a look at this. One of the Coolest Family Rides to Church Ever: What a deal! Andersen Family Christmas Greetings, 2002: With best wishes to all during this festive season. Major League Baseball and Light Rail Support: Could there be a connection between the two? Update After Several Weeks Without a Family Car: Well, we haven't shriveled up yet. Family Car-Free Living Makes it Easy to Have a Healthier Diet: Read about our great discovery. Two Contrasting Commutes: The choice is in your hands.

I blew up MGD's graphic to show the detail on the right-hand side....

Cool!

Was that before or after your bottle feeding? :drunk:

It is private property and you are subject to arrest. The railroads and the Transportation Security Administration (which hired six railroad inspectors for the Cleveland area last year) are on the watch for trespassers. Since 9/11, if city or railroad police, or the TSA, catch you on a very busy railroad bridge like the one at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River (a federal navigation channel crossed by a nationally significant and strategic rail corridor), you could soon find yourself face to face with federal investigators before they realize you're harmless and let you go with a trespassing citation. If you took pictures while trespassing, you probably won't get your film back. I read a few railroad and transit publications and am horrified to see articles about railfans who are arrested just for taking pictures of trains and railroad/transit property. Most of this has occurred in the New York City area, but other examples of arrests have occured around Chicago and Los Angeles. Several of those arrested have filed lawsuits against police departments, etc. Could it happen to you in Cleveland? There's one way to make sure it doesn't. Regardless, it's still trespassing on a dangerous property. Take my advice. Don't do it.

Hey folks.... I just went to Kelly & Visconsi's website and saw their street address. It looked awfully familiar. Sure enough, it's in the same building where Robert L. Stark Enterprises is headquartered. Stark is on the top (sixth) floor of the building. K&V are on the second floor. But Stark owns the office building. I find it very hard to believe that these two corporations aren't talking about this project.

My understanding was that the Ferchill development was proposed for the parking lot between Front Street and the railroad tracks, west of West 9th. I think we'll have to wait and see what this is. As for the parking/transit debate, don't forget that Toronto has similar car ownership rates as Cleveland, but their transit ridership is eight times higher (for a metro area twice as populous). Of course, the big differences are density and extent of transit service (chicken or egg as to which comes first). Projects like the one MGD found, as well as all the others create the density. Then let's see if we can put some bodies back on the Waterfront Line. Back to this project that's the purpose of this string... What impact would this project have on extending West 10th Street north of the tracks? Seems to me it would complicate the extension, as the project is currently designed. Perhaps Stark should pay the developer a visit, whoever it is!

^ If that's commonplace, then I guess we'll have to give that ranking back! Seriously though, such rankings are questionable at best. Nice to put in a PR sheet, but that's about the only value they have. Here's what the group said about it: http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=2 Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year From the finalist communities that appear on the Smart 21 list in the autumn, ICF selects a smaller group of honorees to be its Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year. Each year's Top Seven is announced at the annual conference of the Pacific Telecommunications Council in Honolulu, Hawaii, which takes place in January. Like the Smart 21, this prestigious list may sound like a competitive ranking, but that is not its intent. The Top Seven are chosen, not because they excel in all areas of ICF's Intellligent Community Indicators, but because each demonstrates excellence in at least one. ICF salutes them as pioneers and role models for the development of vibrant Digital Age communities in the 21st Century. Some of each year’s Top Seven appeared on the previous year’s list, though this is rare. Just as appearing one year does not mean that a community surpasses all others, so being replaced on the list does not signify failure. ICF purposely introduces new examples each year in order to continually expand the scope of the Top Seven list, and the selection process must inevitably exclude some worthy and exciting examples. Criteria for the ICF Awards Program Award Categories Top Seven Intelligent Communities and Intelligent Community of the Year Awarded to a city, region or community with a documented strategy for creating a Digital Age economy that uses information and communications technology, with an emphasis on broadband over narrowband applications, to attract leading-edge businesses, stimulate job creation, generate economic growth, and improve the delivery of government services. The community must demonstrate that its strategy has produced measurable results in one or more of the following areas: > Attracting new business to the community or stimulating their formation > Creating training programs to equip citizens with knowledge-worker skills > New job creation > New technology infrastructure investment, whether of “hard” assets, services or software > Improvements in the delivery of government and public services such as education, administration, law enforcement or citizen participation > Innovation in government procedures and/or business processes Intelligent Building of the Year Awarded to a commercial building, building complex, hosting center or real estate-based teleport that has been occupied by tenants for at least six months and has used broadband and information systems technology to add demonstrable value to the property in the form of valuation, above-market rentals, and/or advanced services. The winning property must demonstrate that it offers tenants or customers broadband connectivity on a quick and convenient basis. In addition, it must demonstrate that has marketed this connectivity to potential tenants in a clear and compelling way, and that it is linked to an economic development strategy by the surrounding community. Intelligent Community Visionary Awarded to either an individual or an organization in the public sector, private sector, academia or nonprofit sector who has taken a leadership role in promoting broadband technology as an essential utility in the Digital Age. This individual or organization must have a proven track record in bringing about effective cooperation between the public and private sectors in economic development, and must be recognized by peers as a subject-matter expert in the field based on written works, speeches, project leadership or other documented activity. Intelligent Community Technology Awarded to a company or institution whose technology or creative application of technologies has enabled communities and their institutions to better serve their constituents in significant ways. The nominee must have already brought its technology to market, or must have completed at least one successful demonstration project and have plans to bring the technology to market within 12 months.

If that's the design for the Cancer Hospital, then I think the UH architects have been hanging around the Clinic's architects for too long. Yet another design that doesn't create sidewalk activity -- especially on Euclid Avenue. It doesn't front the street. Where's the opportunity for sidewalk-level mixed use? What ever happened to architects understanding how to create urban-friendly designs? Did they all die off by the 1950s? This isn't rocket science, but it sure is frustrating.

I once took Dead Man's Curve eastbound at 65 mph in my little sports car -- the fact that I had someone heavier than me in the passenger seat helped! The biggest problem with the curve is that it gets sharper as you go eastbound. Just as you're ready to accelerate out of the curve, the curve gets tighter, and that's where the trucks flip. Councilman Cimperman believes the curve's severity may be eased by using some of Burke Lakefront Airport's property. In other words, the curve would set farther north than what ODOT is proposing, and wouldn't take any buildings. As for the closeness of the ramps in the trench, private engineering consultants I've interviewed contend that, making the Inner Belt faster is trading one devil for another. While it's true the Inner Belt's accident rate is unacceptably high, most of the accidents occur in heavy traffic at slower speeds, and are mostly of the fender-bender, side-swipe variety. Injuries are often minor or less. Improve the flow of traffic and thus the speed, the accidents may be reduced. But the accidents that do occur are likely to be of a more catastrophic nature, resulting in serious injuries or deaths. Pick your poison.

^ Especially since this project is designed to speed the way through downtown for 15 percent of the traffic, and reduce the access points for the remaining 85 percent which is heading to/from the core city.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this until I started writing some thoughts and asking some questions. My first question is why is the Clinic proposing something like this when the front of its buildings at sidewalk level are of benefit to only those who have business in the upper floors? What use would this plaza have? Wouldn't it end up being just a larger, albeit prettier sidewalk that's just as empty as what's there today? I guess something like this would actually be worth considering if the Clinic's buildings had sidewalk-level frontage that was mixed use. That might make it an active, interesting, diverse, sociable area. But without the mixed-use frontage, I can see this plaza area being like a park in a bowl, making it a dead, faceless and scary place.

Thank you for an excellent piece of work. I knew there were a lot of buildings proposed for demolition, but seeing them all in one place communicates the extent. I think more people need to see this and I'll do what I can to make sure they have that opportunity.

Today, Nymex Crude Future jumped some $2 in just one day to $66.74. Geez, forget about June! Maybe we'll hit $70 before February...