novusordo0205

I couldn't agree more with this whole thread. The situation is made even worse when one didn't grow up in Cleveland. Trust me on that one. I've been here for two years and can probably count the friends that I have here on two hands. This is partly my fault (working too much, visiting friends out of town whenever I can), but some of it is just due to the nature of Cleveland. Spending two summers in Chicago, where I found most people to be very warm and friendly, didn't help my expectations in the least, either. By and large, people in Cleveland are not friendly (just taking the daily elevator ride in Key Tower as an example). My friends (whom either grew up with me away from here or went to college out of state with me) have had the same experiences. I won't even begin to get into the "bar scene." I also echo the sentiment about the organizations and activities around here being very parochial and "clinque-y." What I've noticed most, though, is that nearly everyone is either married or in some relationship, regardless of orientation. It's as though people here are afraid to be alone in life for any short period of time. At some point, this "coupling" effect will have a very real negative economic consequence for us. In my opinion, this mentality certainly doesn't help in attracting young, college grads from elsewhere to live and work in our community. As an example, a guy who summered with our firm the past two years just chose to go to a Columbus firm because, as he told me this past weekend, "there are always twenty to thirty people I can call up to go out with at any given time. That wasn't the case in Cleveland." I can't say I blame him, and it'll likely be the reason that I move on from here (despite my family living 80 miles away). After being single here for most of those two years (give or take some random dates), I recently started dating a girl from near my hometown. Coming to Cleveland, I wouldn't have guessed that at all. Instead of working on cheesy marketing names that miss the mark, our civic organizations should work on improving the social network for singles in this area. Maybe that'll help lure talent, or at least help us to keep what we do have.

It's as though they don't test these names before they're chosen. How hard would be it to sample 500 people and ask, "is this a good idea?" The slogans, first "Cleveland +" and now "Positively Cleveland" sound like a fifth grade class project, not a multi-million dollar advertising campaign. The website for the Convention & Visitors Bureau looks similarly infantile. The images look crudely Photoshopped around the edges.

You mean you didn't see a play on "Cleveland+" coming? We've got bad marketing. Together.

This has to beg the question: would Cleveland be better off without the Richard Jacobs Group?

Looking at this proposed design, I have one thought: the current "en vogue" architectural style, filled with cantilevered everything, steel and glass everywhere, and geometric juxtaposition gone awry, is going to look remarkably dated in about 30 years, much the same way that the Brutalist style looks to us now. Maybe I'm misinformed (and admittedly undereducated in this area), but I think it would be nice to see some cutting edge designs (and I don't mean Gwaltney-like regurgitations). It might even be nice to see some collegiate gothic designs, though that, too, would be markedly out of place.

Another mold would likely be more expensive to create. Duplication was likely much cheaper. I like them regardless of the duplicity.

It may have been crass, but I enjoyed how Mayor Daley solved Chicago's lakefront airport problem literally overnight by carving impenetrable Xs on the runways so that Meigs Field could no longer be used. Mayor Jackson certainly will not pull a similar move, so it looks like we'll be stuck with an airport.

Someone should deliver this article to the new folks in charge of ODOT post haste. Even without the InnerBelt bridge, as KJP has suggested, travelers would have alternative routes and traffic wouldn't "paralyze" the city if Seattle is an example. SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/327710_traffic16.html I-5 closure shows we're adaptable Thursday, August 16, 2007 Last updated 8:38 a.m. PT By CARY MOON AND KAMALA RAO GUEST COLUMNISTS Whether you're surprised or not, the unfolding story of I-5 construction is remarkable. The highway is usually so congested at rush hour we've come to think of its traffic as absolute, as a necessity of life. When repairs meant partial closure, hearts sank. But the Washington State Department of Transportation planned ahead and got the word out. It threatened nightmarish delays; it urged working from home and avoiding rush hour. It offered a discount on van pools, mapped alternative routes and reminded us of all the transit options. A few days in, and so far so good: About half the 120,000 daily drivers have found other ways to get around. Hats off to the media for educating us on options, and thanks to all the conscientious travelers for doing their part. ........... Cary Moon is director of the People's Waterfront Coalition. Kamala Rao is a transportation planner.

I never agreed with your point. In fact, wind is "in the money," meaning there's an economic gain to be had here. You said the contrary ("firmly out of the money"). Moving on... Here is additional support showing wind speeds across the state and over Lake Erie. (1) http://www.ohiowind.org/ResourceLibrary/maps/Ohio_wind_map_windpower4_1_2_100m1.pdf (2) http://www.wcpn.org/news/2006/10-12/images/windPower/windPowerGraph.pdf (3) Check out this report: http://www.ohiowind.org/ResourceLibrary/pdfs/WindReportfinal.pdf. It discusses the viability of wind power creation in Ohio. Just out of curiosity, what is the basis for your advocacy against wind power in Ohio? Too expensive? Not scientifically practicable? Are you talking about on a commercial scale or as an offset to individual/institutional use of other sources? You seem quick to say "not going to work" without giving a reason why. The point of all of this debate is that there is no reason to be a laggard in this emerging field, especially behind a neighboring state like Pennsylvania.

Brewmaster, a report from the Renewable Energy Policy Project ranks Ohio second only to California in potential number of new jobs created and average investment received from wind power. See George Sterziner and Matt Svrcek, Renewable Energy Policy Project, Technical Report, Sept. 2004, available at http://www.repp.org/articles/static/1/binaries/WindLocator.pdf (last accessed Jan. 24, 2007).

Your words were "Wind is firmly out of the money in most of Ohio, and might just barely be marginal in the Northwest." I do think you said that wind was out of the money (albeit in most of the state). How is that a misquote?

It's called a "renewable portfolio standard." Yes, it's a great idea. Getting the fine folks in Columbus to require it, however, is another matter.

Wind is most certainly not "out of the money" in Ohio. 5-15 miles out into Lake Erie generates some of the top consistent wind speeds in the U.S. There are a lot of advantages to pioneering freshwater wind farming, lest be the piles of money to be made. A recent study showed that Ohio had one of the top potential economic benefits of wind power development of any state (I believe behind Cal. and Tex.). To say that it is an economic dog is quite misinformed.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The problem with Cleveland isn't Cleveland, it's the majority of people here. I was talking the other night with a woman who moved here for an optional residency after dental school at Marquette. She loves Cleveland (and, like me, isn't from here, either)... but can't understand why the people in the program from here don't. They whine and moan about how there's "nothing to do." She said, though, that when she invites them out, they always decline. Typical. The GCP should not be in charge of marketing this area. I don't believe that Cleveland+ is going to prove effective at whatever its amorphous goals are. We need something better, something more grassroots. We need UrbanOhio on a larger scale.

You mean "Cleveland+" doesn't address things like this? Sarcasm duly noted. Yes, this is the first time that Cleveland has topped Minneapolis. It also culminates the goal of Bioenterprise -to become the Midwest leader in venture cap funding for healthcare ventures. Heart Mr. Shah speak on Friday - he's truly a great asset to this region. I wonder why this wasn't the leading headline in the PD. No, actually, I don't.

Welcome to Cleveland. I moved here, too, and I think you'll like it. Don't listen to the opinions of most people from Cleveland (this board excluded), most of whom have never left home and are generally unfamiliar with all of the positives about this area. It really is a great place to call home.

No, it won't. He's a Democrat in a town that knows how to vote no other way. The best we can hope for re: the future of Cleveland is for him to move to NYC with his wife.

I'm all for the tax increase to pay for the Medical Mart. In return, however, I feel that the County should receive a % cut of the profits. I know, it's a dream that'll never happen. It's pretty disingenuous to have taxpayers subsidize creation of this private entity's profits. We deserve a cut in return. That would make the tax increase more of a loan rather than a handout. Sadly, our politicians are not savvy or intelligent enough to propose such a solution.

Blame your elected officials. All that these cities need to do to effectuate better urban design is to deny building permits. No politician, however, in this area appears to have the cojones to do so. It's pathetic.

Shades of Grey, you hit the nail on the head: it's "public space." That's what Public Square is. It's not a shelter; it's not a present-day Hooverville. PUblic space belongs to all of us to use, and it is not for individuals to personalize as their home at night, however unfortunate one's situation may be (and is).

Being homeless doesn't give one a right to usurp the public space for their own private use (sleeping, urination, etc.). We have shelters, and people should be directed there.

Lazy architecture by Gwaltney? No way - I don't believe it. Litt will have a field day with this design. Akron has a great student center that CSU could've used as a template. It looks much better than does this design.

Step one: carve large "X"s into 90, 77, and 71, like Mayor Daley did to the runways at Miegs Field near city limits. Voila! The correlation between the birth of Eisenhower Highway System and Cleveland population decline is interesting. How appealing would a commute of 40 miles or more each way to people if highways were not in place? I believe we'd see a far different Cleveland today had the highways been restricted somehow from encroaching on city limits (e.g., with circular by-passes, I guess?). Highways only lead to sprawl - hence, bring on $10 a gallon gas. Sadly, it appears that my "modest proposal" will never occur. Higher gas, on the other hand...

Interesting comments by the judge. If nothing else, the posturing may get both sides to agree to something more rapidly so that the project can move forward. Judge tells Wolstein: 'Settle this case' Posted by kturner June 07, 2007 20:27PM A probate judge declared that developer Scott Wolstein "made a lot of mistakes" in trying to acquire land on the Flats' east bank and urged Wolstein and the Port Authority to settle quickly with landowners. Cuyahoga County Probate Judge John Corrigan recessed an eminent-domain trial Monday after hearing testimony that at least one Flats property owner was close to an agreement to sell to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority before the trial began, a draft transcript shows. More at http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/06/judge_tells_wolstein_settle_th.html

Somehow, people wonder why young people aren't attracted to this region. Show them this article as case-in-point. Thank God for people that read this board and attempt to ameliorate the problem, rather than putting their heads into the sand. Or, in her case, writing poorly conceived articles. She needs to examine how Louisville, Indianapolis, and, to a lesser extent, Columburb (annexation rather than regionalism, per se), have been affected by the benefits of a united front. After all, a county divided against itself cannot stand.