It's no coincidence the Rust Belt cities are struggling. Pittsburgh (lost 5k in the MSA) may be ahead due to the fact they lost all their manufacturing jobs in relatively short time whereas we've been dying a slow death in terms of manufacturing for the last 30 years. Isn't the region transitioning? We have a higher percentage of college graduates in the region. The healthcare industry has been adding jobs and Cleveland is considered a strong healthcare town. Our largest employer are healthcare providers. What's happening downtown, University Circle and the near West Side is evidence of change. This wasn't even a possibility 10 years ago. Obviously it's not fast enough, but it's not like we haven't seen signs of a transitioning local economy. You can't expect to move from a heavy manufacturing town to a knowledge based one in a decade. I know what you are saying about the "fluff" pieces but some of those numbers suggest a transitioning economy. Again, our leaders at the local and state level can do more.

 

Right. It's not denialism to lift the hood and study all the shifts and trends underneath the high level metrics. As SixthCity said above, these top level metrics are the result of tons of different things. They are the result of the decisions of literally millions of households responding to dozens of distinct factors.

 

Along the same lines, the metro area didn't really "lose" 3,000 people between 2014 and 2015. It probably lost something like 80,000 people. But over the same one year period, it gained 40,000 of new babies, 30,000 of new in-movers from other metro areas, and 7,000 in-movers from other countries [i'm making those numbers up to illustrate.]

The idea that local media hasn't paid attention to the region's economic malaise is a bit ridiculous.

 

The PD posts negative pieces with no real analysis. No argument there.

 

It's just that there never is any real analysis anywhere about market issues. It's either CSU or DCA trying to pump Cleveland up or the PD trying to tear Cleveland down. It would be nice to read something looking at why Cleveland continues to struggle why most areas aren't without the usual slant. I guess that is hard to do.

 

Inept, corrupt, self-serving political leadership.  The City of Cleveland is in its 6th decade of population decline; followed by Cuyahoga County and NEO.  Throw in a horrible national reputation and you have all the ingredients of sustained decline.

Our labor market and population were shrinking prior to the recession.

 

Not in the 1990s.  Although it was a shadow of the growth prior to 1960.

 

Maybe the jobs situation was OK in the '90s but the City of Cleveland continued its population decline, the county and region were stagnant.

Maybe Cleveland is an outlier because our economy was so heavily reliant of manufacturing for the past 100 years. The same can be said with Pittsburgh, Detroit and Buffalo. (Pittsburgh's MSA dropped about 5k).  I think some of us are too young to remember how many manufacturing jobs used to be here. It is mind boggling to think how many manufacturing jobs here 40, 50, 60 years ago. My Dad worked at J&L in the 70s. When he started there were 6,000 people employed there. When he retired from Mittal in 2011 (same mill, different name) less than 1500 worked there. That’s just one factory. There were hundreds more mills and factories like that all over Northeast Ohio that used to employ thousands of people. For the most part, they’re all gone. In my opinion, our regional demographics don't help job growth/attraction as we have less college graduates than the national average because we were so heavily reliant on manufacturing for long. Some companies in the region are having a hard time finding talent because of this. However, this has been slowing changing as we're creeping slowly towards the national average. Also, some of the numbers suggests we are attracting younger, more educated people (obviously not enough). The transition to a knowledge/service based economy has been painfully slow and frustrating but not unexpected considering we were one of the most industrialized regions in the world at one point.  I do agree our leaders can and should be doing more.

 

College educated workforce on the low-end in Cleveland.  The Cleveland Public Schools turn out ''graduates'' with zero to minimal skills.  Corrupt and inept school officials interested more in cheating on standardized exams for bonus money.  Political Correctness run amok.  Entrenched, long-term poverty stricken residents, most of whom elect ''leaders'' like councilman Dow to represent them by blocking developments with Cleveland Clinic and CWRU, two local economic anchors.  These are just a few of the local ills.

 

Yes, Cleveland is attracting advanced degree professionals.  Most likely in the Health Care field; certainly not enough to offset the continued manufacturing drag.  Downtown is nice now and getting better.  Developing and closing the gap between downtown and UC is happening (see old school Clevland issue with councilman Dow again).  Wonder if Dow will get on his soapbox about creating opportunity in Cleveland after these population results.

County-level detail of the CMSA population changes Tweeted by the Cuyahoga County Planning dept (doing a poor job of denying the truth, apparently):

 

^In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king, I suppose.

 

Greater Cleveland is doing awesome, I forgot. Carry on.

 

Straw man alert!

 

You win, I lose. Meanwhile Greater Cleveland bleeds jobs and people. No straw man there.

 

How is the region bleeding jobs? 

 

Employment in Northeast Ohio took a slight dip in January, with a loss of 650 jobs from December to January. That represents a loss of 0.06% of the region’s jobs, according to the Ahola Crain’s Employment (ACE) Report, with the number employed dropping to 1.16 million.

 

That January number, however, is a gain of 1,244 jobs, or 0.11%, from the number of people employed in the region in January 2015.

 

 

http://www.kleinhenzassociates.com/uncategorized/ace-report-region-loses-650-jobs-in-january-but-year-over-year-employment-is-up-slightly/

 

 

weeeeelll my bro tells me that unfortunately the lorain steel plant is going completely idle march 27th, so you can knock out another 500-1000 jobs lost for march. or whatever it is thats left there as it has already wound down quite a bit. there is no timetable for reopening the plant. it seems gas is cheap and so no one needs oil drilling pipes and the like. you would think they would have diversified the steel products much more over the years, but i guess retooling investment like that isn't easy. changing ownership over the years doesnt help either. one step forward two steps back.

 

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/oh-lorain/us-steel-to-idle-lorain-plant-after-march-27

Right, Strap...here are the numbers...lost 10,000 in domestic migration. Gained 4,500 in international migration and 2,900 gain in natural increase (births and deaths).  We don't know the demographics who left or moved here. There may be positives in those numbers or it could be all bad. We know our natural increase is low suggesting an older population. That's what really keeps Columbus growing. They had a natural increase of 12,000 last year. If it's true we are attracting young and educated millennials, we may see a more robust natural increase in the future. Again, this speculation, but the analysis for why the region is stagnant is complicated. Some of it is just our demographics (which is changing). A lot if it is job creation.

Say "fade away" again, D.

Not that I disagree with many of the objections here, but this forum can be a bit notorious for WANTING government to obstruct businesses who are seeking to create jobs here.  It's a delicate balance, for sure, but we can't have our cake and eat it too.

Right, Strap...here are the numbers...lost 10,000 in domestic migration. Gained 4,500 in international migration and 2,900 gain in natural increase (births and deaths).  We don't know the demographics who left or moved here. There may be positives in those numbers or it could be all bad. We know our natural increase is low suggesting an older population. That's what really keeps Columbus growing. They had a natural increase of 12,000 last year. If it's true we are attracting young and educated millennials, we may see a more robust natural increase in the future. Again, this speculation, but the analysis for why the region is stagnant is complicated. Some of it is just our demographics (which is changing). A lot if it is job creation.

 

And for the county only, here's the (recent) time trend in domestic vs international net migration numbers, as tweeted by county planning:

 

 

^In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king, I suppose.

 

Greater Cleveland is doing awesome, I forgot. Carry on.

 

Straw man alert!

 

You win, I lose. Meanwhile Greater Cleveland bleeds jobs and people. No straw man there.

 

How is the region bleeding jobs? 

 

Employment in Northeast Ohio took a slight dip in January, with a loss of 650 jobs from December to January. That represents a loss of 0.06% of the regions jobs, according to the Ahola Crains Employment (ACE) Report, with the number employed dropping to 1.16 million.

 

That January number, however, is a gain of 1,244 jobs, or 0.11%, from the number of people employed in the region in January 2015.

 

 

http://www.kleinhenzassociates.com/uncategorized/ace-report-region-loses-650-jobs-in-january-but-year-over-year-employment-is-up-slightly/

 

Cleveland is not bleeding jobs. I meant workers. My bad.

Right, Strap...here are the numbers...lost 10,000 in domestic migration. Gained 4,500 in international migration and 2,900 gain in natural increase (births and deaths).  We don't know the demographics who left or moved here. There may be positives in those numbers or it could be all bad. We know our natural increase is low suggesting an older population. That's what really keeps Columbus growing. They had a natural increase of 12,000 last year. If it's true we are attracting young and educated millennials, we may see a more robust natural increase in the future. Again, this speculation, but the analysis for why the region is stagnant is complicated. Some of it is just our demographics (which is changing). A lot if it is job creation.

 

No doubt there is a demographic issue but Columbus creates jobs at a much faster clip than Cleveland. People move to jobs. If Greater Cleveland businesses offered more employment options people would move to the area. Cleveland is one of the few metros left that hasn't fully recovered from the Great Recession. The lack of jobs shows up in labor market and population statistics and Cleveland remains at the bottom.

It's no coincidence the Rust Belt cities are struggling. Pittsburgh (lost 5k in the MSA) may be ahead due to the fact they lost all their manufacturing jobs in relatively short time whereas we've been dying a slow death in terms of manufacturing for the last 30 years. Isn't the region transitioning? We have a higher percentage of college graduates in the region. The healthcare industry has been adding jobs and Cleveland is considered a strong healthcare town. Our largest employer are healthcare providers. What's happening downtown, University Circle and the near West Side is evidence of change. This wasn't even a possibility 10 years ago. Obviously it's not fast enough, but it's not like we haven't seen signs of a transitioning local economy. You can't expect to move from a heavy manufacturing town to a knowledge based one in a decade. I know what you are saying about the "fluff" pieces but some of those numbers suggest a transitioning economy. Again, our leaders at the local and state level can do more.

 

Right. It's not denialism to lift the hood and study all the shifts and trends underneath the high level metrics. As SixthCity said above, these top level metrics are the result of tons of different things. They are the result of the decisions of literally millions of households responding to dozens of distinct factors.

 

Along the same lines, the metro area didn't really "lose" 3,000 people between 2014 and 2015. It probably lost something like 80,000 people. But over the same one year period, it gained 40,000 of new babies, 30,000 of new in-movers from other metro areas, and 7,000 in-movers from other countries [i'm making those numbers up to illustrate.]

 

I'm not saying you are a denialist but I also know I'm not doing a straw man. Cleveland has been on the economic bottom for far too long. There's no harm in examining that and figuring out how to improve on it. It's not Cleveland bashing.

^Right. But pretty much everyone agrees with all of that. You keep saying it over and over as if someone disagrees. That's the straw man part. The region has been declining overall. Everyone knows this. Nobody disagrees. Nobody (in this thread) has accused you of Cleveland bashing.

I'm not really basing this on much but the continued contraction of the labor force is probably due to a flat regional population that continues, as a whole, to age and retire.  Not much you can do about that - it's like watching gravity work.  Not really a calamity either.

 

Yes, and to go one step further (obviously not in response to you), "attract more jobs" isn't a policy, it's a goal. No one knows how to make it happen. Even our current gubernatorial administration, which has made this goal #1, can't pull the state from near the bottom of the pile.

 

Yet Columbus and Cincinnati are expanding. There are successful cities all over the country that Greater Cleveland can use as an example. So I don't buy "no one knows how it happens". It happens on a such a large scale in the US that most places are successful in attracting new jobs and expanding labor markets. Greater Cleveland is a consistent outlier in this. Why?

 

It's not just Cleveland. There is something seriously going wrong on Lake Erie. Toledo and Buffalo are in the exact same boat and suffer similar poverty/job market issues. I think pollution is a big factor that is turning off young people too. That factored in my decision to leave Ohio. I didn't like living on ugly water that smelled terrible. I didn't like drinking water from Lake Erie that had toxic algae in it either. I never trusted the water in Toledo and noticed continual decline in quality...Maumee Bay turned into an apocalyptic nightmare.

 

The Rust Belt has serious pollution and infrastructure issues that could lead to even more abandonment if not fixed soon. Those cities around Lake Erie are at a breaking point...

Jobs, jobs, jobs.  Jobs are the reason why many moved to Cleveland in the first place.  Jobs which one could get with little education and nice pay.  Those jobs are gone.  Businesses have not been able to replicate that success for a large part of the population here.  Want us to grow?  We need to create jobs here.

Young people are moving to Cleveland just not nearly enough to offset those leaving. That's the problem. I think the city needs to have a more aggressive marketing campaign. We have cheap housing, public transportation and culture. We still have to overcome 50 years a bad publicity. About ten years ago a friend told me she was moving to Portland. I asked if she had a job. She said no. She said I'd rather be jobless in Portland than working in Cleveland. Young people don't always follow jobs.

 

About ten years ago a friend told me she was moving to Portland. I asked if she had a job. She said no. She said I'd rather be jobless in Portland than working in Cleveland. Young people don't always follow jobs

 

Correct. I heard that all the time when I lived in Ohio. Portland is a classic "lifestyle city." It's not attracting the same types of 20-something and 30-something singles that cities like San Francisco and New York attract. To be honest, my friends who moved to Portland aren't much better off than they were in Ohio. :| Those of us who moved to New York City, Chicago, California, Boston, Seattle, DC, and Denver overall seem to be happier in our work. The Portland move is a bigger risk. It's a small city with little diversity. You might not find your niche there unless you work in outdoor/athletic apparel. While it has recovered since the recession, it did lose some momentum to other West Coast cities. I see a lot of people work remotely in Portland for companies based in San Francisco and Seattle. I have friends moving there for cheap housing, not for jobs.

 

*I am seeing a boomerang effect with my ex-Ohio schoolteacher friends. A lot of them who moved to the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia for teaching jobs are trying to figure out a way to get back to Ohio. I think Ohio has a potential market with its expats in the Southeast...

 

**San Diego is also somewhat of a "lifestyle city" unless you're in the Navy. It attracts a more bro version of the 20-somethings who move to Portland.

 

There tends to be a big difference between people who relocate to more cut-throat, ambitious cities like NY/LA/SF/DC/Boston/Seattle compared to people who move to lifestyle cities like Austin, Portland, San Diego, Boulder, etc.

 

That second group of cities may have more Ohio transplants than the first group. So it's not just about jobs...

I think the worst part of this newest census estimate is the optics. It reinforces the "decline" of the rustbelt rather than highlighting many great things going on. Yes, greater job gains would help, but jobs are coming. I think a problem with whats going on now is a result of stagnate job growth in the 2000s when Cleveland was bleeding many more people than it is now. I think we are on the precipice of turning the tide and seeing consistent gains by the end of the decade so long as we are averaging reasonable job gains like we have been. Population growth, or lack thereof, is a main component to a growing economy. You need only look to Europe to see that Germany is doing very well as a country economically even though the population itself is declining. Additionally, Clevelanders, Pittsburghers, Buffalonians?, tend to look for outside approval and I think this increase in outmigration reinforces some negative feelings about our own city. As a former Pittsburgher, who has lived in the south, and moved to Cleveland, I can say that this area is the best for me. Lastly, the international migration number is a huge positive and continues to show Cleveland's global draw in comparison to neighboring cities. Lastly, Cleveland has the best drinking water imho, Houston's is the worst and they continue to have stellar population growth so its not that. Also, Houston is on a swamp and has little to none aesthetic qualities that attract people other than JOBs.

Also, some food for thought. The Bay Area has added more private sector jobs than the entire population of Cleveland in just four years. The job market is likely growing at the fastest pace in America (possibly the world), but the population growth hasn't matched it since so little housing is being built. Basically, a labor shortage is being created, which means not a bad place to work...as long as you have a roof over your head.

 

"SPUR said between 2010 and 2014, the Bay Area added 446,000 private sector jobs, but only 54,000 new housing units."

 

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/03/24/census-san-francisco-oakland-bay-area-population-growth/

 

*Ohio does need to get its private sector numbers up for the cities to really recover. There needs to be a "Buckeye Valley."

There are factors within local control and others that aren't.  I try to focus on the former.  We've recently had major corruption and business-blocking stories on the front page.  The lesson of sustained failure should be that the plan isn't working.  We never learn that lesson, not enough to make any difference. 

 

Cleveland is still trying to suburbanize core neighborhoods... razing irreplaceable structures... attacking anyone who wants to build big... missing the point of downtown, of main street...  blowing money on greenspace without programming... collecting live music taxes... allowing boarded up windows on Public Square and clocks that don't work... allowing slumlords to trash entire neighborhoods unscathed while permit trolls harass new businesses. 

 

The wrong people are in charge.  They have been ages.  We need a clean break.

There are factors within local control and others that aren't.  I try to focus on the former.  We've recently had major corruption and business-blocking stories on the front page.  The lesson of sustained failure should be that the plan isn't working.  We never learn that lesson, not enough to make any difference. 

 

Cleveland is still trying to suburbanize core neighborhoods... razing irreplaceable structures... attacking anyone who wants to build big... missing the point of downtown, of main street...  blowing money on greenspace without programming... collecting live music taxes... allowing boarded up windows on Public Square and clocks that don't work... allowing slumlords to trash entire neighborhoods unscathed while permit trolls harass new businesses. 

 

The wrong people are in charge.  They have been ages.  We need a clean break.

 

I completely agree with you, although I think our downtown is a lot stronger and more populated than Cincinnati and defiantly Columbus.. We have billions of dollars in investment downtown and not many rust belt cities can really say that. The population in downtown Cleveland surpasses Cinci, Columbus, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.. I think we're going in the right direction and the fact that more young people are moving into neighborhoods like Ohio City, Tremont and University Circle to raise their families is amazing! Now we just need to work on jobs!

 

I was reading that some of you think a lot of people are put off by Cleveland because of our image issues. Do you believe that the RNC and media will have any impact on that??

I think the best industry and political leaders can do is to get out of the way.  Political leadership should focus on its core competency of managing infrastructure and basic civil services (police, fire, courts, records systems, etc.)

 

With a stagnant economy, there is always an urge for a centrally planned top-down solution from government and industry but I'm of the opinion that they almost always make things worse.  The combination of industry and politics usually includes a nasty habit of the former to use the latter to entrench its interests and burden its competitors, leading to more stagnation or contraction.  I think the two should remain separate as much as they can.

 

^This, and....

 

Is it possible that area is changing but at the same time stagnant? Thats what I was getting at in my post. Some numbers suggests we are attracting younger, more educated people but still losing people. Isn't that what should happen when you are transitioning from a manufacturing based  economy? Also, I never expected downtown's momentum to change change the region's trajectory, but it's an important piece of eventually attracting people and jobs.

 

^That.

 

The situation in the second quoted posting may cause the first posting to happen. The electorate is changing. A change in the body politic is sure to follow. And it's taking a long, sometimes messy transition.

There are factors within local control and others that aren't.  I try to focus on the former.  We've recently had major corruption and business-blocking stories on the front page.  The lesson of sustained failure should be that the plan isn't working.  We never learn that lesson, not enough to make any difference. 

 

Cleveland is still trying to suburbanize core neighborhoods... razing irreplaceable structures... attacking anyone who wants to build big... missing the point of downtown, of main street...  blowing money on greenspace without programming... collecting live music taxes... allowing boarded up windows on Public Square and clocks that don't work... allowing slumlords to trash entire neighborhoods unscathed while permit trolls harass new businesses. 

 

The wrong people are in charge.  They have been ages.  We need a clean break.

 

I completely agree with you, although I think our downtown is a lot stronger and more populated than Cincinnati and defiantly Columbus.. We have billions of dollars in investment downtown and not many rust belt cities can really say that. The population in downtown Cleveland surpasses Cinci, Columbus, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.. I think we're going in the right direction and the fact that more young people are moving into neighborhoods like Ohio City, Tremont and University Circle to raise their families is amazing! Now we just need to work on jobs!

 

A). I don't believe Cleveland has a "stronger" downtown than Cincinnati.  Both are putting in billions into their downtowns. Columbus, sure, but it is improving.

 

B). The problem with the downtown thing is similar to Detroit's future issue: What about the rest of the city?  Granted, Cleveland has healthier neighborhoods than Detroit but certainly is lacking overall compared to Cincinnati, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and yes, "even" Columbus.  Grow those Ohio Cities, those Tremonts, those Shaker Squares, those Gordon Squares, those UC/LI's, and you'll start to see more turn around and options for newbies wanting to set up shop.  Variety is what is key for northern cities versus more downtown-centric cities in the South such as Charlotte and Nashville.  Downtowns are a starter but neighborhoods are the closer.

 

A). I don't believe Cleveland has a "stronger" downtown than Cincinnati.  Both are putting in billions into their downtowns. Columbus, sure, but it is improving.

 

B). The problem with the downtown thing is similar to Detroit's future issue: What about the rest of the city?  Granted, Cleveland has healthier neighborhoods than Detroit but certainly is lacking overall compared to Cincinnati, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and yes, "even" Columbus.  Grow those Ohio Cities, those Tremonts, those Shaker Squares, those Gordon Squares, those UC/LI's, and you'll start to see more turn around and options for newbies wanting to set up shop.  Variety is what is key for northern cities versus more downtown-centric cities in the South such as Charlotte and Nashville.  Downtowns are a starter but neighborhoods are the closer.

 

Absent demolishing lower-density structures for high-density housing or expanding the boundaries of Ohio City, Tremont, University Circle, Little Italy, or Shaker Square, I don't see how the population in those areas can be significantly increased. Those are some of the most built-out sections of the city. It's the urban prairie parts of Cleveland, mostly on the East Side, where the depopulation of the City of Cleveland is most pronounced. In fact, in the Red Line/HealthLine extension study, it was pointed out that reinvesting in Cleveland's East Side, East Cleveland and even Euclid is paramount to reversing population loss as those areas accounted for 90 percent of Cuyahoga County's population decline of 440,000 since its 1970 peak.

Well, that's really what I mean.  Expand from the Ohio Cities into the Clark-Fultons; Expand UC/LI into Glenville and Hough.  Similar to Cincinnati improving Over-the-Rhine has positive effects on surrounding neighborhoods (Pendleton, Walnut Hills, etc).

^Agree completely. That's why I love what UCI is doing in the southern portion of Glenville. UC is out of room to expand. Glenville is a blank slate with beautiful bones. One home at a time is all it takes. If you haven't been through the Ashbury section of Glenville lately, I highly suggest passing through. You will be pleasantly surrpirsed! The progress is real and impressive.

Honestly, I think maintaining the current population would be good  because re-populating the urban praries mentioned above is a tough sell.  Especially Kinsman and Woodland in the E 80s along with sections of Corlett.  Currently, they have replaced some of these neighborhoods with farms, but the next step, in my opinion, is replace the farms with advanced manufacturing facilities serving the medical, auto and aeronautical industry.  I have no problem replacing residents with workers, especially in this location.  Woodland Hills and Mt Pleasant along with Lee/miles are salvageable given that there is some pretty decent housing and not nearly the demo (especially the Parma"ish" hoods of Lee/miles).  That, along with new jobs created as mentioned above could help stabilize the loss.

 

Clevelands  problem is easy, but hard.  It's jobs, jobs and more jobs needed.  The city was built as a worldwide industrial powerhouse, and was never taken apart to be a regional powerhouse.  It's going to take lots of jobs to get back to the grandeur of the 20s, 30s and 40s, or simply a lot of right sizing to maintain status and slowly grow again.  A lot of people point to the 60s and 70s as the downfall for Cleveland.  Sure, that was the white flight period and the large population drops in neighborhoods.  I actually view 2000 up until now as the worst period in Cleveland.  This being the time of the enormous job departures from the city.  One can argue that maybe that has stopped.

Cleveland needs a major national advertising campaign. There are so many jobs here that cannot be filled by locals. I just heard the region is short over 700 RN's and that number will multiply in the coming years. Throw in other industries and there are thousands of jobs. There should also be a greater effort to re-train old workers to new fields and the kids currently in school  (which I think is Cleveland schools new thought process with the specific schools of science, art, tech, etc). I also agree with every poster who said leadership NEEDS to be shuffled around/go. They have their heads buried in the ground a good bit of the time.

The answers are pretty well known, but there are a lot of entrenched politicians, businesses, other constituencies who are more interested in protecting their status quo out of fear of the unknown or of losing power. Having a population comprised of people who have families who have lived here for 50, 100, 150+ years has its advantages in creating a strong family/friends support structure here. But the lack of a transient population also makes change difficult.

Advanced manufacturing can be great for tax base, but almost useless for employment gains.  The new trend is "lights out" manufacturing, where a VERY small number of people program all the machines, make sure they have the stock ready to go, then turn off the lights and let the entire process unfold without a person present.  Manufacturing no longer equals mass employment for low-education level workers.

The answers are pretty well known, but there are a lot of entrenched politicians, businesses, other constituencies who are more interested in protecting their status quo out of fear of the unknown or of losing power. Having a population comprised of people who have families who have lived here for 50, 100, 150+ years has its advantages in creating a strong family/friends support structure here. But the lack of a transient population also makes change difficult.

 

i think this is an important characteristic of the "rust belt" - the population from Buffalo to Chicago is among the most settled population in the US - close to or above 80% of the populations of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio were born, raised, and will die in their home states, many in their same county. This does lead to very strong, cohesive communities, and also places where "this is how things are done here", and if not an unwelcome view of outsiders, at least a reticence to change, particularly when the economy has changed so rapidly around them in the last 40 years.

Well, that's really what I mean.  Expand from the Ohio Cities into the Clark-Fultons; Expand UC/LI into Glenville and Hough.  Similar to Cincinnati improving Over-the-Rhine has positive effects on surrounding neighborhoods (Pendleton, Walnut Hills, etc).

 

Exactly.  Block by block.  Focus on growth of your existing strong neighborhoods rather than trying to nucleate new ones.  When they grow into each other, like UC and CC did during the 90s (?), you create synergy.

Places like Ohio City and Tremont definitely need more density and more rentals.  Part of our problem is failing to leverage strong suits into growth.  We have so much lakefront and so few people living on it.  Opposition to density keeps the popular neighborhoods from expanding, and opposition to urbanity keeps the rougher ones from generating demand. 

 

Well, that's really what I mean.  Expand from the Ohio Cities into the Clark-Fultons; Expand UC/LI into Glenville and Hough.  Similar to Cincinnati improving Over-the-Rhine has positive effects on surrounding neighborhoods (Pendleton, Walnut Hills, etc).

 

Clark-Fulton has possibilities.  Most locals don't even know there's such a large Spanish speaking part of town.  Lorain Avenue is relatively intact and worth investing in.  Glenville is tougher because its main streets are so battered.  Still some good there but too many gaps.  Lots of work to do.

 

Neighborhoods around the Euclid Corridor were built on the assumption that it would be worth living near.  If they're going to get any better, Euclid/Chester/Carnegie/Cedar need to get better first.  Cedar Avenue is a mess, worse than Euclid, a showcase example of What Our Problem Is.

Burn down the zoning code.

Opposition to density keeps the popular neighborhoods from expanding,

 

Not neccesarily.  Opposition to too much density (a definition up to the beholder) can lead to the neighborhood growing rather than increasing its density as population expands.  In many cases this is a desirable outcome.

Millennial Influx Helps Cleveland Shake Rust Belt Reputation

 

Cleveland once held a vital place in America's industrial landscape. John D. Rockefeller kicked off his oil empire there, and the city was an early center for car production and later diversified into other manufacturing sectors.

 

But when American cities began de-industrializing and the American dream became a picket fence in the suburbs, Cleveland struggled with growing blight, and people started leaving in big numbers.

 

"Cleveland is the poster child for white flight out to the suburbs," said Conor Coakley, a broker with CBRE in downtown Cleveland. The 5.4 percent fall off in residents in 2000 actually accelerated in the 2010 census, to 17.1 percent

 

http://www.curbed.com/2016/4/6/11376826/cleveland-downtown-development-housing

Millennial Influx Helps Cleveland Shake Rust Belt Reputation

 

Cleveland once held a vital place in America's industrial landscape. John D. Rockefeller kicked off his oil empire there, and the city was an early center for car production and later diversified into other manufacturing sectors.

 

But when American cities began de-industrializing and the American dream became a picket fence in the suburbs, Cleveland struggled with growing blight, and people started leaving in big numbers.

 

"Cleveland is the poster child for white flight out to the suburbs," said Conor Coakley, a broker with CBRE in downtown Cleveland. The 5.4 percent fall off in residents in 2000 actually accelerated in the 2010 census, to 17.1 percent

 

http://www.curbed.com/2016/4/6/11376826/cleveland-downtown-development-housing

 

They should have someone familiar with a city proof these things.  The Federal Courthouse is not the "Justice Center".

Local officials need to see this, glad it's at the top of Cleveland.com...

 

Franklin County overtakes Cuyahoga as Ohio's largest county, though not quite officially yet

 

By Rich Exner, cleveland.com

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on April 21, 2016 at 6:01 PM, updated April 21, 2016 at 9:06 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Franklin County has likely overtaken Cuyahoga as the most populated county in Ohio, but official word will have to wait another year.

 

New estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau showed Cuyahoga County holding a narrow lead over Franklin - 1,255,921 to 1,251,722.

 

But those estimates are for July 1, 2015.

 

More at:

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/04/franklin_county_overtakes_cuya.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Cleveland's population bleeding won't stop until they stop the mass exodus of the East Side. Double digit percentage drops in population on one side will never allow for a population turn around for the entire city. Until that is addressed get used to seeing population continuing it's decline.

 

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

 

Local officials need to see this, glad it's at the top of Cleveland.com...

 

Franklin County overtakes Cuyahoga as Ohio's largest county, though not quite officially yet

 

By Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on April 21, 2016 at 6:01 PM, updated April 21, 2016 at 9:06 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Franklin County has likely overtaken Cuyahoga as the most populated county in Ohio, but official word will have to wait another year.

 

New estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau showed Cuyahoga County holding a narrow lead over Franklin - 1,255,921 to 1,251,722.

 

But those estimates are for July 1, 2015.

 

More at:

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/04/franklin_county_overtakes_cuya.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Meanwhile the City of Cleveland is more interested in naming a section of Shaker Blvd. after local criminal Don King....enough said.

Cleveland's population bleeding won't stop until they stop the mass exodus of the East Side. Double digit percentage drops in population on one side will never allow for a population turn around for the entire city. Until that is addressed get used to seeing population continuing it's decline.

 

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

The real problem is the middle class bleeding from the west side, being in-filled by east siders as the east side continues to empty.

The east side is going to continue emptying out as long as there are affordable alternatives that offer a better quality of life. And with lots of legacy postwar, small-lot suburbia, cheap land on the fringes, ample roadway capacity, and no population growth, that probably won't be anytime soon.

^Unless Cleveland's economy makes a magical turnaround and actually begins to create jobs again.

The east side is going to continue emptying out as long as there are affordable alternatives that offer a better quality of life. And with lots of legacy postwar, small-lot suburbia, cheap land on the fringes, ample roadway capacity, and no population growth, that probably won't be anytime soon.

 

[putting on a Kevlar suit to survive the flames I am about to receive]

 

I am cautiously optimistic that the Opportunity Corridor can some new housing interest, growing from University Circle.  There is that one development (the one with the library) that is incorporating it into the design. 

My outside hope is that while this is too slow growth for Forest City to pursue, maybe one of their executive's spin off companies will plan one of those Columbus type planned neighborhoods

^On the other hand, the Opportunity Corridor reduces the location premium for East Side neighborhoods, because it makes distance commuting that much faster. Tough to say which way the effect (if any) will be. Certainly additional job growth in that area can't hurt, and hopefully the project at least leads to that.

On the other hand, I expect the Opportunity Corridor will worsen traffic in University Circle in the next 10 years. If so, then you might see more housing for people who don't want to deal with the traffic. We might also see more office/medical/parking development spreading south along East 105th in response to the traffic, as that location will allow people to more easily drive in/out of their places of employment and parking.

On yet another hand, I'm hoping the cleaning  of vacant industrial brownfield along the route will interest developers into building light industrial buildings that could house low skilled, but decent paying jobs. The types of jobs the people living in that area with no cars can easily access. That could do wonders for the bleeding population and I know of a couple of developers interested in doing such.

 

Take a drive out route 91 in Twinsburg and look for all the now hiring signs for the low skilled jobs I speak of. The problem is the people that need those jobs the most can't get there.

Millennials flock to Cleveland citing job market, affordable housing

Maggie Thomas | Special to the CJN Aug 10, 2016  (0)

 

Cleveland has stepped back into the spotlight and is catching the attention of many. Not only is the newly transformed city gaining recognition from the media, but most importantly, from the millennial population.

 

Impressive job market growth

 

Manufacturing and healthcare, health IT, the auto industry and biotech are just a few of the industries with a significant increase in job opportunities, according to recent reports from Crain’s Cleveland Business and Cleveland.com.

 

Their studies indicate that over the next 10 years, an estimated 49,000 manufacturing jobs will be created in Cleveland, setting up the manufacturing industry for notable growth.

 

MORE:

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/millennials-flock-to-cleveland-citing-job-market-affordable-housing/article_5e00a276-5f28-11e6-a2a2-5b9e5de10ea7.html

Millennials flock to Cleveland citing job market, affordable housing

Maggie Thomas | Special to the CJN Aug 10, 2016  (0)  ... Their studies indicate that over the next 10 years, an estimated 49,000 manufacturing jobs will be created in Cleveland, setting up the manufacturing industry for notable growth.

MORE:

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/millennials-flock-to-cleveland-citing-job-market-affordable-housing/article_5e00a276-5f28-11e6-a2a2-5b9e5de10ea7.html

 

Nice to see her recognize Constant Aviation. That company and Kenn Ricci's other aviation interests (Sentient, Directional, Nextant, Flight Options, etc.) add up to another almost secret billion-dollar-sales Cleveland group of companies run from offices at Cuyahoga County Airport.