Emerging Neighborhoods : In The News

In a Salon story titled “Cleveland: Ground zero for the housing bubble,” Edward McClelland shares a compelling tale of how the housing collapse hit Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood with a first-hand account from a lifelong resident.
 
“If houses go to heaven, then Classen Avenue, in the Cleveland neighborhood of Slavic Village, has been the scene of a mass Rapture. Ted Michols watched it all happen. A retired trade magazine editor, a bachelor, a man who likes to sit on his porch and share the neighborhood with passersby he’s known fifty years, Michols has lived his entire life in a little square house his grandfather bought in 1923.”
 
McClelland writes of Michols experience from the very beginning of the end up to modern day troubles and turmoil in his lengthy feature.
 
Read the complete piece here.

In a NPR story titled “Cleveland Celebrates Superman, Its Hometown Hero,” Brian Bull explains Cleveland’s historical past in relation to the comic book hero Superman, who turned 75 years old on April 18.
 
“Less well-known is that the superhero is not native to the lost world of Krypton, nor the rural Kansas burg of Smallville. Superman is Cleveland's native son -- at least as far as the city's residents are concerned.”
 
Bull goes on to explain the history of Superman’s creation and some of the inspiration behind the story, including some of the main characters such as Lois Lane.
 
"The Man of Steel in a steel town, the strength that he had, that's all part of what Cleveland is," Mayor Frank Jackson was quoted. "We're a tough community that has overcome many challenges and obstacles, and Superman is a good representative model of Cleveland."
 
Check out the entire piece here.

In a Huffington Post blog post titled “Cleveland Start-Up Seeing Green,” Emily Sullivan explains how the Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI) is assisting Evergreen Cooperative’s latest venture, Green City Growers Cooperative, in operating a 3.25-acre hydroponic greenhouse and packing facility on Cleveland’s east side.
 
“The Greenhouse, and its employee-owners, will produce over 6,000,000 heads of lettuce and other leafy vegetables a year, all intended for local consumption,” Sullivan explains.
 
The choice for ECDI to support the cooperative was simple due to the fact its business model stood out.
 
“The opportunity to work with Green City Growers' cooperative provided the perfect starting point for ECDI to get involved in healthy food initiatives across the Northeast Ohio region.”
 
Read the full story here.

In a Huffington Post report titled “Cities have hundreds of empty schools,” Philip Elliott writes of the nation’s largest cities struggling to sell valuable property while still incurring costs to keep them secure while empty.
 
Elliot notes that Cleveland already has found uses for 25 former buildings, bulldozed seven other buildings to turn into parks, but still has 27 additional properties up for grabs.
 
“The number of idle buildings does not include properties that the districts are holding on to but are not using. Cleveland, for instance, kept several buildings at the ready to fill in for others they plan to renovate in the future, officials there said.”
 
Read the full report here.

League Park, in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood, was home to the Cleveland Indians until 1946. And it was the site of many of baseball's finest moments, including Babe Ruth's 500th homer and the only World Series triple play.

In this New York Times feature, writer Hillel Kuttler describes efforts to reopen the historic site.
 
"The site has remained virtually untouched since the stadium was razed in 1951. But it is expected to reopen in turn-back-the-clock glory, featuring a baseball diamond aligned as it was during its major league heyday. The field will be made of artificial turf to reduce postponements in Little League, high school, college and recreational baseball games. It may also be used for soccer and football games, as well as concerts and other events. A second baseball diamond and a children’s water park, surrounded by a winding walking track, are to be built on the property."
 
The article describes how this one single project can reinvigorate the entire neighborhood.
 
“I can see things beginning to change,” Robert Denson, an insurance manager and vice president of the League Park Heritage Association, is quoted in the piece. “I think League Park will also be an attraction. Maybe people will think, ‘I can come in and start a business.’ ”
 
Read all the great news here.

In a USA TODAY feature titled “Historic black neighborhoods climb from recession,” Melanie Eversley explores the influx of investments and resurgence of historically black neighborhoods including Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood.
 
“In Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, where poet Langston Hughes once lived and where a 98-year-old theater launched his plays, a bank is investing millions.”
 
Eversely goes on to explain that as the country recovers from the recession, communities are calling attention to what made them famous to begin with.
 
In Cleveland, she explores the renovations of the Karamu House, the new Langson Hughes center, and others.
 
"One of the reasons that PNC [Bank] chose Fairfax was because there's such a rich culture there."
 
Examine the full feature here.

In a Progressive Railroading feature titled “Greater Cleveland RTA posts ridership gain in 2012,” the transportation mag covers the positive news.
 
"Ridership on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) rose 4.3 percent to 48.2 million in 2012, marking the second consecutive year of growth, agency officials said in a prepared statement."

"Every service mode registered an increase, but the biggest gain was posted on the Red Line rail corridor, where ridership climbed 9.1 percent. The Blue and Green rail lines posted a 4.1 percent ridership gain."

"Customers are making a choice to ride, especially on the rail," CEO Joseph Calabrese is quoted in the piece. "With our recent increase in frequency on the Red, Blue and Green lines, and 8,000 free parking spaces at rail stations, we have room for more Northeast Ohioans to make the green choice and ride RTA."

Average daily trolley ridership rose 5 percent to 3,840 trips.

Read the rest right here.

This animated video premiered at the 4th Annual Sustainable Cleveland Summit in September.

"It illustrates the vision for a local and sustainable food system in the Cleveland region, and how people can get involved," explains Jenita McGowan of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability  "As part of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 year of local foods celebration, we wanted to create a video that is fun, simple and easy to understand.  It is our goal that this video resonates specifically with residents of Northeast Ohio using recognizable icons, such as the West Side Market.”
 

Underscoring its commitment to environmental stewardship and public access to the lakefront, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has won an international industry award for opening and managing the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve.
 
The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has awarded the Port its 2012 Environmental Enhancement Award for the preserve, an 88-acre site on Lake Erie that opened to the public on a daily basis in February. Since that time, the Preserve has seen some 14,000 visitors from 39 states and 13 countries.
 
“We are honored and excited to receive this award,” says Port President and CEO Will Friedman. “We have made environmental stewardship along our waterfronts a major organizational priority, and to be recognized by the AAPA for our efforts is rewarding. We hope this award will further raise the profile of the preserve and draw even more people to enjoy nature and bird watching on Cleveland’s Lake Erie shoreline.”

Read the rest of the good news here.

On Monday, October 1, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo welcomed its one millionth visitor of 2012, making it 20 straight years the attraction drew one million or more in attendance.
 
This year’s one millionth visitor was Tara L. of Parma Heights, and her three children, Patrick, Piper and Phineas. The family won a Zoo prize pack including a ZooParent animal adoption package from the Cleveland Zoological Society, limited edition Zoo posters and more.
 
"The Zoo is very fortunate to have such a supportive community surrounding it in Northeast Ohio,” explains Zoo Director Steve Taylor. “The public votes with its feet, and to have sustained such an attendance record for so long is evidence that people enjoy coming here and spending time with their families.”
 
Read the rest here.

Comics Alliance, "where comic books and pop culture collide," writes about the permanent exhibit dedicated to Superman that will soon appear at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... Wait, it actually is a plane. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will open a permanent exhibit dedicated to Superman next month, celebrating the work of local boys made good, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster."

Set to debute next month, the exhibit will celebrate the work of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Glenville boys who dreamed up the comic. The exhibit, which was designed by Studio Graphique and will be located in the baggage claim area, features wall panels explaining the origins of the Superman character as well as a "larger-than-life" statue of the hero for visitors to photograph themselves with.

"We want the phrase, 'Meet me at Superman,' to become a common saying at the airport," explained Michael Olszewski, president of the Siegel and Shuster Society.

The exhibit will be unveiled at 5pm on October 11.

Read the rest of the news here.

“It’s hard to pinpoint what qualities 20-somethings go for in picking the perfect city," writes Nicole McDermott for the blog Greatist.com. "Sustainability, efficient transit systems, cleanliness, and affordability may make the top of the list.”
 
Coming in at No. 7, Cleveland 's stats are as follows:
 
Average Temp (High, Low): 59, 41
Median Income: $24,687
Average Rent for 1-Bedroom Apt.: $640
Population: 396,815
Median Age: 35.7

"Named one of the best places for new college grads, Cleveland has plenty of job ops (heavy in manufacturing and engineering), and fun for after work. The city, called Beertown, U.S.A. by Draft Magazine, has some favorite breweries like Great Lakes Brewing Company, Thirsty Dog, and Willoughby Brewing. And did we mention it’s the sixth best city for block parties? (We didn’t know there was such a rating, either.) Once you’re tuckered out from hitting all the pubs Cleveland’s got to offer, keep in mind the city came in as the second best to get a good night’s sleep."

Clevelanders can take pride in the fact our fair city ranked higher than popular young adult destinations such as Denver (No. 9), New York (No. 12), Portland (No. 14), and Seattle (No. 18)
 

Along with New York City, Albuquerque, Long Beach, and Miami, Cleveland was named by Bicycling magazine as an up-and-coming bike city.

"It's no joke," writes David Howard, "The city on Lake Erie has cycling dialed."

"What's to love?" he adds. "For starters, the stretch of bike lane that now runs the length of historic Euclid Avenue, linking the city's two employment hubs. A new towpath just beyond Cleveland's southern border reaches Akron—80 miles away. Plans call for webs of bike paths to unspool east and west as well. To lure tourists in, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance launched a bike-rental program last summer -- it will expand this year into a parking garage with showers and lockers."
 
"And then there's the diversity. In January, a nonprofit unveiled plans to build an indoor velodrome -- the third of its kind in the country and the only one east of the Rockies. The city is home to the vast Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park and Pedal Republic, which organizes bike-polo tourneys, tall-bike rides and alley cat races."

Read all the news here.

This on top of the recent good news from HGTV.

Once a center of industry and mass-production, Cleveland is becoming recognized for green initiatives and sustainability.  What a turn of events for the place we call home.
 
The latest bump of good press comes in the form of HGTV's article, "The 10 Greatest Cycling Cities in America."
 
“The underdog of this list, this historic rust belt city is home to an impassioned and persevering community of bike riders." states the writer.
 
In comparison to the leaders on the list, which contain the likes of Portland, New York, and San Francisco, it is easy to see why Cleveland is once again referred to as an “underdog.”
 
"Cleveland was one of the first cities in the country to temporarily close streets to motorized traffic so they can be enjoyed by cyclists and pedestrians," say local rider Jeff Sugalski.”
 
The article also notes, “Another exciting feature of Cleveland's urban cycling scene is its Metroparks, or nature preserves with walking, hiking and bicycling trails along river paths and creeks.”
 

In light of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposing a ban on the sale of large-sized sugary drinks, Joe Palazzolo of the Wall Street Journal points out that citizens need to look no further than Cleveland, Ohio, when it comes to local government determining what can and cannot be consumed by residents and guests.
 
“The Cleveland city council passed a law last year to ban restaurants from using cooking oils containing trans fats.”
 
In the meantime, those both for and against the ban have been battling it out in court whether it is within the local government’s jurisdiction to impose such a ban.
 
On Monday, June 11, “Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Russo sided with the city, finding that Cleveland was within its powers to outlaw trans fatty cooking oils.”
 
This might serve as proof that local government may have more say about what its citizens can and cannot do than anyone ever thought.
 
Read the full WSJ story here.