Here’s a piece by Carter from Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discussing The Mayors’ Institute on City Design, which took place last month with mayors from Springfield, Illinois; Elkhart, Indiana; Canton, Ohio; Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia; Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin.

See if you agree with his 10 “lessons” from the meeting (#1- There is hope!). It’s also interesting to read about the projects highlighted from these cities.

-KG

The organization has launched fundohiotransitnow.org with links to legislators home pages’ and contact information. Just fill in your name and address, and the site will send a letter to all your elected representatives.

From their letter: “While the typical state provides 23% of the funding needed for their transit systems, Ohio provides less than 3%.”

Every major city in Ohio has been affected by budget cuts over the last few years. This is an important effort for our cities. I would encourage readers to take part.

-AS

I’ve seen a lot of photo collections that pay homage to the city of Cleveland. Often times they focus on Cleveland’s grand monuments: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Quicken Loans Arena, the skyline over the lake. They don’t show abandoned buildings. They don’t show poor neighborhoods. These are the visitors and convention bureau’s version of Cleveland. They’re nice, but in my opinion they lack something.

That’s why I think the photography of Cleveland SGS is so refreshing. I don’t know if I’ve seen a collection of photos dedicated to Cleveland that was this honest, that captures Cleveland’s color and personality so well. If you’ve ever worked or lived in the city, you’re bound to find something that you recognize in Cleveland SGS’s 276 Flickr pages, something that has personal meaning to you, an experience you share with the community.

The Hyatt Regency at the old Arcade, Superior Avenue. (Dave Hawkins)

Domino's Pizza, Lorain and W. 110th

Stefanec's Barber Shop 3227 Superior Avenue East Cleveland.

The Shoe Doctor, Hyatt Regency Arcade.

What strikes me looking at these pictures is how vibrant the street life remains in Cleveland. This group has captured the incredible variety of the city’s businesses–something that has been lost in modern, suburban-style development. The contributions of the city’s small business people are apparent in looking at these photos. What was once a Polish or an Irish neighborhood may now be Hispanic or African American but the ingenuity and the enterprising spirit is still there, despite new obstacles.

Good old Dave's Mercado, 3301 Payne Avenue

PJ's Luncheonette, Colonial Arcade

NW corner of Biddulph & Pearl

Tony's Family Motors, Lorain Avenue

Sportman Lounge

Public Square

Shay's Restaurant, E. 40th and St. Clair

W. 25th

Wrestling event, W. 65th Dollar Paradise parking lot

Carnegie Avenue

Bellaire-Puritas Arts Festival

Charity boxing event, Halcyon Mason Temple

SGS participants had this to say about their work:

“The truth is we don’t have a clearly defined mission. We are much like the majority of Clevelanders who exist in a world of polar opposites; we have both a hatred and love for our city. We talk of fleeing for greener pastures while knowing that in many respects it is this place that defines us; without it we are not ourselves.

“Places for us usually take the form of small businesses and public space. It is in these places that we’ve met first loves, witnessed the demise of others, purchased penny candy, and probably had that moment that defines us without actually knowing it. It is usually a place with a face attached to it. A sassy cashier, a grumpy short order cook, or a sole proprietor whose personality is the main draw. In our opinion signs and the places behind them are the anchor points of memories and this is why we capture and create with them in mind.

6004 Grand

Joy Cranfield Memorial

“Cleveland SGS is a group of men and women who have a variety of trades. None of us are confident enough of our crafts to call ourselves artists. We strive to be humble and hold only one thing to be true, Cleveland punishes those who build for kings. By this we mean that defining progress by measuring the distance between Cleveland and other cities results only in a deep depression that will eventually consume us. Cleveland is a city of small places owned and operated by beautiful groups of people. It is these people and their shared experience that are the secret to our success and this is why Cleveland SGS promotes them.”

Rustwire thanks Cleveland SGS for their contribution.

-AS

This Reuters story says Houston, the “petro metro” is aiming to be the electric car capital of America.

Stories like this make me so mad.

A city in the Great Lakes region would be much better suited to this, yet some folks in Houston are showing more leadership on this issue. For instance, Houston has signed a deal to build public charging stations. “Such agreements are key to easing skeptical consumers’ fears of running out of juice if their car batteries run low before they can reach their garage charging stations,” the story explains.

-KG

The past three decades have erased much of the city of Youngstown that
my father and grandfather knew: An area once known as ” the city of
homes” became known for widespread arson; a city once indelibly linked
with steel and manufacturing became known as the grave yard of the
American steel industry. Youngstown, much like Detroit, went from being
a symbol of the American dream to being a worst case example of the
“urban crisis” that has engulfed so many of this country’s inner
cities.

Yet, we should not overlook the fact that much has changed for good in
the Steel Valley. Corruption trials in the late 1990s broke the
decades long grip of organized crime in the area.
The downtown area, once a ghost town, has rebounded. Even the moribund
steel industry has added jobs with the recent expansion announcement
by V&M Star Steel.

This documentary looks at the individual stories and struggles of
Youngstown citizens who still believe in the city despite all that has
transpired. These are people still fighting the good fight in a town
once given up for dead. As we enter 2010, we should not forget the
tribulations of the past, nor the trials of the present; instead, let
us look to a future where both can inform the tough choices that will
have to be made so that future generations may be willing to call
Youngstown home.

-Sean Posey

The group has published a manifesto based on 12 principles, in graphic form below:

The group is asking visitors to sign a pledge to support these policies and get involved by helping spread the word. About 2,100 people have signed, according to USA Today.

-AS

Among the findings, Ohio should consolidate local governments and school districts to reduce the local tax burden. The state should redirect manufacturing strength toward new technologies and maximize federal investment.

To compete, Ohio will need to reinvest in its metropolitan regions, which account for 81 percent of the state’s population and 87 percent of its GDP, the report states.

“Ohio’s seven largest metro areas concentrate slightly more than 75 percent of the state’s patenting activity, and 82 percent of the state’s knowledge jobs.”

“Ohio’s metros in the nation’s top 100 contain 81 percent of the state’s adults aged 25 or older with at least a bachelor’s degree.”

The report also calls for reinvestment in the state’s taxpayer financed Third Frontier Program, which is designed to incubate high-tech companies. Report authors  recommend eliminating a third of the state’s school districts, as well.

-AS

If you listen to this inaugural edition, you can hear about everything from the stimulus, to US exports, Richard Florida and manufacturing. There’s a good bit of Rust-Belt related discussion as well.

-KG

A series of tax abatements for new home construction and rehabilitation begun in 1987, jumpstarted new home construction in the city from a virtual standstill in the city. About 3,000 homes were built under the program, or 3.5 percent of the total housing stock in Cleveland. Including rehabilitations, about 5.7 percent, more than one in twenty homes, have been built or improved using tax abatements. This compared to 1980-83, when fewer than 20 new homes were built in the city each year.

Battery Park on the near west side. The tax abatement program has contributed to the construction of 35 percent of Cleveland's condominiums.

A later, more generous tax abatement (15-years, 75%) increased development in the city so much that in 2004, 20 percent of new home construction in the county took place in Cleveland. In total, these investments have increased the value of Cleveland’s residential property by $370 million.

According to the study, almost 50 percent of the abatement recipients moved to Cleveland from a suburb and 60 percent said they would not have purchased the home without a rebate. Furthermore, the study shows that every $1 in abated taxes has generated $1.50 for the city of Cleveland, Cleveland Municipal Schools and Cuyahoga County.

-AS

The Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously yesterday to approve landmark historic status for the Iron City Brewery in the Lawrenceville neighborhood.

Earlier in the month, the city’s Historic Review Commission voted in favor of the designation, as the Post-Gazette reported.

The brewery currently sits vacant. Last year, Iron City Brewing Co. closed this plant and moved all operations to Latrobe.

Planners hope this compound and collection of historic buildings will become the sight of a mixed-use development.

The timing of this designation comes just weeks after a developer announced plans to infill neighboring Doughboy Square with a mix of housing and retail. The project would be in collaboration with the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Lawrenceville Corp.

In addition to these plans, Bike Pittsburgh, the bicycling advocacy group of Pittsburgh, moved into a recently rennovated art-deco storefront at Doughboy Square.

–Andrew Moore