"Believe in Cleveland" - or something like that

Be Leav’n Cleveland!

The more I think about this, the more I do not like it. I was intrigued when I first heard about it and I fell that there was good intention behind it – although conception and execution have lacked creativity.

Conception – The play on words are painfully obvious to me. It’s as bad as when we first heard about the Cavaliers new home – Gund Arena. You would think having an advertising company as a partner, there would have been more thought about this, or at least had some study groups respond… maybe they did – don’t know.

Execution – Where is it? It has been a little while now and I have barely seen or heard anything about it. I have a button, bumper sticker and t-shirt from the last Brain Gain event – I will probably use the t-shirt for a stocking stuffer for some poor soul. The pin in is on the wall of my cubicle at school and I am not sure what to do with the bumper sticker since my car is leased. This cannot be the extent of their plan, can it?

I admit, I saw one commercial on TV around one in the morning about two weeks ago. It wasn't that great. On the Believe page, the sponsors include about 11 radio stations. I listen to maybe six or seven of them depending on my mood and the time of day. I have never heard any of the ads listed. I have not seen anything in print, except for the Pd itself. There have been a few in there.

I think it they need to rethink this plan.

Atlanta just unveiled a new logo and slogan. From the Southern Voice:

On Monday, Mayor Shirley Franklin and city officials unveiled a new logo, the first part of a $4.5 million campaign designed to highlight what makes Atlanta stand out from other U.S. cities.

The logo contains the letters “ATL” inside a red and white swirling circle. The circle represents three themes selected to draw tourists and businesses to the city: opportunity, optimism and openness.

Probably won't win awards, but you can tell they put some thought (and money) into it. I wonder what Stern and the PD are spending on this program. (I also find it interesting that Stern is not putting there name in with the sponsors.)

I have an idea for a slogan. It is used, but it was good. Remember the slogan that used to be on our license plates – “The Heart of it All.” (news) I always liked that. That was way better then the current “Birthplace of Flight.” God that’s stupid. Is this how we want to be known by the rest of the region and state? Same thing with “Believe,” – I am not a marketer, but I feel there has to be a better way to do this. So consider this my official claim for the unused license plate slogan: “Cleveland – The Heart of it All!”

The Balloon has Popped

After all of the excitement regarding Cleveland being one of the most livable cities in the world, (I am sure everybody has seen all of the newspaper articles and television spots touting it, right?) it now appears that it has nothing to do with our cultural assets, as the Mayor has espoused recently in the PD.

CoolTown Studios tells us Richard Florida, the author of the 2002 best-seller The Rise of the Creative Class, has released his current list of the top 15 cities for creative types. It is in the current issue of Fast Company.

15 hot cities for creative types

Yesterday I re-introduced Richard Florida, and as promised, here's his most current list, as featured in the November issue of Fast Company, of the hottest cities for creative types like yourself.

In no particular order:

Sacramento, CA - WIne is big, the downtown is coming around, and outdoor recreation abounds.
Phoenix, AZ - Artists like its free spirit, biotech is booming downtown, and yes, few rainy days.
Salt Lake City, UT - Mormons are big on enterpreneurship, really big. Not so much on diversity though.
San Antonio, TX - It's affordable and culturally rich, but it's diversity isn't known for collaborating.
Raleigh-Durham, NC - Three major universities are a major reason why the creative class population is at nearly 40%.
San Diego, CA - The perfect weather, biotech explosion and burgeoning downtown are fast making this city perhaps too desirable as far as housing prices go.
Portland, OR - One of the country's best models for urban planning, and more microbreweries per capita than any other city.
Madison, WI - Progressive, biotech, incredible quality of life - perennial 'best place to live'.
Tucson, AZ - Tech company leaders are attracted in droves (fifth-fastest growing in high-tech) to its desert beauty, recreation and affordability, but the city is fighting sprawl.
Colorado Springs, CO - The military presence provides a steady supply of jobs, the mountain recreation keeps workers there.
Dublin, Ireland - (Pictured) Bono helped do for Dublin what REM did for Athens - it's the place to be.
Helsinki, Finland - Beautiful, tons of recreation, safe and a high-tech magnet.
Montreal, Quebec - The creative industry thrives here, with more set and sound-stage space than any North American city, in a historic European setting.
Sydney, Australia The 'San Francisco down under', whose population represents 180 countries, 140 languages, 300 biotech companies and 20 beaches.
Vancouver, BC The hollywood of the video game industry and often referred to as the most livable city in the world.

What are we going to do now? Maybe we should make our own list. How about “Top ten cities that wish they were Cleveland.” On the other hand, “Top Ten List that have/do not have Cleveland in them” sounds good too.

Brain Gain Observations

I went to the Brain Gain event last night held in the Community Room at the Plain Dealer. I have wanted to go to one of these for a while now and finally had the chance. Good times were had by all – free booze and food will do that. You can view my pictures here. (A lovely picture of George and Tim.)

Here are pictures from Cleveland.com’s Ryan Cornell. I liked this t-shirt made using a quote from Chris Ronayne. “This is not your daddy’s Cleveland.” That is a much better tagline then “Be Leavin’ Cleveland” “Believe in Cleveland.”

I was particularly interested in hearing comments from Mayor Campbell and especially Council President Jackson. I am very much not knowing whom I will vote for next month. Campbell is the more polished speaker of the two, but you have to like the fact that Jackson knows what he does not know and is not afraid to show it. This tells me that he would most likely find the most qualified people to do the things that need to be done – as opposed to micro managing. I am not saying that is how I perceive the current administration, but comparatively speaking, it could be perceived as such.

I was turned off by his response to me when I asked him face to face a question related to planning. On one hand, “he knows what he does not know” – on the other, he pretty much said straight out that he did not think much of how things were done in the planning department. I was surprised by this because I had just spoken with somebody who I respect and trust who told me that Jackson often speaks with him about planning related issues in a positive light.

Despite the current mayor’s flaws, and we all know she has them no matter what side of the fence you are on, she has done much toward planning a better future for the city – and that is something that appeals directly to me.

Now do I vote thinking of how the outcome will directly affect me and my future, or do I vote thinking about the future of the city, and region, as a whole? I may have just answered my own question.

Convenetion Center Follies

Tuesday evening the CFA held a public meeting to have the public share there thoughts about the two locations for the proposed new/rebuilt convention center. I was not able to go due to a midterm in public finance – real exciting topic. I, like many people in the region, was able to read the PD’s description of the happenings the next day. It was ok, but it did not give me a real feeling of what happened.

So now, I would like to publicly thank Chas Rich for his detailed blog (feed) of what happened that night. Since he was not under the constraints of space or had to deal with an editor, we were allowed - as readers who may not have attended - to have a better grasp of what happened on Tuesday evening. Thank you for providing us with these details.

I now have to disagree with some of Chas’ closing statements – particularly:

You would think facts like this would stop a city and people cold.

The inventory of U.S. exhibition space has increased by 30 percent - up to 85 million square feet - in the past five years, according to Hacker's group.

About 80 centers are under construction or being substantially renovated, he said.

St. Louis and Pittsburgh recently opened new centers. A new center is scheduled to open in Erie, Pa., in 2007.

Expansion projects are under way at centers in Chicago, Cincinnati and Kansas City. And Detroit and Indianapolis are considering expansions.

And Cleveland wants to join the party.

It is these reasons Chas stated, that we need to build/rebuild the center we currently have. I may not be able to eloquently explain the economic reasons to back up my belief, but I know for a fact that in order for downtown to prosper, the city must have a convention center that outshines those in other cities. How do I know this?

I drove a taxi for three years. I watched as each of those years business from convention and conferences dropped. I had passengers in my cab tell me how much they liked coming to Cleveland but hated having to be in a center where they could not get WiFi or decent cellur coverage when inside the building.

I talked with truck drivers who hated dealing with the limited dock space that is provided now. One driver told me that he lost a coin toss with another driver over who would deliver in Cleveland and who would deliver in Detroit for a trade show.

I actually had a trade show operator (at least that is what he said he was) tell me that unless the city upgraded its center, he would do whatever it took to not have his trade show come here again. (Not sure if he ever followed through on that.)

It is for these reasons and those stated by Chas that we need to do this - not the only reasons. Otherwise, the few trade shows and conventions that still come here will indeed decide to go somewhere else.

I hope everyone realizes that convention centers are not in the money-making business. They are solely in operation to bring people into the city so they can spend there money on the amenities they have.

October Blog Meetup

I went to my first Cleveland Weblogger Meetup the other night. I did not get there until well after nine, (I have stats class on Wednesday nights at Metro Hospital. The class starts earlier then other night classes at CSU and is a bit closer to home) so I found it a bit difficult to figure out exactly what was being discussed. I eventually realized there was nothing in particular being discussed at all... or more specifically, everything that could possibly be discussed at one time was being done as inefficiently as possible.
Nonetheless, it was nice to put faces with words and I did enjoy myself.

I did get the sense that they were trying to accomplish something as a group that would give the group recognition. I hope they/we can figure something out. I have been trying to do the same thing with the Student APA (feed) group at school for two years, so I can commensurate with some of the bloggers feelings… or at least their beer-induced concerns.

I did like the Food Bank volunteering idea and the possibility of self-organizing. I think we should talk with Norm Roulet, or at the very least look at what he has done with Realneo. I think, from what I was able to comprehend, that this is something that is feasible and could most likely be done with only a minimal amount of resources.

I brought my camera, but left it in the car. I’ll have pictures next time.

Akron Beacon Journal reports, "Towpath Trail on road to completion in Flats"

How is it that the people in Akron got the scoop on this before Cleveland.com.
According to Google News, this was published six hours ago by the Beacon Journal - this hapopened yesterday by the way - and there is nothing anywhere on the Cleveland site, nor is there anything on the city's press release site. Typical!
Well here is the article for all of you non-Akron news reading folks.

Posted on Tue, Oct. 18, 2005

Towpath Trail on road to completion in Flats

Legislation a huge financial boost to northern end

By Bob Downing

Beacon Journal staff writer

The Cleveland City Council on Monday approved legislation that provides a major financial boost to complete the northern end of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

The legislation provides $10.4 million from property taxes on the new Steelyard Commons retail development that will go to build the six miles of trail through Cleveland's industrial Flats area.

``It's good news and really, really big news,'' said Tim Donovan of Ohio Canal Corridor, a grass-roots group in Cleveland.

The $10.4 million, which Donovan said represents the largest local contribution to building the Towpath Trail, will enable agencies to qualify for an additional $30 million in federal and state grants.

The taxes on the development that includes a new Wal-Mart Supercenter enable the city to match $6.4 million in federal funds just granted for trail construction.

The price tag for the Towpath Trail construction in Cleveland is projected at $40 million. Completing the trail may take up to eight years, Donovan said.

The tax also will enable the city to match federal funds to start building the proposed Canal Basin Park that would be the northern terminus of the trail.

Cleveland has received an added $3 million federal grant for the new park that lies under the Detroit-Superior Bridge.

The northern end of the trail now begins at Harvard Avenue in Cleveland. At present, 70 miles of the trail have been built in Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties.

The trail is seen as a key element of the 110-mile Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Canalway, which runs from Cleveland through Akron and Canton to New Philadelphia.

From "Planning Livable Communities" Blog

There is probably no need for Planners to consider this for Cleveland's downtown; however, this may be the way to help struggling neighborhoods within the city, as well as the the older, inner-ring suburbs - by encouraging pedestrian activity instead of vehicular.
I suppose the fast-food industry would put up a big fight to keep things as they have been.

Drive-Through? Not Downtown

The Lincolnwood, Ill. Plan Commission has wisely recommended against drive-through windows in its downtown business district, even via special permit. Such facilities have a negative impact on creating a pedestrian-friendly streetscape, officials concluded - and not only because they encourage people to stay in their vehicles.

“The facilities require additional curb cuts for driveways that cross sidewalks to provide access to the site,” Village Planner James Cox told the Lincolnwood Review. “This not only creates additional vehicle conflict points with pedestrians, but it also breaks holes in the continuous building facade of the downtown street, creating open gaps and a streetscape which is less appealing to pedestrians.”

Ah, lucky Lincolnwood, to have planners who understand the importance of aesthetics in creating a walker-friendly streetscape. There’s a lot more to it than simply assuring the presence of well-maintained sidewalks.

From "The Writing on the Wal" Blog

MARK YOUR CALENDARS…

YOU’VE READ THE BLOG, NOW SEE THE MOVIE!

Robert Greenwald’s, Wal Mart — The High Cost Of Low Price will be showing at 7 p.m. on Sunday, 13 November at the Workman’s Circle: 1980 South Green Road in South Euclid. Admission is free. Click through to reserve a seat.

As if we didn't know...

Just a follow up on the previous post.
Here are some of the reasons Vancouver made it to the very top of the EIU list of most livable cities in the world. As qouted from CoolTown Studios:

Vancouver thrives by dispelling planning myths

Vancouver is often labeled as one of the most livable cities in North America, the latest honor being labeled as the world's best city to live in by the Economic Intelligence Unit, as referenced by CNN yesterday.

What are its keys to success? Larry Beasley, the city's highly regarded co-director of planning, says it's because Vancouver is counterintuitive in this Smart City Radio interview. Here's the myths of planning most cities follow, and how Vancouver innovates against them:

Myth - Cities need freeways to bring people to and from the downtown. Have you ever tried driving into Vancouver? There are no freeways. See myth #2...

Myth - City downtowns are for offices and workers. 85,000 people live downtown, that's about ten times larger than city downtowns like Charlotte and St. Louis. This means less of a dependence on freeways for commuting - 10% of the city population walks to work.

Myth - Residents need cars. Over the last fifteen years, the downtown population more than doubled, yet there are now fewer cars coming into the city.

Myth - Density has negative impacts. The city encouraged well-designed 'density' to create a more walkable environment, infusing a greater amount of culture and diversity, and eliminating surface parking lots.

Poverty v. Most Livable City - Bloggers, Speak Up!

I am still alive.
I have spent the last three weeks in conference hell in three different cities, but I am home now.
As previously mentioned, there is much going on in my world right now (family, school-learning, school-teaching, school-GAing, among other things) so the amount of writing I would normally like to do will be put on hold until some of these other things are finished… that would be sometime in December.

I really wanted to comment on an issue I have not read much in other NEO Blogs… or maybe I just have not noticed it. As many of you know, the City of Cleveland was recently awarded the distinction of being the most livable city in the country (along with Pittsburgh) and one of the most livable in the world by the folks at the Economic Intelligence Unit, the publishers of the uber-cool magazine, The Economist.
(Something I have been telling people for years, by the way – mostly out of town visitors I would talk with when I drove a cab. On a side note, I have had a least four different instances were I was driving passengers visiting from New York City around town and they would tell me how much they loved coming to Cleveland. Each of those times they told me in there own that one of the reasons they loved to visit here was because anything they could do in NYC they could do here in Cleveland for half the amount of money.)
According to CNN, “The EIU study assessed nearly 40 indicators in five broad categories -- stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.”
This has been the talk of the Neo-Blogosphere all week as well as those outside the area. (here and here)

Now let’s go back a year and think about what was plastered all over the front page of the PD and written about almost weekly. Do you remember? I’ll give you a one-word hint – poverty. Ring a bell? Cleveland was supposedly the poorest big city in the country according to misinterpreted data by the Census Bureau.

Ok, now we will go back a little more then a week - October 6 to be exact - The PD published a 228-word “article” by Emily Hamlin on the findings of the EIU. WOW! You would think with all of the “Believe in Cleveland” hype going on (or lack of), there would have an something written everyday promoting this; but there has not. It is really sad.

Now about the issue I mentioned in the beginning. Why has nobody else brought this up? There are clearly more qualified and well-written bloggers out there that have the audience to make this into something, but I have not seen anything.