"Make no small plans" is developer Bob Stark's sentiment toward visioning the future of Northeast Ohio with which I agree completely. Next Tuesday, October 17th, the public is invited to a forum at the Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University, hosted by Dean Rosentraub, featuring Mr. Stark's development vision for Downtown Cleveland, with a panel discussion featuring Steven Fong, Dean, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Kent State University, and Valerie McCall, Chief of Government Affairs, Office of the Mayor, City of Cleveland. It is exciting to see such a collaborative approach to planning forming around such core stakeholders and the public. The opposite of the command and control process that is giving us the ODOT bridge from hell and so many other bad outcomes in NEO, this public multi-university, public-private exploration has the potential to connect important agendas for consensus building around sophisticated visions of the future of our region, starting with the heart of it all, downtown Cleveland.

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Come to a Cleveland Solar & Wind Open House to inaugurate the first Uni-Solar solar shingle installation in Northeast Ohio.

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There were two important shows on WVIZ/PBS public television tonight. First, locally produced Ideas featured a segment on lead poisoning. Second,  "Bill Moyers on America: Is God Green?" explored  how "Millions of evangelical Christians in America have taken on care for the environment as a moral and Biblical obligation. They believe that as Christians it is their duty to take action against global warming, the loss of species and toxic chemicals in our air, food and water." So, we saw the greatest problem in our local society today... toxic contamination of at least 20% of people's land and lives in Cleveland... followed by the solution, being the 65% of Americans who believe in Christ coming together to battle such toxins. To care about any of these matters without caring about all is to live an incomplete and evil life as, apparently taken from the scriptures,  "those who destroy the Earth shall be destroyed by God!"

 

One could safely say, before Cleveland went to the dogs it went to the pigs... but, that is a whole other story. Today, the dogs and pigs I'm talking about relate to the public arts series sponsored by the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation to have local artists paint fiberglass sculptures recognizing the animals of the Chinese zodiac - this year was of the dog... next year is of the pig. Much more interesting than the painted guitars concept, these animal forms offer great creative opportunities for artists and the results of the year of the dog efforts were extraordinary - you may see many of them posted here. So, if you are artistic or know someone who is, check out the following details on designing new pigs for Cleveland... below

In 2020 - the year, and with such vision - what postcard do you want to send from your hometown of Cleveland... the "Cleveland of my Dreams" vision above, or the the toxic "Nightmare in Cleveland" reality planned for us by ODOT, below, which is planned to be worse than anyone ever imagined. By 2020, ODOT plans to blight the entire dream zone of the Cleveland Flats and the East and West banks of the Cuyahoga River Valley shown in these renderings, and surrounding neighborhoods, even worse than they and the port have blighted there today. By 2020, ODOT will have finished their slash of concrete and steel rendered in the nightmare reality below, destroying these opportunity zones as freeways have destroyed so much else in NEO. Read on to see how we may be able to make these mightmare visions dreamy, instead.

 

 

The rendering above is of the aerial footprint of the new westbound bridge to be built in Cleveland, for over $300 million, in a multiyear, disruptive, near $ billion construction nightmare, which will make life in Northeast Ohio pure hell for commuters and the Cleveland economy through 2012 and leave a massive, ugly scar across Cleveland's greatest asset - the Cuyahoga River Valley - forever. All that is pathetic, but not nearly as sad as the loss of development potential for Cleveland, the city, and the area of the Flats around the current and future bridge sites and on the east and west banks of the Flats and surrounding neighborhoods. Destroying that potential is the whole point of regional leadership creating this disastrous outcome... what could be better for sprawl-mongers than further destroying the urban core?

 In a heroic battle of a few people who care about the future of the NEO skyline against broad community apathy and complacency with inconsiderate authority, Plain Dealer Architecture Critic Steven Litt has written another installment in the continuing saga of ODOT against Cleveland - the billion dollar Innerbelt joke - now warning the public that today, 10/05/06, NEO leadership will narrow the possibilities of bad bridge designs from eight to three awful options. As Litt puts it, in the title of his article, "Dull design burns bridges to better future". And he goes on to explain why we aren't getting something better...

Northeast Ohio's Blogging community is America's most active civic journalism network. Meet The Bloggers is an exciting, cutting edge community lead by George Nemeth, Gloria & Tim Ferris, and Jason Haas, building a national reputation for supporting freedom of speech, citizen dialogue and strengthening transparent political process - keystones of Democracy. 

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The Plain Dealer finally has their headline article in the battle to protect citizens against lead poisoning - Sherwin Williams is suing East Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus for them filing suit against Sherwin Williams over lead poisoning... this, rather than the impacts and history of lead poisoning, is what has made the headlines in the paper, featured on top of the business section (rather than the front page, where the news belongs). So, Sherwin Wlliams and their local attorneys Jones Day feel they can intimidate or perhaps bankrupt Ohio cities by attacking them over what has already been determined against Sherwin Wiliams and Jones Day in Rhode Island and is in court in 26 other states, all because  Sherwin Wiliams and Jones Day believe Ohio and our courts are so in the pockets of this rich and powerful local company and law firm they will endorse Blackmail.

 

Since moving to Ohio City I've been disgusted by the amount of junk mail I get here, as a "postal cutomer"... especially since I realized it comes from the PLAIN DEALER and CLEVELAND.COM! This is truly one of the least eco-conscious organizations in Northeast Ohio, which goes a long way toward explaining why our community and region are such a toxic disaster. Not only do they waste huge amounts of paper printing junk inserts in their paper, but now they are sending out junk mail. I post this because this is Junk Mail Awareness Week, and knowing the PD is one of the worst offenders in the region it is safe to say they will not help citizens of NEO address this ecological crisis. So read the facts and follow the link below and go to the effort to declare your freedom from junk mail.

Margaret Atwood will preside at Cleveland Public Library’s Writers and Readers Series, Sunday, November 5, 2:00 p.m.  Free and open to the public, the event will take place at the Main Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium, E. 6th Street and Superior Avenue. At least a decade has passed since Atwood last visited Cleveland.

Margaret Atwood is an international literary star. Through her thematically diverse and best-selling novels, she has anticipated, explored, and changed the popular preoccupations of our time. Though Atwood's subject matter may vary from book to book, the careful craft of her language (she is also a renowned poet) gives her considerable body of work a sensibility and resonance all its own. This rare writer whose books are adored by the public, acclaimed by the major critics, and studied on university and college campuses has written, The Edible Woman, Surfacing, Lady Oracle, The Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye, and Alias Grace. Her latest works are Oryx and Crake and The Tent.

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Two major art exhibits opened Friday night, September 29, showcasing the importance of glocalization of NEO art at its best. Barbara Stanczak is showing a large body of recent sculptures, photo manipulations and constructions at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens Gallery, and Painter Dana Schutz and photographer Catherine Opie are exhibiting large bodies of work at Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Each artist has strong ties to NEO, yet are globally successful and influential in their own unique ways - rooting their accomplishments back to NEO is how glocalization of arts propels our economy to a higher level, as NEO leverages the  global significance of our arts industry.

If you read REALNEO, you know the huge burden of lead poisoning on our region's children and adults, the community's quality of life, and our education system and economy, and you know that, since May, East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer has been planning to work with Motley Rice to bring litigation over lead poisoning to Ohio courts. Today, the Plain Dealer published word the litigation is finally here, as East Cleveland is expected to file suit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court over the public nuisance lead causes in their community, as has been done in 27 other states to date. East Cleveland is the leader bringing such litigation to our state, and it appears other cities and the state of Ohio are preparing to follow suit. I take great pride that I helped advance this development, and I look forward to helping East Cleveland, NEO and all Ohioans win, as a result.

In a unique and powerful arts development in town, the Cleveland Foundation has started an initiative to showcase artists studying at the Cleveland Insitute of Art in a series of exhibitions at the Foundation offices, at 1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 1300, starting with "Heterotopia", now showing - the public is welcome to view the exhibition at The Cleveland Foundation offices Monday through Friday during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

I just got the following event details from our Tech Czar Michael DeAloia about an important international conference coming to Cleveland - The International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers - with keynote by Case VP of IT Lev Gonick (congratulations, Lev). I've worked with lots of high level global IT managers and they are an excellent draw to Cleveland... they like to explore and they spend money, so this conference is a gem. And they are offering a special deal for Cleveland IT companies worth checking out. Most interesting to me and you is how they are selling Cleveland to their international membership... check out our forum on 22 reasons to attend this conference in Cleveland, Ohio, and add your ideas to share with these important guests of our community, and all others! See conference details below...

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Photo of Peter B. Lewis Building, by Frank Gehry, accented by Athena Tacha's Merging, 1986, of the Putnam Sculpture Collection. Photo by Evelyn Kiefer

 

Catch this award winning documentary on WVIZ about world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, dessigner of the exceptional Peter B. Lewis Building of the Weatherhead School of Business at Case University... Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 9pm. About the documentary...

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I'm sure everyone who follows news and current events knows about Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' speech at the UN, declaring US President Bush the devil. In today's NY Times there is an insightful expansion on this story, as they report that during Chávez' speech he held up a copy of retired MIT Professor Noam Chomsky’s book “Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance,” a critique of American foreign policy, and urged his audience “very respectfully, to those who have not read this book, to read it.” The NY Times reports sales in America of the book have since spiked - I certainly now plan to read it. Hegemony is preponderant influence or authority over others. Chomsky writes: "One can discern two trajectories in current history: one aiming toward hegemony, acting rationally within a lunatic doctrinal framework as it threatens survival; the other dedicated to the belief that “another world is possible,” in the words that animate the World Social Forum, challenging the reigning ideological system and seeking to create constructive alternatives of thought, action and institutions. Which trajectory will dominate, no one can foretell." Another quote from the book, and the NY Times article are below...

 

 “If they can get you asking the wrong question, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”

Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow

There is much effort put into rationalizing our current economic conditions in NEO, but I don't see anyone in NEO analyzing our genuine progress... our GPI (see America, above... how's NEO doing?). At the core of this challenge is, what's the economy for in the first place? An article at the New Dream website asks that question, and states "It’s time to demand that champions of the status quo defend their implicit answer to that question.  Do they actually believe that the purpose of the economy is to achieve the grossest domestic product and allow the richest among us to multiply their treasures without limits?" "But what if we answer the question... The greatest good for the greatest number over the long run.” "In that light, economic success cannot be measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or stock prices alone.  It must take into account the other values that constitute the greatest good — health, happiness, knowledge, kindness — for the greatest number — equality, access to opportunity — over the long run — in a healthy democracy and sustainable environment." Based on that, are the NEO and American economies healthy? Read the rest of the article to see what you think...

 

Yesterday, I posted some photos I took of the Community Vehicular Reclamation Project in Toronto and was thrilled to see one of the organizers there post a comment on REALNEO with more details today. I went to their website and found all sorts of other cool initiatives they drive for reclaiming the streets there, which we should embrace here... I know, "not invented here". Well, be like realneo and think glocally! Here's what's planned for tomorrow in Toronto. Wish I could be there for this... world carfree day 2006! Join Streets are for People! and The ReEvolution Day Arkestra in celebrating World Car Free Day via a musical parade through downtown - heading East from Trinity Bellwoods Park along Queen St.West.

Friday September 22nd, 4pm
Meet at Trinity Bellwoods Park (Queen St. Gate) for Tea and Preparations BYOTea, costumes, instruments, floats, banners, signs, etc... All Musicians are most welcome and encouraged to join the Arkestra
5:30pm - Take to the streets!

All Day &/or during parade - Parking Meter Parties!
Rent back a piece of the city! It's fun! It's Legal!
Just as a car driver would, park your vehicle (ie your bike, trike, or unicycle...) in a parking spot along Queen West (the main parade route) & for $1.50/hr it's all yours!

WHAT CAN YOU DO with a 6 x 12 foot parking space?

I just received the following from rail transportation and smart growth luminary Kenneth Prendergast... read on to learn about Smart Growth and plan to attend an important Rail Stakeholders meeting October 20th... read more!

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While hard to compare to shootings and murder, I can't think of a worse development for NEO, local arts and culture and my neighborhood than the news I recieved just now - Gallery 1300 is closing. I don't know enough details to know if it is "our" fault - not enough money flowing from the community to the gallery and artists - or just that the smart, great people who have made 1300 a core part of the NEO scene have other opportunities to pursue, but I know we all owe it to their team to really put out for them in their closing months. More to come on this as I learn details... for now: the Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           

Title of the Exhibit: Leave ‘Em Wanting More – The last shows of 1300

Opening Reception: 

5 - October 20, 7-10 – Grant Smrekar, Paul Sydorenko, Bill Rupnik

The 7GEN development team of Phillip Williams and myself are thrilled to work with the important Cleveland Club of Washington, DC, to provide technology to their leadership and members. From their new Drupal website, found at http://clevelandclub.org: "The Cleveland Club of Washington, D. C., founded in 1957, is an association of Washington men and women who share a keen interest in Cleveland. Most of the more than three hundred members are former Clevelanders or graduates of its universities. Participants include United States Representatives, judges, prominent federal officials, journalists and others of diverse background and occupation."