For this REALNEO@REI orientation we will present a transformative demonstration of local urbanist Joe Stanley taking his senior project in Interior Design off the walls of the Cleveland Institute of Art, beyond 2&3D, and into cyberspace - see http://neomainstreet-com.bryght.net. Joe shares his vision for reinventing the CIA and redeveloping their two University Circle sites - exceeding old paradigms of project development, urban planning, and entrepreneurial communications - realized using REALinks social computing capabilities. Please join Joe and see his view of our future, at its best.

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DATE: March 16, 2005

Annual Meeting: How Cool is Greater Akron?
Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, 3180 W. Market St., Fairlawn
5:30 - 8:30 PM
Speaker: Rebecca Ryan, Founder, Next Generation Consulting, Inc.
Non-member Cost: $55.00 Member Cost: $55.00

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Ideastream's 03.06.05 Ideas program took an interesting look at economic development issues and opportunities in Akron, and how the city seeks to raise it's "cool" factor. They featured Elizabeth Sheeler, who returned home to Akron from Boston to work with the Akron Art Museum and ArtCetera because she feels she can have a bigger impact in her smaller home town than in a big city  she has started an after work arts party and networking scene in Akron - part of making the scene cooler there. The objective is to make Akron desirable to Gen-Xers  and the need is serious. Rebecca Ryan, an economic development consultant from Madison, WI, based Next Generation Consulting, has been hired to lead the Akron community to focus on their Gen-X quality of life  she notes only 4% of NEOs 18-24 have loyalty to this region vs. 25% nationwide, and only 35% of NEO residents in general feel there is good opportunity here for the young, vs. 69% nationwide. Gen-Xers are needed to replace Baby Boomers as they retire from the workforce, and Gen-Xers are the innovators needed to fuel the future of the economy, so not satisfying the Gen-Xers is very foolish.

REALNEO is a free open source social network established to
support dialogue and inclusion among all people interested in Northeast Ohio, at all levels. Visitors are
welcome to create an account and add content. Volunteers developing these social networking capabilities host this
oriantation on how to use these virtual tools for collaboration -
please join us all at the Peter B. Lewis building as we focus on
collaboration

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You are invited to attend an air quality
workshop at the offices of the Northeast Ohio Areawide
Coordinating Agency (NOACA) to begin the public participation process for the
Ozone and Particulate Matter State Implementation Plans (SIPs).

As you
may already know, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
designated the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina,
Portage, and Summit as in nonattainment for the new 8-hour ozone standard. The
USEPA designated Ashtabula (partial), Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage,
and Summit as in nonattainment for the new fine particulate (PM2.5) standard.
These designations require that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, with
local input, submit SIPs to USEPA that would bring Northeast Ohio into
attainment for both of these pollutants.

Please join us for a free,
public informational event that will include presentations on the air quality
issues that Northeast Ohio faces, talks by affected industries, discussion of
the Ohio EPA SIP development process, and an overview of potential attainment
strategies. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005
9:00
a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
NOACA Board Room
1299 Superior Avenue
Cleveland,
Ohio 44114

Please RSVP by e-mail
to Pam Davis at pdavis [at] mpo [dot] noaca [dot] org
or by calling (216) 241-2414, Extension 284. Your participation is appreciated.
We look forward to talking with you. 

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How would you recreate downtown Cleveland? What do
you think downtown Cleveland should look like five years from now?
These were the questions put to those who participated in the second

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"Prelude to the
New Energy Debate in Northeast Ohio"

From TransTech and the New Energy
Roundtable (NER)

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Norm,

you may want to get to know Hilary Bradbury, who runs the Weatherhead Institute for Sustainable Enterprise... http://weatherhead.cwru.edu/wise/

she is a teleworker now based in LA, but s

Cleveland Institute of Art interior design senior Joe Stanley has developed a comprehensive strategy and plan for the current Cleveland Institute of Art properties, where there are now poorly utilized, out-of-date facilities and surface parking lots, to be transformed into a new regional and global epicenter of creativity and economic development. Visit his community of interest dedicated to this project - neomainstreet - to see the model, plans, and a remarkable vision for developing exactly the innovation and quality connected places NEO needs for the future!

Today's Tuesdays@REI on Doan Brook was electric with community interest and involvement. Issues were discussed involving water quality, energy, restoration, historic assets and active use.

The plans and options presented were clear and ambitious. They demonstrated that clear, clean water can be a magnet for business. Our water assets must no longer be taken for granted.

Today's Tuesdays@REI topic on "The Doan Brook Watershed Partnership" attracted the attention of many people and organizations, as the issues discussed connect to many important initiatives that concern water, as a natural resource and a source of positive economic impact.

[Picture (source) : Fishing in the pond near the former Mount Sinai complex at Rockefeller Park and Doan Brook]

These presentations represent the variety of facets coming together
throught the Doan Brook Partnership. These (large) Powerpoint
presentations give you a broad perspective.

A two-part forum on: The Economics of Early Childhood Development - see NEO Childhood for support site and services

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03-08-05.
"Is Sustainability Sustainable? An Evolutionary Perspective,"
Bruce Latimer,
Director, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Peter B. Lewis
Building.

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This morning’s PD cited a Michigan research paper that concluded that economic cars, hybrids and the like, will generate a stronger economic return for European manufacturers, who have adapted to meet the more aggressive, European environmental standards and are now poised to reap the economic benefit of this growing market in the US. As a result, the study says, the US government should assist, despite the current $400+ billion budget deficit, in the retrofit/reengineering of the US plants to be able to compete. Of course, the industry could have also asked for assistance in meeting the environmental demands decades ago to seize the leadership mantel now held by European manufacturers, but for decades, US auto industry opposed stronger environmental standards, rather than adapt. Another significant, unmentioned lesson also warrants noting: Sound environmental policy, environmental leadership, can generate economic leadership in a very short time.

The pace of adoption of open source software is accelerating at astounding rates, as we see entire nations officially dumping Microsoft and going free. Recently, Venezuela switched to open source, and plan a university to develop programmers... now, read two great postings about Brazil - developing countries are wising up... developing Ohio is wising up too, as you'll see...

02-15-05.
"The Doan Brook Partnership," Nancy
King Smith, Executive Director, Nature Center at Shaker Lakes & project team
associates; Peter B. Lewis Building.

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"Monuments differ in different periods. Each age has its own."

"Maybe, just maybe, we shall at last come to care for the most important, most challenging, surely the most satisfying of all architectural creations: building cities for people to live in."

Philip Cortelyou Johnson: July 8, 1906 - January 25, 2004

Fascinating presentation - will post here - Phil provided
an overview of the meaning, history, variations, sources, uses, applications
and issues surrounding biodeisel.

"A Biofuels Primer"

A presentation on the history and potential of biofuels in the energy equation. Topics will trace timeline from the pre-WWII chemurgy movement to current developments such as algal biodiesel and biomass pyrolysis for hydrogen production. Incorporating concepts that include well-to-wheel efficiency, end-of-vehicle-life landfill mandates and integrated biorefineries, a path towards sustainable economic development will be explored within the framework of industrial ecology.

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Those companies with diverse board (of directors) representation benefit from having executives who "get away from group-think" and "challenge the prevailing way of thinking," promotes The Greater Cleveland Roundtable in their weekly e-news on trends in diversity and inclusion. They further quote the CEO of diversity award winner Pitney Bowes as saying diverse directors "pay more attention to moral issues and how the frontline employees feel...They're more challenging of the orthodox ways of thinking." That is the kind of thinking we need in NEO - go to the Roundtable site and subscribe to their eNews for such insight in your box weekly.

Close to 200 people gathered Tuesday evening at the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Tasting Room for 2005's kick off meeting for Entrepreneurs for Sustainability.

The organization's founder, Holly Harlan, set the stage by having local entrepreneurs, like Kathleen O'Neill Web of the Coit Road Farmer's Market and Jim White of CLEER TEC, perform a skit sharing how their work is contributing to the vision of a Sustainable Economy in Northeast Ohio.

Each Tuesday from 2:00 - 4:00 PM REI is holding REALNEO planning and orientation sessions for open dialogue and inclusion supportig the Open Source Economic Development framework for North East Ohio. These sessions are open to everyone - feel free to come anytime between 2 and 4, and stick around after for the weekly Tuesday@REI meetings, from 4:00 - 5:45 PM.

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Does residential real estate development play a significant role in economic development? In effect, my question is whether real estate development can serve as a catalyst for the transformation of citzens' economic condition or whether it is merely a lagging indicator of other successful economic development activity such as job creation. Can a builder/developer be a source of added economic vitality to the community, or must the community's value be raised by other means before his/her activities can be supported?

Topic: "Regional Economic Development in Indiana: An Update on Best Practices"

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