2013 March

28 Mar: Learn: What is the cost to live here and get there?

As two of the most significant expenses in our personal lives, housing and transportation cost can play a key role in our quality of life and where we choose to live.  Over the last few years a new tool has been developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology to analyze some of these costs relative to income and geography. To integrate this way of thinking into the choices and decisions made by home buyers, renters, urban and transportation planners, and developers, CNT and our collaborative partner, the Center for Transit Oriented Development (CTOD), developed a groundbreaking tool, the Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, that measures the true affordability of housing choice-by factoring in both housing and transportation costs in a neighborhood. The cost of getting around takes a significant bite out of household budgets. The average family in the United States spends about 18% of after-tax income on transportation, but…

27 Mar: Drink Local: Drink Tap

In honor of World Water day last week, here is a Cleveland-based non-profit focusing access to clean and fresh water in Northeast Ohio and around the globe. From the Drink Local.Drink Tap website: The Drink Local. Drink Tap.(TM), Inc. focus is to reconnect people with local water in tangible activities. These activities include educational events, beach cleanups, World Water Day celebrations, public speaking, art and film making. A collective change in the understanding of the ACCESS to clean, fresh water and compassion towards others can be fostered through educating individuals within the United States, especially in Northeast Ohio. Issues surrounding the access of fresh water are taught through local activities and global projects (Making Waves from Cleveland to Uganda). Individual water re-connection occurs through our Wavemaker Program.   Our History: Drink Local. Drink Tap.(TM), Inc. is a not for profit enterprise.  DLDT began at the Cleveland Sustainability Summit in 2009 as a volunteer…

26 Mar: Interested in looking at how we currently are using land in Northeast Ohio?

As part of the Vibrant NEO 2040 initiative, NEOSCC has completed the first-ever existing land use map for the 12-county region. This parcel-based map was built on detailed real estate information provided by the region’s 12 County Auditors and County Fiscal Officers. This map can be scaled to the size of individual communities and counties and can be filtered to show in clear detail the location specific land uses, such as industrial, commercial and park land.  Because it is based on current real estate data, this map provides a real-time picture of vacant urbanized land throughout the region. Zoning Map NEOSCC has also created a parcel-based zoning map for the 12-county Northeast Ohio region from the most current information supplied by each of the 393 jurisdictions in the region. This map can be scaled to the size of individual communities and counties and can be filtered to show in clear…

25 Mar: Fair Housing Forums – Presentations Now Available

The NEOSCC is currently undertaking a study to evaluate fair housing throughout the 12 Counties of Northeast Ohio.  It is known as a Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. In early March 2013, through a series of Fair Housing Forums, we reached out to each of the 12 Counties to present preliminary data and listen to your thoughts on this important issue. The documents below represent the data from the presentations given in each County during the week of March 11 through 15. Please continue to provide your feedback through our Fair Housing Surveys or by emailing comments to info@neoscc.org. Presentations by County Ashtabula County FHF Cuyahoga County FHF Geauga County FHF Lake County FHF Lorain County FHF Mahoning County FHF Medina County FHF Portage County FHF Summit County FHF Stark County FHF Trumbull County FHF Wayne County FHF What Can I Do Today? Register for a Vibrant NEO workshop!…

22 Mar: REGISTRATION OPEN! Vibrant NEO Workshops

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO REGISTER: This first round of VibrantNEO public workshops revolves around a scenario called “Business‐As‐Usual.” It outlines what Northeast Ohio’s future will look like if we keep doing what we are currently doing. We need your help to define what we value and what’s most important to this region as we start to create a vision for Northeast Ohio’s future. We Can Only Answer These Questions Together! Pick a date and location that’s most convenient for you and Join Us! All events begin with an open house and registration from 5:30 – 6:30 PM. Workshops take place from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO REGISTER CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO REGISTER Tues., April 30: Lorain, Medina, and western Cuyahoga counties The Oberlin Inn 7 N Main St Oberlin OH 44074 Register:  http://tinyurl.com/VibrantNEO-Oberlin-043013 Tues., April 30: Mahoning, Trumbell and Ashtabula counties John…

21 Mar: City of Elyria Fair Housing Board sponsoring Fair Housing Conference on April 4

Speakers include: Marija Georgievski, Executive Director, Lake Erie Landlord Association (Landlord Best Practices) Dennis Muzilla, Manager, First Federal Savings & Loan of Lorain (Compliance with Fair Lending Practices) Mindy Wright, Housing Manager, Lorain County Urban League (Foreclosure Counseling 101) Emily C. White, Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (Rent to Own:  Beware of Scams)

20 Mar: Share: What makes Northeast Ohio Vibrant?

The story of the Northeast Ohio region begins with you. What makes Northeast Ohio special for you? What would you change if you could? MyVibrantNEO is an opportunity for local residents to share their experiences with NEOSCC and the broader region. Submissions can be in many formats, including photos, videos, essays, songs, poems, and more! Northeast Ohio is your region, and it’s important for you to share why you love it and what you would improve. Using your input, we can gain further understanding of what we can do to encourage a more vibrant and sustainable future for Northeast Ohio. We would love for you to be involved in this ongoing conversation!   NEOSCC has already received some submissions, but it’s not too late to let your voice be heard! Some of the submissions thus far include photos of locals enjoying the Mahoning Riverfest, the sunset at Lakewood Park, and…

19 Mar: Thriving Communities Institute: From Vacancy to Vitality

In 2011, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy launched an effort to combat the devastating impact of abandonment and disinvestment on Northeast Ohio’s core cities. Entitled the “Thriving Communities Institute,” the initiative targeted the reduction of vacant residential properties, primarily through demolition. These properties, according to Institute Director Jim Rokakis, reduce property values in our neighborhoods. Studies show that one vacant property on a street will significantlyreduce the value of adjacent homes. Soon, due to loss of value, foreclosures and “bank walk-aways,” the nearby homes become vacant as the disease spreads. Soon the entire neighborhood is dead and diseased, having been destroyed by this contagious and toxic process. Then the adjacent areas are infected and the disease spreads further … predictably, relentlessly, and with devastating consequences. The impact of disinvestment in the urban core also has negative implications for the region’s natural environment. Depressed urban markets drive potential residents further away…

18 Mar: City of Cleveland Seeks Input: Climate Action

The City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is leading a community process to create a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to not only reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but also plan for changes in the climate that will affect Clevelanders. The CAP is crucial to making Cleveland a more sustainable community. The City of Cleveland is examining how planning, policy, funding, infrastructure and land development decisions affect GHG emissions and local resilience to the impacts of climate change. The City of Cleveland needs your input to help create goals, actions, and policies that are both bold and achievable, to tailor national best practices to Cleveland, and to take Cleveland to the next level with an integrated and more detailed approach to sustainability and climate action planning. There are two ways to get involved in this process: Participating online at The Civic Commons. Join the conversation here.  Save the Date and attend…

15 Mar: Digi-NEO…facts about Northeast Ohio

During the course of developing the NEOSCC Conditions and Trends Platform, we developed 33 findings across the subject matter areas of economic development, transportation, housing, the environment and quality connected places in Northeast Ohio.  In order to communicate some of these findings, we have developed the Digi-NEO program which highlights different facts about the region’s successes as well as its challenges. Visit our Digi NEO Gallery to learn more about our region.