The Knight Foundation has launched a campaign to improve interaction between citizens and governments. The Knight News Challenge is an opportunity to accelerate promising ideas and trends. Their definition of “open government” is broad, and ranges from small projects within existing structures to ambitious attempts to create entirely new ones. In many ways it’s easier than it’s ever been to learn about and interact with the institutions and communities around us. But there’s a long way to go. How can we make the places we live more awesome through data and technology? How can we make public information more relevant and useful? The Knight News Challenge accelerates media innovation by funding breakthrough ideas in news and information. Winners receive a share of $5 million in funding and support from Knight’s network of influential peers and advisors to help advance their ideas. For more information, visit the project website. What Can…
Communications
The Vibrant NEO 2040 planning process has been assisted by five volunteer work streams – Economic Development, Environments, Housing & Communities, Connections, and Quality Connected Places. Each one has a specific focus but some are broader than others. In the Housing & Communities work stream, housing issues are an obvious focus but the term ‘community’ is harder to define. The work stream also values the individual communities and neighborhoods in northeast Ohio by promoting the growth of a healthy, safe, and walkable region. The Akron Urban League’s 2013 Urban Issues Luncheon Series covers some of those very issues, like safety and education. The series opens at the Akron Urban League on Wednesday, February 13th with the topic, “In Search of Urban Peace: Addressing Urban Violence”. Click here to register or for more information. Review the Schedule for Fair Housing Forums Read the February Issue of Vibrant NEO Register for The…
An excerpt from our the February Issue of Vibrant NEO! NEOSCC has been quite busy since the first of the year. We have been working with the Sasaki Team (Scenario Planning Consultants) to develop an engaging visioning process for the region that will include many opportunities to get involved and share your thoughts. Our Regional Assessments of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice team has been reviewing preliminary data and conducting a region-wide survey for government officials and housing stakeholders. NEOSCC is pleased to announce the schedule for the first round of Fair Housing Forums which kick off in March (see schedule here). In conjunction with all of this activity, we have been conducting engagement throughout the region to prepare for the Scenario Planning Process. A FEW FAQ’S What is Scenario Planning and when do we get to find out about the opportunities for engagement? At the end of this month,…
From Executive Director John Begala: 2013 is the Centennial of The Center for Community Solutions and as part of our preparation for the next century, we are updating and adding to our decision support publications and events. What do I mean by decision support? Simply a term describing how CCS’s work informs executives and professionals in government, non-profits, and business as they make decisions. At this moment, you are reading our newly updated and reformatted newsletter, Common Ground. We are pleased to add Common Ground to our myriad decision support publications available through membership or online at www.CommunitySolutions.com. The name Common Ground reflects our longstanding commitment to collaboration –especially in the policy arena. As you know, the many challenges that continue to confront American society are subject to a rising tide of partisanship and ill will. We aim to play a role in moderating the tone of this public discourse by relentlessly…
As the last post of the year, we thought it would be good to focus on a creating a more sustainable holiday. Every year, there is a debate about which is more environmentally friendly: artificial or natural Christmas trees. Regardless of what you chose this year, you can’t leave it up forever. There are a number of ways you can dispose of your natural Christmas tree to reduce the environmental impact. Here is a great infographic from GOOD.is on some of those the ways. Click on the image below to visit the original post.
Over the past week our website, Facebook and Twitter traffic has been steadily increasing. In light of this we thought it would be an opportune time to give a quick overview of our initiative. In terms of history, funding and organization you can visit our About pages. What we want to cover today is more of the soul of the initiative. We all want our communities to be… Vibrant (full of energy, enthusiasm, and vitality.) Sustainable (not wasteful; making smart decisions that help the region thrive.) Resilient (adaptable, tough and able to bounce back from difficulties.) NEOSCC IS OUR REGIONAL ADVOCATE FOR THESE VALUES/GOALS NEOSCC is a regional coalition funded mainly through a HUD Sustainability Communities Grant to NOACA. It is made up of diverse members from across the 12-county area, including local and county governments, businesses, and organizations from the planning, transit, and higher education sectors. VIBRANT NEO 2040…
The Drive to 500! 2013 promises to be an amazing time for the Vibrant NEO effort and Northeast Ohio. In getting ready for the coming year, we are making an end of year Drive to 500 Facebook Likes. (I actually think we can get quite a bit more!) Share it with your friends throughout the region. You can like us here… Vibrant NEO on Facebook Our social media footprint includes the following different channels to keep up with our work Pinterest – our developing pins of great images and assets throughout the region Linked In – our growing business network featuring Vibrant NEO 2040 news as well as items submitted by members. Twitter – our daily outreach through events, partners and dig-neo facts Facebook – our community and organization outreach and photos You Tube – our board and engagement video library What Can I Do Today? Act: Participate in the…
“iNaturalist is a place where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world.” iNaturalist (http://www.inaturalist.org/) is a smartphone and web-based data gathering program designed to provide an ecological learning and teaching platform for amateur and professional naturalists alike. The world is full of naturalists and many hikers, hunters, birders, and beachcombers record their observations of the environment around them. If the record of observations is comprehensive enough, it may be possible for scientists and land managers to monitor changes in biodiversity, and allow anyone to use the comprehensive record of life to learn more about nature. A comprehensive record of nature is the primary purpose of iNaturalist. According to its website, iNaturalist began as the Master’s final project of Nate Agrin, Jessica Kline, and Ken-ichi Ueda at the University of California-Berkeley’s School of Information in 2008. Nate and Ken-ichi continued…
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC) recently released its 2012 Accomplishments Report, Helping Communities Realize a More Prosperous Future, (pdf download) which highlights how grantees of the 2010 and 2011 HUD Sustainability Grants are working to support locally led collaborative efforts that are building stronger regional economies. Among the most significant findings of the report is the almost 100 percent leveraging of federal funds. In 2010 and 2011 OSHC awarded 152 grants in 48 states, totaling $240 million. This in turn has generated almost $253 million in private investments and commitments from local partners. The report further highlights that HUD’s Sustainable Communities grantees have brought significant local, state and private resources to the table. HUD’s investment of $95.8 million in 2011 generated $115 million in matching and in-kind contributions – which is more than 120% of the Federal investment – from…
Hello and Welcome to the November issue of Vibrant NEO! Thanks for your continued interest in NEOSCC and the Vibrant NEO 2040 Initiative. As we near the end of 2012, there is plenty Vibrant NEO 2040 activity around Northeast Ohio. We are in process of finalizing the selection of a planning firm to assist with development of the Vibrant NEO 2040 vision and framework. A few facts about the planning process: Who will be involved in the planning process? We will be engaging stakeholders throughout the region through different ways and methods. How will the planning process be conducted? We will be conducting regional engagement using a scenario planning process that creates a shared vision. What is our objective? We are focused on developing a framework to create a more vibrant, resilient and sustainable Northeast Ohio. NEOSCC has also launched its regional analysis of impediments to fair housing choice study. In our engagement efforts we…