Engagement

10 Apr: Have you signed up yet? Less than three weeks until first Vibrant NEO Work Shop

Help create a more sustainable Northeast Ohio The VibrantNEO process uses public workshops to look at the future of our Northeast Ohio.  What will it look like in 2040 if we keep doing what we’re doing?  What are the potential outcomes if we do things differently?  To answer these questions, we need to understand our values and priorities. 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….

02 Apr: Imagine MyNEO!

In May, NEOSCC will be launching an on-line engagement tool entitled Imagine MyNEO! Based on an open source software called Crowd Gauge, Imagine MyNEO! will allow the entire region to share their priorities with the Vibrant NEO process. As an introduction to the new tool, we have included an article by Sarah Madden of Sasaki Associates (our Scenario Planning consultant).  It includes background about the creation of the tool and some examples of its previous use. Gauge the values, priorities and preferences of the crowd. by Sarah Madden, Sasaki Associates Web-based technology can help planners promote literacy about planning issues and increase public engagement. We already deploy sophisticated data analysis and modeling tools, but many of these tools are more suitable for back-of-house number crunching than for interactive public engagement. This divide between tools for technicians and tools for engagement is significant:  despite all of the public- and client-facing communication work we do, few…

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…

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.

13 Mar: Green Buildings & the Effect on Human Health

From the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the US Green Building Council…. Healthcare is an ever-evolving industry; from the tools and technology that specialists, doctors and nurses rely on and the role of hospital design in providing comfort and care, to the sustainable building practices that reduce facility costs. Keeping informed of these trends is now more important than ever as 2013 brings more changes to health care and hospitals. The NEOGBC is conducting a  panel discussion led by Skanska’s Elizabeth Heider, immediate past chair of the U.S. Green Building Council as we explore green building and human health trends. Additional panelists include: Monica Green, principal of Westlake Reed Leskosky, Matthew Pietro, sustainability specialist of University Hospitals Health System, Chris Parkinson, interim director of Cleveland Clinic’s Office for a Healthy Environment and Andrew Quirk, senior vice president / national director of Skanska’s Healthcare Center of Excellence. Date: Tuesday, March 19th Time: 7:30am…

07 Mar: Vibrant NEO 2040 and Scenario Planning

SCENARIOS are stories about the future.  They summarize likely future outcomes based on what we know about the present and what we know about how the world works.  Every weather forecast, for example, presents a scenario for the future, based on what meteorologists know about the current weather and what they know about how weather patterns develop.  VibrantNEO 2040’s scenarios will tell stories about our possible futures, based on where Northeast Ohio is today and the choices we might make about how we use our land and how we invest our resources.  Once we create these scenarios, we will be able to compare how successful they are at achieving our common goals for the region, judge which choices would be best for Northeast Ohio’s future, and create a shared vision and framework for the future around those choices. VibrantNEO 2040’s Scenario Planning  Step 1: Where is Northeast Ohio today? Every…