For the first time in memory, Cleveland and Northeast Ohio are recovering faster than the rest of the country from a recession. The city is enjoying a $7 billion building spree that includes a downtown casino, a medical mart and convention center complex and the first downtown office tower in a generation. There’s a new aquarium, a new museum of modern art, the renovated Cleveland Museum of Art, massive physical expansion and hiring at Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals. Other important development projects are popping up around town including Uptown in University Circle and Campus Village at Cleveland State University. And there’s more in the pipeline.
But what happens when the cranes go away? How do we maintain momentum, build a prosperity that feeds on itself and that attracts the educated young people so critical to the Knowledge Economy? How can we maximize the kind of momentum that brings real opportunity to people in every neighborhood throughout this city and this region?
That is the focus of this first Cleveland Connects.
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Cleveland Connects Event
On Monday, March 12th a capacity crowd of 300 packed the Westfield Insurance Studio Theater at the Idea Center at PlayhouseSquare to hear a keynote by Paul Levy, President & CEO of Center City District in Philadelphia followed by a panel discussion involving: Anthony J. Coyne, President, Mansour, Gavin, Gerlack & Manos Co., LPA and Chairman of Cleveland’s Planning Commission, Vickie Johnson, Executive Director of the Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation and Ari Maron, Partner, MRN Ltd.
The conversation was moderated by Joe Frolik, Chief Editorial Writer at The Plain Dealer.
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The Sound of Ideas: Construction Boom
Every weekday at 9:00 AM The Sound of Ideas reports the news, explains the news, and sometimes makes news. The Cleveland Press Club awarded it “Best Radio Show” in Ohio and thousands daily find it to be an indispensable source of information about what’s most important to Northeast Ohioans.
The new Medical Mart & Convention Center rises in the heart of Cleveland. An old department store is set to re-open as a casino. The flat-lining east bank of Cleveland's Flats is being transformed. New apartments and condos fill in downtown. Nearly $7 billion dollars in public and private investment is starting to take shape here. In this episode (original air date 3/20/2012), host Mike McIntyre discusses why all this development activity is happening now and how to keep the momentum going in the future. Guests included Adam Fishman, principal, Fairmount Properties LLC, Ari Maron, partner, MRN Ltd. and Steven Litt, art & architecture critic, The Plain Dealer.
News Feature: Cleveland Connects With Philadelphia
Construction cranes rising out of Cleveland's Flats district recently marked the start of the first new downtown office building in years. Its part of a seven billion dollar development boom in the city that includes a Medical Mart and Convention Center, art museums, an aquarium and casino. But how to keep the boom going? The answer can be found in Philadelphia... at least that’s what a jam-packed audience heard here at the Idea Center Monday night. ideastream's David C. Barnett has more.
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Read a preview of the event in The Plain Dealer: How to maximize Cleveland's newfound momentum by Joe Frolik, Chief Editorial Writer at The Plain Dealer.
Read coverage of the event in The Plain Dealer: Cleveland Connects audience hears how city is following Philadelphia in revival of downtown by Plain Dealer report Pat Galbincea.
Read about the Cleveland Connects event organized by the Cleveland Leadership Center held on March 13th: City evangelists and converts