Kent State’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative recently completed a new strategic plan, with generous support from the Ohio Arts Council. Our strategic planning process was facilitated by Ann Zoller of Strategy Design Partners and included input from public officials, non-profit partners, community clients, and community design centers elsewhere in the country. The resulting plan enabled the CUDC to reflect back on our 25 years of work in Cleveland and look forward to new opportunities with renewed energy and vision.
Rapid changes are taking place at Kent State and among the CUDC’s partners and funders and this is having a major impact on our work. The new strategic plan aims to help the CUDC team navigate uncertainty, discover new opportunities in change, and take some calculated risks.
Recommendations in the CUDC’s new strategic plan align with four important goals:
To create a more sustainable business model built on strategic partnerships that reflect aligned priorities, can produce more stable revenue and can enact meaningful change in the market.
To better align the strengths, resources, capacities and ongoing priorities of the CUDC and the CAED for a more integrated and effective relationship.
To evolve the programs of the CUDC to better reflect market needs and priorities in a way that highlights the unique assets and capacity of the organization and complements the business model.
To invest in organizational infrastructure, knowledge transfer and culture as a means of sustaining the organization and planning for leadership succession.
The plan includes a series of actions that align with these goals along with a timeline for implementation.
If you’re interested in learning more about how the CUDC is adapting to changing circumstances, please reach out to us at cudc@kent.edu or plan to attend events and programs in our upcoming 25th anniversary year.
