Re-imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland is a collaborative effort to address population decline and large-scale urban vacancy in Cleveland. The ongoing initiative is led by Kent State’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC), the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and LANDstudio, along with 30 partner organizations from the Northeast Ohio region. Re-imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland includes a plan, policy recommendations, zoning changes and demonstration projects for sustainable land reuse. The initiative addresses vacancy issues by introducing non-traditional urban land uses to city neighborhoods. The different land uses are divided into three broad categories, including:

• Treating vacant sites as viable opportunities for future development;

• Introducing green infrastructure to expand and connect parks and green spaces using vacant land and to restore the urban tree canopy, manage storm water and reclaim damaged ecosystems; and

• Creating productive landscapes by using land in a way that brings economic benefits, including agricultural uses and the generation of alternative energy

In 2010, the Re-imagining effort was expanded beyond city limits to include inner-ring suburbs in Cuyahoga County where foreclosures, demolitions, and vacant land are a growing problem. The new initiative, Re-imagining a [Greater] Cleveland delineates the most suitable locations for specific vacant land reuse strategies. This report includes maps of areas in the city and county where vacant land can be used most effectively for green space expansion, agriculture, stormwater management, the restoration of urban watersheds, and the generation of renewable energy. At the city-wide scale, the Cleveland City Planning Commission convened eight vacant land working groups and developed a series of overlay maps to identify priority areas for sustainable redevelopment, as well as locations where vacant land stabilization is a top priority.

DOWNLOAD

• Re-imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland Citywide Strategies for the Reuse of Vacant Land (2008)

• Re-imagining Cleveland Ideas to Action Resource Book (2011)

• Re-imagining a [Greater] Cleveland Action Plan for Vacant Land Reclamation (2011)

• Re-imagining Cleveland Field Manual (2015)

Project Partners

• The Cleveland Foundation

• The George Gund Foundation

• The Surdna Foundation

• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress

• Cleveland City Planning Commission

• Cuyahoga County Planning Commission

• LAND studio

• Cleveland Botanical Garden

• Cuyahoga County Land Re-utilization Corporation