Vibrant Northeast Ohio (NEOSCC) August Issue

Welcome to the August Issue of Vibrant Northeast Ohio!

The last couple of months have been busy for us here at NEOSCC. The release of our Conditions and Trends Platform, the development of a region-wide map capturing current zoning (available on our website over the coming weeks), and a string of engagement events (including the kickoff of our 12 Counties | 12 Months travelling board tour) have left us energized and ready to share with you where we've been and who we've been talking to!

Have you joined the conversation on the Conditions and Trends Platform?

[Click here to access the platform]

Join the conversation...This Conditions and Trends Platform is a beginning, not an end. It is a work in progress. As NEOSCC's work proceeds, we will use the platform to interact with you and other Northeast Ohioans and we will make changes to the platform as we learn from one another. In the coming weeks and months, we will add functions that will allow Northeast Ohio residents to contribute in many different ways, so that we can all work together to build the Platform into a living, breathing resource that belongs to all of us.

NEOSCC makes its first two stops in the 12 Counties | 12 Months travelling board meeting tour

The consortium kicked off its first meeting in Mahoning County at the Covelli Center in Youngstown last month on June 26th, then in Lorain County for its July installment.

[Click here for Youngstown Photos]

The Mahoning County day began at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown, and involved a bus tour through neighborhoods benefitting from the work of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, the gorgeous gardens at Millcreek Park, a stop at the Butler Art Museum, some fun and exploration at Oh Wow! Children's Center for Science and Technology, and a presentation given at Youngstown Business Incubator.

[Click here for Lorain Photos]

Similarly, the Lorain County leg of the Board Tour involved a day of showing off the county's assets and understanding the issues faced by its communities. Lorain County Transit shuttles departed from the Lorain County Transportation and Community Center, stopping at the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center at LCCC for a presentation with Dr. Roy Church, swinging by Lorain Port Authority's Black River Landing to speak with Lorain City Mayor Chase Ritenauer and Rick Novak (Executive Director of Lorain Port Authority), and concluded with a tour of Elyria High School, kicked off by Elyria City Mayor Holly Brinda. During lunch, Bryan Stubbs discussed The Oberlin Project, a joint effort of the City of Oberlin, Oberlin College, and private and institutional partners to improve the resilience, prosperity, and sustainability of our community.

[Click here to see Dr. Roy Church's Presentation]

Check NEOSCC.org frequently to find out more about upcoming activities and meetings.

Planning director of Envision Utah discusses Scenario Planning with NEOSCC

[Click here to see the presentation - Large File]

NEOSCC was pleased to host Gabe Epperson, Planning Director for Envision Utah, this past Tuesday, July 10. Mr. Epperson is one of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities Technical Assistance representatives focused on Scenarios Planning and Visioning. He offered two special sessions on scenarios planning to help attendees understand what scenarios planning is and how it has been successfully implemented in regional collaboration efforts across the United States. The morning session was held between 11AM and 12PM. The afternoon session was held between 4PM and 5PM. Both session audiences included NEOSCC Board Members, Work Stream Co-Chairs and Members, and NEOSCC Staff. There was excellent discussion about scenarios planning and its potential benefit for the Northeast Ohio regional planning initiative.

Scenarios process enables a clear path forward in uncertain circumstances. Scenarios planning is not forecasting or predicting. Rather, it is a strategy to envision and preserve the best options to get to where a community wants to go. Scenarios planning helps the public and today's decision makers understand the long-term consequences of the choices they make now. Exploring alternative future scenarios helps us to make the right decisions today for better communities tomorrow. As NEOSCC works to develop a regional vision, the organization is focusing on how it can utilize a tool like scenario planning to achieve a vibrant and sustainable region.

August NEOSCC Calendar

August 14, 2012 - 1:30pm

Executive Committee Meeting

NEOSCC Main Office

146 South High Street, Akron, OH

August 21, 2012 - 5:30

This is What Vibrant Looks Like: Cleveland Young Leaders

Jumpstart Offices

67o1 Carnegie Avenue, Suite 100

Cleveland, Ohio

Click here for more information

August 28, 2012 - 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Board Meeting

Stark County

August 28, 2012 - 5:30

This is What Vibrant Looks Like: Stark County Young Leaders

Click here for more information

Executive Summary of Conditions and Trends Platform Released

We encourage you to explore and share your thoughts on our Conditions and Trends Platform, but if you'd like to access an executive summary of the findings, please click here.

NEOSCC at Burning River Fest

Since 2001, folks from all over the Great Lakes region have come together to remember the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River and celebrate the renewed sense of eco-consciousness the infamous fire sparked. Intended to raise awareness of environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes region and Cuyahoga River ecosystem, the annual Burning River Fest features educational exhibits from area environmental groups, fresh food from local farms and eateries, and live music.

Proceeds benefit the Burning River Foundation, a local non-profit organization that provides resources for the sustainable future of our waterways.

On July 21 and 22, NEOSCC participated as an exhibitor in the 2012 Burning River Fest at the historic Coast Guard Station on Whiskey Island.

[Click here to see photos from the event!]

Media Coverage

NEOSCC Seeks Input from Youth in Community

WKBN 27

Balancing Sustainability and Economic Development

Crain's Cleveland Business

Planning Commission Hears NEOSCC Report

The Alliance Review

Plotting a Vibrant and Viable NE Ohio

WKSU

Sustainable Success; Oberlin Group Features Goals

The Morning Journal

Paved Paradise, Put up a Parking Lot...

The Lakewood Observer

Connecting Conditions and Trends with Feedback from Young Leaders of Northeast Ohio

In our first round of Young Leaders events throughout the region, we asked participants what they felt was working in communities around in Northeast Ohio. After compiling this input and releasing our Conditions and Trends Platform, we made connections between input gathered and our findings to examine how these issues can be relevant and important to the priorities of those living in the region.

This culminated in a set of documents, covering each event held. These have been used as a starting point for discussion in our second round of events going on right now.

Click on the icons below to access the findings for your community:

Click for Akron Click for Youngstown

Click for Stark Click for Lorain County

Click for Cleveland

Sustainable Cleveland 2019

2012 Summit Registration Open

SC 2019

On September 20-21st, 2012, Sustainable Cleveland 2019 will host the 4th Annual Sustainability Summit at Cleveland Public Auditorium. Sustainable Cleveland 2019 was founded in 2009 by Mayor Frank G. Jackson to build an economic engine to empower a green city on a blue lake. The ten-year initiative creates a framework for Clevelanders from all walks of life to work together to build a thriving and resilient Cleveland region.

Click here for more information

Issue 7

August 2012