A new plan for the central neighborhood Cleveland, Ohio

Over the last thirty years, a combination of urban renewal, demolition, and private abandonment has resulted in the loss of a substantial portion of the privately owned housing stock in many older core cities. Now, vacant land, public housing, and institutional structures predominate. Recent attempts at redevelopment have included bringing suburbia into the city as well as simply building minimum functional shelter. A charrette including local residents, municipal agencies, architects, planners, and with the developers of the Central Neighborhood, Neighborhood Progress Inc., Burton, Bell, Carr Development, and the City of Cleveland Department of Community Development, concluded that a logical goal would be to make a neighborhood that incorporates the advantages of both city and suburb, and revalues existing properties through compatible new building design. This neighborhood must provide a strong sense of community and a sense of being part of the city, as reflected in the design of its public spaces, streets, and squares. The individual houses must accommodate modern needs in terms of floor plans, garages, and yard space. Any new development must include ongoing efforts at neighborhood stabilization and reconstruction. The new plan for the Central Neighborhood addresses these goals and provides a model for re-making residential neighborhoods in core cities.