The I Will Stay If… campaign was embraced by Clevelanders on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, and I was lucky enough to be able to attend the party.  While we don’t have the photos up yet (we’re working on it!), I want to share a quick summary the night.

Cleveland organizer Genna Petrolla lined up three remarkable speakers who also happen to be doing remarkable things for the City.  They didn’t give long, boring speeches that condescended to young people (as occasionally happens): rather, they demonstrated vision, engagement, and a deep understanding of the community where they work.  Councilman Matt Zone talked about his work revitalizing the business and community of Ward 17, where he has placed a special focus on the support of local small businesses, prioritized good design, and engaged the community.  Randall McShepard, who, among other things, is the Board Chairman of Policy Bridge, urged Clevelanders to take the city’s future into their own hands and to unite around powerful ideas.  He also exhorted attendees to become eloquent ambassadors for the assets of Cleveland.  Finally, Lillian Kuri of the Cleveland Foundation talked about the Greater University Circle Initiative, including the effort to launch a series of cooperative, employee-owned businesses.

After hearing the speakers, I was able to have some great talks with people in the crowd (which probably topped 100) about what we’re trying to do with this campaign, why they love Cleveland, and what all of our Rust Belt cities share.  I was so impressed with the attendees–if we really are drawing “future leaders” to these parties, I remain infinitely hopeful about where our cities could be in 15 years.

Can’t wait to see the photos, and am looking forward to hearing reports from the Buffalo party this Thursday!

The I Will Stay If… campaign lands in Cleveland on November 18.  Thanks to the Cleveland team for planning!  Details here…

This past weekend, the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) introduced much of Cleveland to the dark underside of the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge–only it wasn’t so dark.  The streetcar level of the bridge was brought to life, with a design charrette, performance artists, and a mob of Clevelanders eager to explore Cleveland’s industrial past and re-imagine its future.  GLUEster Kevin Leeson hit the streets with an audio recorder to find out why people were there and what the Bridge Project said to them about Cleveland.  We’ve put together some of the audio into this “highlights reel” (apologies for the wind noise and my amateur editing skills, and thanks again to Kevin!).  Less then four minutes long, the audio showcases the diverse crowd, but overall hopeful outlook, that the Bridge Project engendered. Clevelanders should definitely enjoy it, but I think responses will resonate with every optimistic Rust Belter. Listen here.

Photo from the CUDC’s Flickr page.

We’re taking advantage of a month with five Wednesdays to forgo our usual Issue Focus for this special report from the Bridge Project.  Issue Focus begins again next week!

There’s so much to share via our weekly HQ update today.  First, I had a great trip to St. Louis (thanks again Next American City and our St. Louis hosts) and learned even more about a city I love.  From the top of the arch to the doll houses of the north side to the dense brick neighborhoods to the graffiti wall along the Mississippi, it was an exciting exploration.  NAC plans to share reactions to the trip on its blog, and I’ll share my reflections once posted over there.

Second, Clevelander Kevin Leeson served as GLUE’s eyes and ears at the Bridge Project this weekend.  It sounds like an amazing event, and tomorrow I’ll be sharing some audio highlights–which evidences the enthusiasm that Clevelanders have for imagining their city’s future.  Thanks Kevin!

But the rest of this post has to be dedicated to sharing a few teaser photos from the Why Pittsburgh?! party, the second major event in the I Will Stay If… campaign, which took place in the East Liberty neighborhood on 9/17 (you can browse the rest of the photos over at the new Pittsburgh page of the IWSI site).  Thanks again to our PGH team, and to photographers Anna Lee-Fields and Laura Petrilla (misslphotography).  And thanks most of all to the Pittsburghers who came out and demonstrated the incredible creativity and dedication to sustainable development that make Pittsburgh such a great city.

Every week, GLUE brings you an update from the GLUE HQ.  What we’re thinking about and working on this week, and how you can be involved.  This is Week #22 of telling GLUE’s own story.

Our weekly update from the Rust Wire bloggers:

Rust Wire has a brand new design.  If you haven’t been over there in a while, now is a great time to take a look!

Posts this week have included:

•  Cleveland’s abandoned subway;
• the mayor of Akron under fire;
• the work of photographer Camilo Jose Vergara;
• the Fed directing money toward auto towns;
• steel mills to shopping mall; and
• the architecture of St. Louis.

Every Wednesday, GLUE will bring you information and interviews on that month’s issue focus.  May’s theme: Building Deconstruction.

We’re moving around the region as we talk about deconstruction this month.  Last week, we featured an interview with Juli Kaufmann, and today we’re sharing an interview with Dru Siley, the President and founding principal of Sleeping Giant Associates, LLC (website coming in June) in Cleveland.  Sleeping Giant works with cities and with private companies who engage in deconstruction to develop appropriate plans for deconstruction within a community.

Long-term, Dru believes that a for-profit (v. non-profit) model will allow deconstruction efforts in our region to take off, especially as new markets develop that incorporate the salvage materials (the more you can salvage at profit, the more cost-competitive deconstruction becomes) into new businesses.

In the meantime, he believes that the job creation value of deconstruction is well worth the investment, especially with the current availability of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

Listen to our interview here.

Our weekly update from the Rust Wire bloggers:

This week we’ve got posts on:

• Ohio’s Foreclosure Moratorium;
• How to Live in the Suburbs without Cars;
• A book review of The Reckoning;
• A look inside an old steel casting plant;
• Dayton’s Dying Cities Symposium;
• Lessons from Greensburg;
• A Detroit photo essay;
• Some bad news for Manufacturing;
• An interview with author Alex Kotlowitz, Part 1 and Part 2;
• A celebration of National Train Day;
• Youngstown’s Treez Please;
• Akron’s Suicide Bridge and the Stimulus Bill;
• A foreclosure clearinghouse in Cleveland; and
• The proposed “cash for clunkers” program.

We also have some photos from Kate’s recent trip to Detroit!

Our weekly update from the Rust Wire bloggers:

Rust Wire has been posting up a storm in the last week.  Check out:

• what Obama’s doing to help Michigan;
• community organizing and development in North Toledo;
• a single government for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County;
• Obama’s NAFTA reversal;
• Chrysler bankruptcy;
• an amazing Detroit Free Press video of the interior of Michigan Central Station;
• some good news for manufacturing;
• a link to the 100 Abandoned Homes web site;
• more on Braddock Mayor John Fetterman;
• innovation and the Rust Belt;
• agriculture and Detroit;
• Cleveland’s ghost train;
• Pennsylvania’s emptiest town;
• connecting local farmers with buyers; and
• the housing crisis hitting Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis.

We also have a new events page up!

Greater Ohio is holding a “mini-conference” in Cleveland on June 8.  From their newsletter:

As part of the Brookings Institution/Greater Ohio Restoring Prosperity to Ohio Initiative, Policy Bridge of Cleveland and Greater Ohio are hosting a Cleveland Mini-Summit on June 8 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. The Cleveland convening is the first of our expected “3 C’s” and other core community mini-summits.

The goal of the Restoring Prosperity to Cleveland Mini-Summit is to align the Cleveland urban revitalization agenda more closely with state reforms and charge local leaders with advancing the agenda.  Ohio House Speaker Budish and Cleveland Mayor Jackson have confirmed their participation, and a range of business, city and neighborhood Cleveland leaders have been invited.  Bruce Katz, Brookings Vice President and Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, is invited to give the national perspective.

The plenary discussion will focus on addressing Cleveland’s plans for establishing and coalescing around an urban and regional revitalization vision, and the importance of the state’s role and federal resources in achieving that vision. Breakout sessions will engage participants in discussing local actions in five areas – quality of place, housing, infrastructure/transportation, economic engines/innovation and workforce – to help flesh out the state action agenda that was framed in the fall.

Read more and register here.

Every week, GLUE brings you a profile of an active GLUEster.  This week, meet Genna Petrolla, of Cleveland, OH.

Title, Organization: Greater Circle Living Manager, University Circle, Inc.

Describe one of your favorite places or things to do in your city.  It is really hard to pick just one! I’m really excited for the start of Wade Oval Wednesdays here in the Circle. It’s a (free!) weekly outdoor concert series, which brings lots of different people together for a fun time in a great setting.  I also love the Sparxx Gallery Hop, the Ingenuity Festival, anything at Cleveland Public Theatre, SPACEs gallery… you are asking the wrong girl for 1 or 2 sentences about her favorite things to do in Cleveland!

What are the long and short term goals of your work?  My job is to market an innovative housing program known as Greater Circle Living, which encourages people who work at these institutions to live where they work.  In the short term, I would like to get the word out to every single employee that is eligible (thousands of them!–including employees of Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Museum of Art).   I want them to know the benefits of this program as well as educate them about other incentives that exist for purchasing a home near where they work.  In the long term, I would like to work towards encouraging more neighborhood collaboration in my target area. A s we move forward in creating a nationally recognized urban neighborhood, we need to work together on issues such as foreclosure, economic development and neighborhood revitalization.

What are the tactics?  Through my work in and around University Circle, I would like to ensure that each of our amazing neighborhood holds on to its distinctive identity while also coming together to form a greater, “super-neighborhood” known as Greater University Circle.  By providing incentives to purchase, rent or rehabilitate homes in the Greater University Circle neighborhood, we can add to the residential base and the vibrant cultural fabric that already exists in the area.  I would also like to work with neighborhood groups to provide education on personal finance and activism. A long term goal of mine is also to encourage productive dialogues about race and education so that we can work towards becoming an inclusive, productive and diverse urban district. I will need the help of my fellow advocates and neighborhood groups, and plan to build on many of the programs that are currently in place. Neighborhood revitalization is about more than a fresh coat of paint or getting people to move into new homes. It’s about building on what already exists, dispelling myths, breaking down barriers and encouraging pride. In the case of Greater University Circle, we have great cultural, medical and educational institutions, as well as unique and special offerings in all of the surrounding neighborhoods.

What does Cleveland need to do to be successful in the 21st century?  

• Education: I will echo my fellow GLUEsters when I say that my city needs to invest in education. In order to attract companies in the new economy, we need an educated work force. Our public school system needs a complete overhaul, and special attention needs to be focused on retaining professionals that graduate from our world-class universities. 
• Coordination: There are lots of wonderful groups and organizations doing fabulous things to promote Cleveland. There are also lots of people slapping bumper stickers on their car and thinking that those will help Cleveland. I think there needs to be an effort to coordinate the efforts of all of these organizations so we can gather input from different types of people, eliminate duplicated effort, and gain focus towards attracting people to this fabulous city.
• Transportation: Ever since I left the GLUE Conference in Milwaukee, the line “Cleveland + Pittsburgh = Greater than Boston.” That is huge. I hope that our leadership can embrace regionalism that isn’t confined by state lines and work towards providing transportation between cities that it simply makes sense to connect.

What do you like about another GLUE city?  I haven’t had much time to travel lately, but I can say that speaking with fellow GLUEsters at the conference really opened up my eyes about what is going on in their respective cities. I am hoping to visit Detroit and St. Louis this summer.

Is there an area in which you can serve as a resource to other GLUEsters?  My expertise is in non-traditional grassroots marketing and community outreach. I like to take the road less taken when promoting a product, service or event. I am also actively involved in the Cleveland arts community and am one of four people that edit and distribute messy magazine.  If you have questions about relationship-building, marketing or how to promote the arts or discover new opportunities, I’d be happy to bounce around ideas. Also, if you’d like to learn more about Greater Circle Living or anything that isn’t in those fancy Cleveland brochures, I’m your girl.

Photo: Lauren Parsells