cities growing smaller 71 (Terry Schwarz) - Cleveland Urban Design ...

hoods must remain a high priority since these places are inextricably linked to the
Cleveland’s identity and its potential for economic expansion. At the same time, it
is increasingly apparent that we lack the population and the resources to bring every
neighborhood back to the density and character it had during Cleveland’s period of
peak population. As a result, we need to rethink traditional notions of urbanity and
become more open-minded about what city living could be. We also need to develop
realistic and economically productive strategies for reusing vacant land.
The Cleveland Land Lab is a collaborative effort between the CUDC, Neighborhood
Progress, Inc., and the City of Cleveland that seeks to unleash the potential of
vacant land. At the most fundamental level, we are developing holding strategies for
vacant sites that will help stabilize neighborhoods and reduce the stigma of unmanaged
land. Simple landscape strategies, such as planting low-maintenance turf grasses
and trees, can be used to establish a sense of stewardship and control for vacant sites
in high-visibility locations. When implemented in conjunction with an effective
on-going maintenance program, these techniques will create a perception of stability
and will increase the market value of vacant sites and surrounding properties.
This strategy has been successfully implemented in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia Green program is a landscape initiative intended
Low-mow in Cleveland’s Fairfax
neighborhood: a demonstration plot
opposite a major new county administrative
facility and a landscaped neighborhood
gateway using grasses and
hardy, native groundcovers (CUDC)
cities growing smaller 75