Norman Krumholz

A Retrospective View of Equity Planning Cleveland 1969–1979

Abstract From 1969 to 1979, under three administrations which could not have been more different, the Cleveland City Planning Commission worked in a highly visible way to achieve equity objectives. During this period, advocacy planning became less of a hortatory theory than a tangible effort undertaken within the system and directed toward, and achieving, real ends. On given issues, the Cleveland planners publicly challenged some of our favorite urban nostrums, and they not only survived, but prospered. This article discusses that period and estimates the impact that the work of the Cleveland planners had on various issues and on the mayors they served. Its conclusions may be useful for planners and others interested in applying their own models of responsible planning and redistributive justice.

DOWNTOWN PLANS OF THE 1980S: THE CASE FOR MORE EQUITY IN THE 1990S

Abstract Central cities have experienced uneven development, with great attention paid to their downtowns and allocation of resources made accordingly in attempts to revitalize central business districts. Downtown plans have paid too little attention to citywide social problems and the role of the CBD in their amelioration. Social equity concerns should be seriously addressed in downtown plans. In this article 1980s plans are reviewed for six cities: Cleveland, Denver, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle. The analysis concludes with the suggestion that Torontos 1991 plan is a model for the future.

Equity and Local Economic Development

Planning for local economic development assumes a rational systematic process in which goals are set, strategies weighed, and technical studies undertaken. But most economic development practitioners spend little time on planning, and much on sales, marketing and public relations. In the process, public planners often become arms of the private development process. There is also little empirical evidence to support the claims that local economic development subsidies fulfill their public purpose by creating jobs for city residents, net tax increases for local treasuries or revitalization for city neighborhoods. Subsidies are used, projects are built, but poverty and joblessness increase. This article concludes with suggestions for a more equitable and effective local economic development process.

Roman impressions: contemporary city planning and housing in Rome

Abstract Since 1870, when Rome was established as the capital of a unified Italy, four general plans have guided its development. The first plan (1883) guided initial growth. In 1909, a liberal plan was initiated, and in 1931 there was a third plan embodying Fascist perspectives. The most recent master plan, still influencing development, was formulated in 1962. A key feature of this plan, the Asse Attrezatto or ‘equipped axis’, was to draw commercial, industrial, and residential development away from the historic center of the city. Owing to strong political disagreement with fundamental issues, the axis has not been executed. Nevertheless, the city has made a considerable achievement in relieving acute housing shortages brought on by rapid urban population growth, between 1945 and 1980.

The Long-Term Impact of CDC's on Neighborhoods: Case Studies of Cleveland's Broadway-Slavic Village and Tremont Neighborhoods

This article analyzes the impact of two long-term community development corporations (CDCs) in Cleveland, Ohio, both of which influenced their communities and the greater Cleveland metropolitan area for over two decades. These two community development corporations were considered the most successful in the city. As a case study, the research team of investigative scholars at Cleveland State University used a variety of neighborhood indicators, as well as a set of measures derived through indepth interviews with focus groups and key stakeholders. Although it is not possible to establish direct causal connections, the evidence presented points to clear improvements in both neighborhoods that are attributable in part to the efforts of these two community development corporations. But for their efforts, conditions in both neighborhoods would have been much worse.

How Capital Budgeting Helped a Sick City: Thirty Years of Capital Improvement Planning in Cleveland

During the 1970s, Clevelands capital improvement plan (CIP) was scorned as a bad joke, and the citys roads, bridges, and public buildings fell into disrepair. The citys default on its fiscal obligation in 1978 seemed to cap the citys infrastructure problem; there was no comprehensive strategy for capital spending and in a bankrupt city, no money to spend in any event. Yet, during the 1980s, with support from the administration, the business community, and the innovations of a small group of dedicated urban planners, the CIP was restructured and hundreds of millions were systematically invested in public infrastructure. By the 1990s, most of the innovative changes of the 1980s seemed to be institutionalized, but there were ominous clouds on the horizon.

From Planning Practice to Academia

Since mid-1979, I have been directing a four-person, neighborhood-oriented, technical assistance center at Cleveland State University’s College of Urban Affairs I have also been teaching there and, in 1985, the University awarded me a faculty appointment with tenure For a former planning practitioner, who served, sometimes apprehensively, at the whim and pleasure of five different mayors in three different cities over a 17-year period, the responsibilities of teaching and the reassurances of tenure are almost decadent luxuries Although enjoyable, they are not luxuries I originally sought.

Cleveland's Lakefront: Its Development and Planning

This article explores the history of planning and development of Cleveland’s lakefront from the mid-nineteenth century through the most recent plans of late 2004. It shows that commercial uses, tied to different forms of transportation, dominated planning objectives, as distinct from recreational uses and attempts to expand public access. The most recent plans seek a better balance between private and public interests in future uses of Cleveland’s waterfront, but there is a lack of consensus among the competing interest groups.

Planning History Exhibition: A Century of Planning in Cleveland

A Century of Planning in Cleveland” is a permanent exhibit of the various plans for twentieth-century Cleveland presented in their historical, social, and economic contexts. It is part of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs’s initiative to educate the public about the legacy of Cleveland’s planning professionals and the significant role of planning in the city’s development. The following narrative is drawn from the exhibit guide.

Capturing the Public Interest Using Newspaper Op-Eds to Promote Planning in Conservative Times

News media and newspaper op-eds in particular have played a significant role in the ascendancy of a free-market ideology during the past few decades, leading to the erosion of the regulatory function of government and the devaluation of planning. Here, the authors make the case that planners, especially planning academics with tenure, should become more engaged in the public debate about the role of government and public planning through the writing of newspaper commentaries.