A bold and
positive vision

Why not go out on a limb?
That's where the fruit is.
Will Rogers

With our Citizens' Bioregional Plan we have attempted to lay out a bold and positive vision for Northeast Ohio. We recognize that this vision represents a major departure from business as usual. But we believe it's rooted in real possibilities, future-oriented thinking, traditional community design, and the desires of many citizens throughout the region.

Our plan is about improving our quality of life, being more economically competitive as a metropolitan area, protecting our environment and our historic investment in existing communities, and developing in sustainable ways that save tax dollars in the long run.

It's also a pro-development vision. It describes where future development should be actively encouraged and supported by public policy and investment. For we need to keep developing in Northeast Ohio. We need to keep improving our communities.

But we are saying that new development does not have to entail the sprawling, geographic expansion of our urbanized area. We should focus on taking care of our existing communities and protecting our countryside. If we do this well, we can satisfy our housing needs and maintain the property values of most people in the region. And we can keep the building industry supplied with good work for a long time to come.

A special opportunity

In a way, Northeast Ohio is fortunate. It hasn't sprawled nearly as much as some metropolitan areas in the country. So we have a special opportunity to do things right. We can keep our region manageable and livable.

But things must change—and change quickly. If low-density development patterns continue for another generation, our urbanized area will balloon outward. This expansion will impose tremendous costs on our children.

Can we change? At EcoCity Cleveland, we've been encouraged by how the public dialogue about regional development patterns has progressed in recent years. Public awareness has grown. Many organizations are promoting changes in state policies, land use planning, transportation investments, and regional cooperation.

Now is the time to reconceptualize Northeast Ohio. We can overcome the narrow political boundaries that divide us and see the bioregion—a network of healthy cities and town centers surrounded by open space and a working landscape of productive farms.

Back to top

EcoCity Cleveland
3500 Lorain Avenue, Suite 301, Cleveland OH 44113
Cuyahoga Bioregion
(216) 961-5020
www.ecocitycleveland.org
Copyright 2002-2003

Back to main Bioregional Plan

Now is the time to reconceptualize Northeast Ohio. We can overcome the narrow political boundaries that divide us and see the bioregion—a network of healthy cities and town centers surrounded by open space and a working landscape of productive farms.