Cuyahoga County, OH officials and local residents met with representatives from Smart Growth America on May 1 and 2, 2013 as part of a free, grant-funded technical assistance program. The workshops aimed to give Cuyahoga County strategies to create a built environment that focuses on better and more accessible transportation options for all residents.
“Providing a multi-modal transportation network is a key component to Cuyahoga County’s guiding principles of designing a place-based development strategy. Under the leadership of County Executive Ed Fitzgerald, the County also recognizes the momentum of the City of Cleveland’s efforts to implement a Complete and Green Streets policy and embraces this opportunity to explore the concept of Complete Streets on the regional level,” said Glenn Coyne, Executive Director of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission.
Cuyahoga County residents and local officials gathered for an introductory presentation by instructors from the National Complete Streets Coalition on May 1 that featured a broad overview of Complete Streets policies. Following the public presentation, the instructors and key stakeholders met to discuss how to keep Cuyahoga County a location that continues to be a livable and sustainable place. The stakeholders and instructors created a plan for a complete streets policy, and the instructors provided a next steps memo that outlines how the County should move forward.
In November 2012, Cuyahoga County was one of 22 communities selected by Smart Growth America to participate in the free technical assistance program. Stretching from Maine to Washington state, these 22 communities represent major cities, suburban centers, and rural towns alike.
The program, made possible through a five-year Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities, seeks to develop local planning solutions that help communities grow in ways that benefit families and businesses, while protecting the environment and preserving a sense of place. Three other nonprofit organizations—Forterra, Global Green USA and Project for Public Spaces—also received competitively awarded grants under this program to help communities get the kinds of development they want.
Learn more about the workshop, and Cuyahoga County’s accomplishments by reading through the documents below.
Workshop Materials: