Introduction
One of the greatest assets in the City of Cleveland is its proximity to a waterfront, Lake Erie. Cities, throughout the world have invested millions of dollars towards the prosperity of their waterfronts including the parks that are part of their success. Chicago, Toronto, New York and Detroit are just a few of the cities that have recognized their waterfronts as a key component to their economic vitality.
The City of Cleveland’s waterfront is no exception to this valuable role it can play in the future of its economy and quality of life. This was recognized with the development of the City’s Waterfront Plan in 2004. This was an ambitious plan to transform the City’s lakefront connecting neighborhoods and restoring the ecological integrity of its unique coastal environment. The Plan included an enormous public input process with thousands of participants and hundreds of community meetings to create the vision for the lakefront’s future. As 2008 comes to a close, the plan has not moved into a comprehensive implementation phase and has not realized the potential envisioned for the City.
The key public asset component of Cleveland’s Waterfront Plan is the City’s lakefront parks. The Cleveland Lakefront Park system comprises of over 450 acres of parkland. They serve as the primary front door for public access to Lake Erie in one of the most densely populated regions of the Great Lakes and is the key linkage to other regional public assets including the Ohio & Erie Canal Heritage Corridor and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. As with every urban city established over a century ago, this network of green space in the urban core, has endured many economic and social changes over the years. Today, the parks and their management continue to be challenged by declining government budgets, establishment of plans with no implementation and operational strategy, and a decrease in programs and use by its visitors, locally and out of town. In the City of Cleveland, the use of our lakefront and quality of our greenspace amenities will significantly influence the future of the City and its competitiveness to attract new and emerging companies to maintain existing residents today and attract new residents to the City tomorrow, especially as the City competes globally.
Realizing the critical needs of the lakefront and the substantial benefits of a comprehensive approach to its future, this proposal presents an opportunity to move the Cleveland Lakefront forward in its operation, management, ecological restoration and premier venue for the City.
Cleveland Waterfront Coalition