Brewed Fresh Daily

Here’s a good commentary from last week on how Youngstown State University is building an anchor for STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in the Valley.

We are working with the city of Warren, NorTech (a Cleveland area economic development group), and the Youngstown Business Incubator to design and initiate an alternative energy incubator in Warren. And we’re engaged with the city of Youngstown, the Regional Chamber, the local business community, and, again, with YBI to develop a proposal to the Ohio Department of Development that would designate our community as a Hub for Innovation and Opportunity in Advanced Materials.

YSU’s future is in its STEM

San Diego is looking to expand STEM to include art education: converting STEM to STEAM.

There’s one simple step Cleveland’s civic leadership could take to improve its performance: Adopt the annual practice of taking large delegations of Cleveland’s leadership to other cities for 2-3 day workshops.

Here’s an example from Baton Rouge.

East Baton Rouge Parish (EBR) Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) announced today that Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been selected as the destination for the Baton Rouge Area Canvas Workshop 2010.

A delegation of business and community leaders will spend three days and two nights in the Pittsburgh area learning from a community that has had recent success in such areas as public education school reform, technical education, charter school development, private-sector/university collaborative innovation, entrepreneur development, and sustainability. This year’s trip will be held on September 19-21, 2010.

EBR City-Parish and BRAC Select Pittsburgh for 2010 Canvas Workshop

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber, headed by a former McKinsey consultant, is on the move. It’s a good chamber to watch closely.

These visits are a common practice across the country. Delegations range in size from about 30 to over 150.

If Cleveland’s civic leadership made the effort to learn from other regions they just might see how silly the conflict between the Cleveland Foundation and the Fund for Our Economic Future really looks from the outside.

Thomas Furan writes a very enjoyable article in the PD…

Railroads pushed the uniformity in time across the United States in the late 1880s

A broad and diverse cross-section of Detroit’s education, government, civic and community, parent, and philanthropic leaders today released a citywide education plan that calls for sweeping changes to improve the city’s schools.

Its goals: By 2020 Detroit will be the first major U.S. city where 90% of students graduate from high school, 90% enroll in college or a quality postsecondary training program, and 90% of enrollees are prepared to succeed without needing remediation.

Broad-Based Coalition Pledges Multiple Actions to Prepare All Detroit Students for College and Careers (download)

See also:

Leaders welcome plan to transform Detroit public schools

Coalition lays out plan for Detroit students: 90 percent post-secondary enrollment by 2020

Detroit schools plan: Total transformation


Detroit Report: Excellent Schools Detroit


The Obama Administration’s Auto Communities Task Force is working with a group of national foundations to develop a strategy to help auto communities.

Today, the Brookings Institution is hosting a day long event in which four regions are presenting ideas to shape this collaboration.

The four regions are Central Michigan, Southeast Michigan, Northeast Ohio and Central Indiana.

The Northeast Ohio delegation is headed by Brad Whitehead and includes Dan Berry from MAGNET and Larry Benders, head of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County workforce board.

I’m attending as part of the Central Indiana team put together by Purdue.

Below is the policy memo and presentation that we prepared for Central Indiana. It outlines how we are building a regional strategy around networks.


Policy Memo for Auto Communities Roundtable On


MORPC (the MPO for Greater Columbus)  has taken a giant leap forward in democratizing planning for transportation in the Greater Columbus region.  In a region plagued by corruption and one party rule, we, as citizens of this region, should expect NOACA (Greater Cleveland’s MPO) to do the same.
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Via the March newsletter (pdf)> of the Columbus area’s bicycle advocacy organization, Consider Biking:

MORPC SEEKS VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE ON THE CAC
The Mid‐Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) is seeking volunteers to serve on its Citizen
Advisory Committee (CAC). The individual must serve a constituency and reside in MORPC’s
transportation planning area: Delaware and Franklin counties, Bloom and Violet townships in Fairfield
County, and Etna Township and Pataskala in Licking County. MORPC seeks individuals who are not
elected officials or representatives of local governments (these officials have other avenues to provide
comments to MORPC).

The CAC meets the first Monday of every month to review regional transportation policies, plans and
projects and advise MORPC staff and board whether or not to adopt or modify these programs. As a
member of the CAC, you will not only have the opportunity to influence how transportation funds are
spent in the region, but also learn how decisions are made that determine which transportation projects
are funded. Members of the CAC are kept abreast of changes in transportation legislation as well as
changes and growth in the region.

If you would like to serve on the CAC, please forward your name and the association you represent along
with your bio to Bernice Cage at bcage@morpc.org. Information regarding the CAC can be found on
MORPC’s web site at http://www.morpc.org/transportation/public/citizens_advisory.asp. We look forward
to an exciting year in transportation planning.
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Read the Breakthrough Cities report to learn how cities use innovation to tackle social challenges

Magazine thinks Ohio has the highest potential for growth

Ohio Attracts More Businesses Than Any Other State for Fourth Consecutive Year

In December, NYPA issued a request for proposals for what could be the nation’s first fresh water-wind project, Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project, to help increase use of renewable energy and spur economic development.

Potential seen in water-wind initiative

Mayor Dave Bing said Wednesday he “absolutely” intends to relocate residents from desolate neighborhoods and is bracing for inevitable legal challenges when he unveils his downsizing plan.

In his strongest statements about shrinking the city since taking office, Bing told WJR-760 AM the city is using internal and external data to decide “winners and losers.” The city plans to save some neighborhoods and encourage residents to move from others, he said.

“If we don’t do it, you know this whole city is going to go down. I’m hopeful people will understand that,” Bing said. “If we can incentivize some of those folks that are in those desolate areas, they can get a better situation.”

Detroit Mayor Bing emphasizes need to shrink city