Checking in with the “Keep Chief Wahoo” crowd
After decades of tiptoeing around Chief Wahoo fans, The Plain Dealer finally endorses a phasing out of the controversial Cleveland Indians' mascot. What do the Wahoo-ligans think?
Attention Would-Be Urban Homesteaders: Think Before You Buy
Fixing up a cheap house in a Rust Belt town is tough -- and a well-meaning buyer can end up doing more harm than good. What qualities do the right buyers have, and what's the value of land banks?
The Great Lakes: Plans For The Next 100 Years
We have perhaps the most valuable resource on the planet -- a self-sustaining region -- and we've mostly ignored it. Local leaders and urbanists weigh in on why we should invest in the Great Lakes over the next century.
On Slogans and Songs: Come to Cleveland “Just Because”
The city of Cleveland is getting a new slogan -- no more "Cleveland Rocks." Dan McGraw has a few ideas on what Cleveland's new tagline should be.
Irreverent Passion and a Rooted Ethos
How do we balance the irreverent passion necessary to make changes with the need for a rooted Rust Belt identity?
Dan Gilbert’s Land Bridge is a Blight on the Cityscape
Thoughts on Gilbert’s giant black slash through Cleveland’s grandest monument to democracy and justice.
Honesty Is Sports Teams’ Best Policy for Cleveland Sin Tax Renewal
Public spending on facilities is a given in modern sports but it's not good for anyone to have the public pay all the freight for teams, particularly spending for pricey new scoreboards meant to earn more advertising dollars.
Holy Kohlrabi! What Happened to Gardens Under Glass?
There were great expectations for Gardens Under Glass in Cleveland's Galleria. Then the aphids showed up.
Did Burke Lakefront Airport Miscalculations Add to Hopkins Hub Troubles in Cleveland?
In wake of Hopkins losing hub status, we find that calculations of volume of flights at Burke Lakefront Airport mislead.
Making it Happen in Bankrupt Midwestern Cities
It took me a while to realize that community organizing is different in the Midwest than in Chicago. You don't shake oranges from a tree. The tree is barren.
Sticking With Flint
An excerpt from Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City
In Detroit, Working Writers Get a House
The Write A House project attempts to turn empty housing stock into a strength.