The signature program of the Center for Civic Education is the Levin College Forum which encourages broad-based community dialogue to engage and educate the community on a host of issues facing the Northeast Ohio region. Other programs of the Center include Urban Issues, a cable television program and the Thomas F. Campbell, Ph.D. Exhibition Gallery which showcases related exhibits. The Center also conducts applied research and technical assistance including:

• Program Evaluation and Planning
• Policy Analysis
• Urban Planning and Sustainable Development

The Center for Civic Education assists public agencies, foundations and non-profits in evaluating the effectiveness and impact of program initiatives.

The Center also conducts studies and demographic surveys to assist in understanding the needs and service gaps for specific populations of interest. These tools can help community organizations plan programs that fill gaps and address unmet needs, thus ensuring that scarce dollars are spent efficiently and effectively.

Affordable housing is an issue of growing concern for communities in Northeast Ohio. The Center conducts studies that examine the dynamics of the availability and affordability of housing for low-income and extremely low-income households to assist funders, housing providers, advocates and communities to better understand the local housing market and the barriers and opportunities for effective policy initiatives that can increase the supply of affordable housing.

Long-range planning issues that impact multiple communities are a challenge in Northeast Ohio because of the short-term horizons and fragmented nature of our political jurisdictions. Forums, backed-up by research and planning bring together multiple stakeholders to address issues that impact the region and assist in getting citizens, planning agencies and government officials to think about how they can work together to capitalize on common assets and address shared concerns.

Much research has shown that the current patterns of growth and development in Northeast Ohio are not sustainable in the current environment of no or slow population growth. Developing programs and materials that educate citizens, leaders and policy makers about this issue and explore alternative solutions is one of the functions of the Center for Civic Education.