Economic Briefs
The Economic Briefs are a series of publications that profile economic conditions in Northeast Ohio.  They are designed to appeal to a broad constituency by providing data in a format that can be quickly and easily understood.  The NEORC has provided partial funding for the Economic Briefs.  A new publication will be released in 2007.

Reports/Publications

HEED: Higher Education in Economic Development
This initiative was launched to ensure that area colleges and universities have a strong voice in regional dialogue and a meaningful role in the activities that are shaping the region's economic future. HEED aims to harness the collective resources of technology, information and innovation of area colleges and universities and apply them to enhancing the national and global competitiveness of the region. Achievements of HEED include completing an assessment of Information Technology Literacy requirements in higher education; completing an audit of ICE related programs, research and expertise in the region's colleges and universities; and initiating the development of an online resource on information relating to economic development in the region. HEED also developed a partnership with Team NEO to establish a coordinated, collaborative agenda; audited the biotechnology and biomedical related programs, research, and expertise in the region; and examined the extent to which technology transfer and commercialization in the region represent a network or system with an emphasis on current potential roles of higher education.

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Regional Indicators
The regional indicators project is part of a larger effort to provide a comprehensive benchmarking of Greater Cleveland's economic foundation and measure its competitiveness against other metropolitan areas across the nation, to aid business leaders and policy makers in objectively measuring the region's growth or decline over time and establish reasonable and appropriate goals for the region.  NEORC has provided partial funding for this work.  Previous work included a series of reports that benchmark the Cleveland metro area to 32 metro areas across the U.S. based on various sets of indicators, and a report that benchmarks the Youngstown metro area against 11 metro areas in the Midwest based traditional economic indicators.  Current work (being conducted in 2006-07) involves using statistical methods to determine how a previously determined set of indicators of innovation and entrepreneurship should be incorporated into Dashboard Indicators for the Northeast Ohio Economy, an effort initiated by the Fund for Our Economic Future.

Reports/Publications

Regional Omnibus Survey
The 2005 Northeast Ohio Omnibus Survey measured perceptions of quality of life and economic issues in the region.  A representative sample of nearly 1,300 households across 13 counties was surveyed.  The results indicated that residents are generally content with the quality of life in the region, but were not positive about the economy and job opportunities.  NEORC provided partial funding for this project; work was completed in 2006.

Reports/Publications

Workforce Initiative
The objectives of the IT Workforce Initiative are to: 1) assess the supply and demand for IT professionals and IT skilled workers in Northeast Ohio; 2) identify the gaps between supply and demand; and 3) develop a roadmap for how to address the needs.  The IT Workforce Initiative is a collaborative comprised of the Center for Public Management at Cleveland State University, Lorain Community College, NorTech, TeamNEO, NEOSA/Greater Cleveland Partnership, Youngstown State University, and Kent State University.  NEORC provided partial funding for this initiative; work began in Fall 2006.

NEOhio Regional Workforce Partnership

The Northeast Ohio Regional Workforce Partnership is a regional collaboration of workforce development initiatives, higher education institutions, and public sector programs and officials. The partnership is a forum for developing strategies and solutions for Northeast Ohio's workforce development needs, a catalyst for developing regional initiatives to build the future workforce of the region, and a vehicle for coordinating and supporting regional workforce development through research, data collection, and information analysis. The partnership successfully initiated an ICE cluster audit of higher education initiatives and programs, distributed and discussed numerous research studies, and explored the issue of workforce development and poverty with members of the Federation for Community Planning. The partnership also established a working relationship with Team NEO to conduct benchmarking and best-practice studies to identify factors contributing to high-performance workplaces and address issues such as family and quality of life, studying labor/management cooperation, census data, and NAICS in order to improve quality and efficiency, and developing and maintaining a regional research database.

Reports/Publications

Regional Labor-Capital Partnership
The Regional Labor Capital Partnership was created to determine the economic and political feasibility of a labor-sponsored investment fund in Northeast Ohio to do economically targeted investing (ETI). In its first year, the partnership cooperated closely with Cleveland and Ohio's AFL-CIOs, and analyzed existing venture capital funds and community development venture funds, concluding that an economically targeted Northeast Ohio venture capital fund is practical. The partnership also led a study of the Winnipeg, Manitoba labor-sponsored Crocus Fund and its possible application as a model for Ohio, and conducted a four-session seminar series on labor-sponsored investment funds. The partnership also held the Ohio Working Capital Conference, sponsored by the Ohio AFL-CIO and the Ohio Employee Ownership Center, which focused on the potential power of labor's pension funds to anchor capital, create local jobs, and provide needed infrastructure. In its second year, the partnership continued to explore the models of ETI equity funds and their employee-ownership placements, provided its findings in analytical papers, and held the second Ohio Working Capital Conference, co-sponsored by the Ohio AFL-CIO.  Work was completed in 2006.

Reports/Publications

World-Class Technology Skills
The World Class Technology Skills study aims to better understand and to address barriers in poor communities that limit opportunities to learn about and use technology.  The research compares computer and internet usage among residents in two low-income neighborhoods (in East Cleveland, and Youngstown) with usage among residents in Shaker Heights.  Data was collected via telephone survey.  The goal was to develop a more complete understanding of neighborhood poverty and technology use and provide information that will assist policymakers in developing strategies to bridge the digital divide.  Work was completed in December 2006.

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NEO Planning History
The Planning History Project aims to preserve an archive of rare and irreplaceable park and planning maps from the city of Cleveland and the entire Northeast Ohio region from the late 19th century City Beautiful movement to current "back to the city" movements and make them available to the design and planning community and general public. The goal of the project is to instruct civic debate about the future of Cleveland's urban form by giving insight into its past. The project also seeks to develop partnerships with other Northeast Ohio park systems and planning agencies to identify critical historic planning documents and develop strategic efforts for preserving these documents.

In its first year, the project examined the available inventory of maps, developed a cataloging program that is compatible with the Library of Congress system used by the Cleveland Public Library, developed appropriate conservation techniques in conjunction with the Cleveland Public Library and the Intermuseum Conservation Association, and investigated computer-scanning services available in the Cleveland market. In its second and third years, the project inventoried, digitally photographed, and transferred 400-500 maps and plans of the Doan Brook Park system to the Cleveland Public Library for permanent archiving and prepared a presentation documenting the project and collection. The goal of the project was to establish the practice of archiving valuable public sector design documents as a normal business practice of the region's several planning and parks organizations and to assist these agencies in securing the budgetary commitments necessary to undertake such archiving on a regular basis.  NEORC was the primary funder for this project.

Reports/Publications

Shrinking Cities
The Shrinking Cities Institute was born from the recognition that Northeast Ohio’s central cities must confront the problems and opportunities that have resulted from more than 50 years of population loss.  The institute is a collaborative involving Youngstown State University’s Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Kent State University’s Urban Design Collaborative, and Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.

To date, projects have included: 1) a community design charrette for a Youngstown neighborhood deeply impacted by population loss; and 2) a strategy for converting abandoned and underutilized land in Youngstown to wetlands mitigation sites.  Current activities (2006-07) include developing a research agenda relating to strategies for dealing with vacant properties.

Reports/Publications

Taking Steps Towards Sustainability
This project focused on providing universities with tools for assessment to assume a leadership role in shaping a sustainable regional and global future, and a means of identifying the sustainability resources available on campuses that can be shared and made available to policymakers and communities. The project team developed a comprehensive approach to aid universities in evaluating their options and strategies for sustainability.

The three universities involved in Taking Steps Toward Sustainability (Cleveland State University, Kent State University, and Youngstown State University) developed prototype tools to assist local universities in evaluating a broad-based view of sustainable practices as an institution, and as a member of local and global communities.

Reports/Publications

Urban Universities as Catalysts for Development
This project addresses the role of the university as a catalyst for the redevelopment of neighborhoods.  The initial phase of research will include an assessment of real estate development activities being undertaken by Cleveland State University, Kent State University, and Youngstown State University.  Researchers at the University of Akron are conducting a public opinion survey regarding the university’s role in redeveloping the area surrounding the UA campus.  Work began in Fall 2006.

Water Resources for Northeast Ohio
This new research program focuses on the management of Northeast Ohio’s water resources, which may constitute a long-term competitive advantage for the region in comparison to other parts of the country.  Initial activities of the research program include conducting interviews with key water resource stakeholders, and establishing an ongoing dialogue about improving water resource management in Northeast Ohio.  The expected long-term results are improved public health, economic progress, and sustainability in the region.  Work began in fall 2006.

Sacred Landmarks
The Sacred Landmarks Partnership was created to foster responsible stewardship and active community involvement in neighborhood revitalization and the maintenance of sacred landmarks as community centers for the delivery of health and human services, the arts, and education. The partnership focuses its research and teaching efforts in the following areas: 1) the preservation and archiving of the history, institutional memory, architecture, aesthetic features, locations and current uses of sacred landmarks; 2) faith-based social service delivery; and 3) faith-based community building and economic development.

The Center for Sacred Landmarks (CSL) at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University provided the model and plan for the creation of the Sacred Landmarks Partnership of Northeast Ohio (SLP). This processes initially included the establishment and networking of sacred landmarks research initiatives at the four universities that form the Northeast Ohio Research Consortium: University of Akron, Kent State University, and Youngstown State University ­ successfully expanding the current capacity for research, documentation, educational outreach and program development from a local context at Cleveland State University to a regional context for northeast Ohio. Funding from the Northeast Ohio Research Consortium supported the planning and implementation of the Partnership and sponsored much of its work. Later, Lorain County Community College and Ursuline College strengthened the partnership by creating their own Sacred Landmarks Initiatives.

The Partnership has combined research and public service efforts of all its members in the successful planning and implementation of regionally significant projects. These projects resulted in highly tangible deliverables that include eye-catching publications, gallery exhibitions, web-accessible databases, conferences, and distance learning modules.

Reports/Publications

NEO Regional Leadership Taskforce
The Northeast Ohio Regional Leadership Taskforce was formed in 1995 with the support of the Ohio Board of Regents Urban University Program through the Northeast Ohio Research Consortium (NEORC) and is made up of university and leadership partners serving the communities of Northeast Ohio.

The Taskforce is designed to help disseminate the knowledge gained from NEORC-supported research via the community leadership program networks, to assist in the development of regional components for program curricula, and to promote alumni understanding of the assets and challenges of the region. The 8,000+ participants and graduates of these programs are also a source for citizen input for university research.

Since its inception, the taskforce has successfully identified staff and alumni representatives of leadership programs in the region, surveyed program graduates on knowledge of and interest in regional issues, sponsored successful conferences concerning critical issues in the region, developed and maintained a database of program participants, board members, and graduates, and developed a regional information module for current program curricula.

Reports/Publications