Date: Thursday, December 7, 2023
Time: 11:30am to 1:30pm
Location: Roberta Steinbacher Atrium (First Floor), Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, 1717 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
About This Event
Through a grant from the US EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement program, Western Reserve Land Conservancy convened a team of stakeholders throughout the city to engage in a two-year planning and implementation process to unify vacant land reuse strategies around shared environmental justice and economic development goals.
Levin College will host a panel of experts to discuss the revitalization of vacant land in Cleveland, with a special spotlight on the achievements of the Cleveland Vacant Land Opportunity Tool (CLEVLOT) over the last two years.
Agenda
11:30am The Project / Problem Overview
12:00pm The Future of the Cleveland Land Bank Presentation from Director Hernandez
12:15pm Moderated Panel Discussion
12:40pm Questions and Answers
Panelists
Antunesia Harris was born and raised on the East Side of Cleveland. She obtained a Degree in Health Care Education from Georgia Southern University followed by a Degree of Nursing from Cleveland State University. Mrs. Harris considers herself a Citizen of the World. In her travels, she remains interested in the human condition of all inhabitants of a place. On her travels, to the dismay of others, she visits every Martin Luther King Blvd and will occasionally ride city buses for a different angle. Antunesia returned home to complete a Social Entrepreneurship Place Making Project in Cleveland’s Ward 7. Mrs. Harris seeks to develop a space where art, culture, civics, and volunteerism can exist in a supportive ecosystem that positively impacts the residents within the neighborhood.
Alyssa Hernandez
Director of Community Development in Cleveland
Alyssa oversees the disbursement of both HUD and capital funds in programs targeting homelessness, housing improvement and affordability, and lead abatement. Born and raised in Chicago's South Suburbs, Alyssa is a DePaul University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Public Policy and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Education Policy and Leadership Studies from Florida State University. Most recently, Alyssa served as a Bureau Chief within the Office of Long-Term Resiliency at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity where she managed several HUD CDBG-Disaster Recovery and Mitigation programs with a combined budget of over 1.7 billion dollars.
Marka Fields
Assistant Director of Cleveland City Planning Commission
Marka Fields has 20+ years of experience in land use planning, zoning, architectural design review, and community development. Ms. Fields approaches her work with the belief that all neighborhoods should have access to quality housing, jobs and resources that allow residents to live a healthy and vibrant life. The principles of health, equity and sustainability are at the core of everything she does as a planner.Ms. Fields was a contributing author of the City of Cleveland’s Comprehensive Plan, “Connecting Cleveland 2020”, and of the City’s vacant land strategy, “8 Ideas for Vacant Land Re-use in Cleveland”, both of which serve as a guide for development. In addition, she served in the role of Chief City Planner, leading the department’s team of neighborhood planners and ensuring that the physical development and short and long-term plans prioritize the health and sustainability of Cleveland neighborhoods
Divya Sridhar
Manager of Climate Resiliency and Sustainability
Cleveland Neighbourhood Progress (CNP)
Divya Sridhar is the Manager of Climate Resiliency and Sustainability at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP), a non-profit community development in intermediary whose role is to strengthen Cleveland’s community development ecosystem.In her work, she works collaboratively across sectors, coalitions, and scales of partnerships to advance climate resilience strategies and to bring resources to neighborhoods in Cleveland. This includes an interconnected and systems approach that braids a variety of climate change adaptation and mitigation opportunities to address energy access, equitable tree canopy, green infrastructure, vacant land strategies and better air quality though initiatives like Circular Cleveland. She is a member of the Cleveland Tree Coalition, Greater Cleveland Water Equity Partners and the Equity Working group of the American Council of Energy Efficient Economies. She serves on City’s Urban Forestry Commission, and on the board of Power Clean Future Ohio. She merits her training in architecture for her passion for design thinking and systems approach. She brings her immigrant experience to her work and in valuing people, and in approaching quality of life. Most importantly, she is the proud mom of Yamini Sridhar, who constantly inspires her to do better each day.