ReImagining Cleveland (http://reimaginingcleveland.org/), is a “movement of individuals and groups who are turning vacant lots into community projects that beautify neighborhoods, feed people, capture storm water and teach about the environment.” It is a partnership between the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland organization “Neighborhood Progress.” http://www.neighborhoodprogress.org/
As stated in their “Ideas to Action” resource book:
“The Re-imagining Cleveland movement is a partnership of grassroots community leaders andindividuals working with the City of Cleveland and non-profit organizations to re-purposevacant lots into useful and productive spaces for neighborhoods. It started with a vacant landstudy completed in 2008. The movement has been nurtured through a small grant programand supportive actions made by the City of Cleveland. To empower residents and promotestewardship of vacant land the City has improved its land bank operations, water departmentpractices, and zoning code. The City has forged partnerships with Neighborhood Progress,grassroots groups, individuals, and non-profit organizations to help envision a greener future forneighborhoods and build stewardship throughout communities.
The Cleveland Community Development Department Land Bank is surmounting regulatory issuesand public sector challenges to respond to the increased volume of vacant land and the public’sinterest in using land bank lots for community improvement. Through inter-departmental andnon-profit collaboration, the Re-imagining Cleveland initiative is demonstrating how grassrootsvacant land reuse promotes entrepreneurship and community engagement, while empoweringcitizens to increase the quality of life and restore environmental function to their neighborhoods.Aligning public resources and private energy on the challenging issue of vacant land has createdpowerful changes that will serve the city well for the coming decades. Our neighborhoods will bebetter because of this.”Fifty six groups and individuals have received grant funding from ReImagining Cleveland to renovate vacant lots into approximately 28 community gardens and vineyards as well as 28 new parks in the City of Cleveland.
To date, ReImagining Cleveland has garnered nearly one million dollars for this initiative, between the funding from the City of Cleveland, Neighborhood Progress, and donated materials and volunteer labor from the community.
To learn more about this initiative, visit http://reimaginingcleveland.org/
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