Katherine Natasha

Urban Studies III

University: As of Now

University is improving because many of its famous institutions are renovating and expanding, its relationship with Downtown is expanding and its population is steady growing. University has always been a successful neighborhood, but with recent developments it has outdone itself as a Cleveland destination. The community is focusing more than ever on improving communication and access with the rest of Cleveland. This revival is indicating University as a welcomed complement to the residential neighborhoods around it; a center of growth on Cleveland’s East Side.

Cleveland’s population is declining. Rapidly. East side residents are evacuating with the most enthusiasm. The Hough, Glenville and Fairfax neighborhoods alone have lost 10,550 people in 16 years. (Sabol, 12) The city calls these neighborhoods the “Empowerment Zone” and has set up programs specially design for the area to give the children there hope of turning their neighborhoods around. University borders directly south and east of the Empowerment Zone, yet has seen a population increase of 1,842 in 16 years. (Sabol, 12) This may be factored to University’s unrivaled reputation, yet despite its appeal, the area still struggles. Case Western Reserve students complain of a theft problem in the campus’s northern district, which borders with the Empowerment Zone and East Cleveland, a dismal suburb of high-crime and poverty rates. University works to protect its residents with four security police forces along with the city’s police.

University contains more than 75 not-for-profit organizations, colleges, hospitals, fine ethnic eateries and shops. All of these places are in easy access to the most impoverished communities in Cleveland and most are free or relatively inexpensive, such as: The Dr. MLK, Jr. public library, the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Music Settlement’s and the Cleveland Institute of Music’s free concerts, Case Western Reserve University’s forums from their many colleges, the Cleveland NAACP chapter and Cleveland’s Free Clinic. Even if the area is not always taken advantage of by impoverished communities, there are two Cleveland public schools, John Hay and Cleveland School of the Arts, which are giving young adults a chance to appreciate the neighborhood.

John Hay High School, a Cleveland landmark, has been closed for renovation for several years, but will be reopened for the 2007-2008 school year. An architectural masterpiece, John Hay was designed by Cleveland architect George Hopkinson and dedicated Oct. 23, 1929. With its two-story lobby with symmetrical grand staircases, its 1,670-seat auditorium and its third-floor cafeteria with vaulted ceiling and skylights, the John Hay building is a solid expression of Old World and new school dedication to students. John Hay will feature several smaller schools within it, all designed to use University’s resources to enrich their students in the fields of performing arts, biology and medical sciences, visual arts, engineering and business. Cleveland School of the Arts has expanded with a second campus (not in University) and a new outlook on its future. CSA and John Hay will be bonding as sister schools, servicing at least 1700 middle school and high school students from the east and west sides. Including the new, younger campus that’s more than 2000 students with daily access to Cleveland’s cultural center. (Restoring a Gem)

University’s revival is bringing over a billion dollars to the region, as well. A long-awaited home is being built for The Heart and Vascular Institute of Cleveland Clinic. The Institute has been the nation’s best rated heart hospital for 12 years straight, yet it has to share a building with the children’s hospital on Carnegie Avenue. (Cleveland Clinic) Construction began this spring. In 2008, a new massive center on Euclid Avenue will be the Institute’s home; the economic impact that it will make will be measurable. According to Cleveland Clinic’s estimates, the new Institute will infuse more than $1.2 billion into the regional economy annually and add 1,500 new jobs, totaling the number of employees at the center to 5,000 people.

Similar growth is happening at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Construction has started on renovations and repairs, which comprise two-thirds of the project, to accommodate for and preserve its world-class permanent collection and enhance the Museum’s appeal. The new Museum will feature 1916 Beaux-Arts building the 1971 Breuer building, both of which will be completely renovated, and two new wings: one east wing and one west wing, rounding out the new facility, with a soaring glass canopy at the center of the structure. Estimates based on outside research indicate that after completion of the project, CMA could contribute as much as $100 million to the local economy. Construction alone is $80 million! The East Wing opens in the summer of 2008; The entire project is expected to be complete in 2010. (Masterpiece)

While University’s largest attractions are growing, there are still holes in its infrastructure. Because University is so concentrated with cultural facilities, the residential sector is occasionally neglected. Jessica Kennan, a college junior, lives in an apartment in University, and complains of a lack in stores. “There are no grocery stores in University Circle…. There’s a shuttle to the Tops on the RTA, but when I’m hungry at 11:00 at night, I don’t [won’t to] get on no shuttle for some snacks!” Incidentally, there is a grocery store being built on Euclid Avenue on the outskirts of University now. Completion will be at the end of July. Other residential necessities are available: police and fire stations, drug stores and public transportation. Day care centers are lacking.

There are less than 4 miles between Downtown and University. In those miles are many vacant lots, abandoned homes and half-used factories. On Euclid Avenue runs the RTA bus route #6, the most used route in the city. Currently route 6 is being replaced with the Silver Line Rapid Transit System. The Silver Line will connect the central business district (the region's largest employment center) with University (the second largest employment center) and open thousands of possibilities for future development along Euclid Avenue and, in passing, Prospect and Superior Avenues as well. Euclid Avenue will be served by aerodynamic 62 foot Euclid Corridor Vehicles (ECV), which will be quiet and environmentally friendly. The project will involve a complete building-face-to-building-face reconstruction of Euclid Avenue between Public Square and University Circle. Construction of the Rapid Transit System began in 2005 and is expected to be operational by the end of 2008. (Euclid Corridor)

University's steady growing population is a clear sign that something is right with this Cleveland community. The humanities neighborhood is becoming more equipped to be a residential community, while strengthening itself as a tourist destination. With these added improvements and restructuring, University is one of Cleveland’s finest neighborhoods.