Year of Vital Neighborhoods

 

Every year leading up to 2019, Cleveland will focus on one of the key areas fundamental to a sustainable city. The Sustainable Cleveland Celebration Years are designed to be accessible to all members of the community — households, neighborhoods, businesses, and institutions can all participate, either in collaboration or independently. In 2018, we are celebrating the Year of Vital Neighborhoods! In 2018, we are celebrating the Year of Vital Neighborhoods! Click here to see photos of the kickoff event. 

 

Why Vital Neighborhoods?

Neighborhoods are the building blocks of a great urban area. They are the real places of daily life where people come together, to network, to build relationships, and where a sense of identity and history is created. There are many actions Clevelanders can take to help support their neighborhoods, including volunteering, learning about how you can take climate action, and getting to know your neighbors!

 

Learn More

Resilient Cleveland: The Cleveland Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity Initiative includes a detailed assessment of the current and anticipated effects of climate change in the Midwest and identifies projects, programs, policies, engagement strategies, and future research to lessen overall energy demand, anticipate and prepare for climate changes and shocks, and foster social cohesion.

Cleveland Tree Plan: Launched in 2015 and adopted by the Cleveland Planning Commission in 2016, the Cleveland Tree Plan is a community-wide collaboration to rebuild the urban forest so that Northeast Ohio residents can experience the benefits of reforesting our city, generating greater resiliency, health, prosperity and overall quality of life.

Climate Action: The City of Cleveland has partnered with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and ioby (in our back yards) to update the Cleveland Climate Action Plan, with a focus on equity and engagement. Residents may use our Neighborhood Climate Action Toolkit to engage their community in sustainability. Watch for the public comment period for the Plan in the very near future.

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Do More

Get involved in the Year of Vital Neighborhoods at home, at work and in your community!

 

Vital Neighborhoods Powered by PechaKucha: Join the Mayor's Office of Sustainability for our 5th annual Powered by PechaKucha event on Tuesday, July 10th from 5:30-8:00pm at the Music Box Supper Club. This FREE event is open to everyone interested in making Cleveland's neighborhoods more vital and vibrant. 

Sustainable Cleveland Summit: Save the date for the 10th annual Sustainable Cleveland Summit, to be held on September 19-20, 2018 at Cleveland Public Auditorium.

GardenWalk Cleveland: Visit Cleveland neighborhoods for GardenWalk Cleveland, a self-guided tour of gardens, urban farms, vineyards and orchards in five Cleveland neighborhoods on Saturday, July 7th (West Park and Detroit Shoreway) and Sunday, July 8th (Broadway Slavic Village, North Collinwood, and Little Italy).  Contact Cathi Lehn if interested in volunteering for GardenWalk.

Open Streets: Open Streets Cleveland temporarily reclaims streets as a free public space for people of all ages and abilities.With car-free neighborhood routes of 1 to 3 miles, Open Streets Cleveland builds community through safe and accessible people-powered movement. Join us on July 15th (Central), July 29th (Cultural Gardens), and August 18th (Metro).

Potluck in the Park: Get to know your neighbors by attending Vital Neighborhood Working Group’s annual Potluck in the Park event at Dunham Tavern on Saturday, September 29th. This community-wide potluck moves to a different location each year to bring growers, producers, cooks and eaters together over a healthy meal to celebrate local food.

Vital Neighborhoods: The Vital Neighborhoods Working Group strives to cultivate sustainable neighborhoods of choice where residents are engaged, empowered, enlightened, resilient and self-reliant.

What's Your Story? Everyone is invited to share your sustainability success stories and be celebrated at the 2018 Summit (Sept 20-21). Storytellers that share a photo will be eligible for prizes!

ioby: ioby (in our back yard) gives leaders the ability to organize all kinds of capital—cash, social networks, in-kind donations, volunteers, advocacy— to build real, lasting change from the ground up. Learn about what the leaders in your community are doing to make your neighborhood a more vital place to live and learn what you can do to help. 

 

Check out the Sustainable Cleveland events calendar for an updated list of neighborhood events.

 

If you are interested in volunteering at these or other Sustainable Cleveland events, please contact Cathi Lehn at [email protected].