Cleveland bridging gap between universities and surrounding communities

Cleveland’s University Circle Inc. is using foundation money and community outreach to bridge the gap between the higher education and medical district and the impoverished adjacent neighborhoods, President Chris Ronayne says. Ronayne spoke at the 2011 Smart Growth Summit at the Shaw Center today. He says a key to doing so successfully is creating an independent advisory board with representatives from both sides. Campus police assist city police in patrolling adjacent neighborhoods, and university and medical employees are given incentives to live nearby. Market-rate homes are being built, and older homes for low-income residents are being refurbished. A merchants association has been created, along with co-ops that involve the institutions and local residents. Locals are employed installing solar panels on rooftops and growing food for the institutions. The institutions even provide free Wi-Fi for the neighborhoods. Ronayne says tensions between universities and their neighbors have been common for centuries and that a city’s anchor institutions need to recognize that it’s in their best interest to support the surrounding community. The Smart Growth Summit concludes this afternoon —David Jacobs