What is Teaching Cleveland?

The Teaching Cleveland Foundation is a pending 501 (3) (c) organization with a stated mission to develop Cleveland-centered curricula in area schools that deepen an understanding of Greater Cleveland’s rich history, foster an appreciation of its varied resources, and equip participants with the skills and capacities to connect, collaborate, and commit. The future of Greater Cleveland depends on inspiring enthusiasm and a stronger sense and love of place to grow another generation of civic leaders. In that, we need to create a generative culture, where Cleveland, our home, is appreciated as an interdependent resource built upon a compelling history, diverse peoples, and our remarkable institutions. Given its mission, Teaching Cleveland is interdisciplinary in scope, combining primary curricular disciplines in the classrooms to real-world City problems where participants are asked to craft innovative and gripping solutions and envision a range of possibilities.

Urban Planning Collaborative Project

Selected students of Teaching Cleveland Institute (TCI) participants will work together for the 2012 spring semester to help plan the Nine-Twelve district in downtown Cleveland. Currently, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance is exploring ways to make the Nine-Twelve district a mixed use district with greater around-the-clock activity. Students from Hawken School, Gilmour Academy, Western Reserve Academy, and Beachwood High School will learn about the history of downtown Cleveland as well as urban planning, architectural, and design principles. Student participants will be teamed together from a variety of schools and will be given one aspect of a comprehensive plan to draft. (e.g. urban design, sustainability, market forces, etc.) The Civic Commons will become an online resource and project management tool by providing historical context, existing plans, maps, and other resources, while also facilitating a collaborative environment by hosting ongoing conversations. Urban planning and urban design professionals will be invited to work with students online at the Civic Commons to help students refine their ideas and provide additional assistance in plan formation.

The Nine Twelve District

What's between East 9th and East 12th and Euclid and Lakeside? Potential.

Nestled next to over $2 billion of investment, the NineTwelve District offers convenient access to some of the most exciting neighborhoods in the city including E. 4th, PlayhouseSquare, the Warehouse District, and the Campus District. Its variety of architectural styles and rich history make this area a mixed-use footprint that is extremely appealing. The NineTwelve District is “what’s next” for Downtown Cleveland. Downtown Cleveland Alliance, in partnership with several downtown partners, has developed a strategy that recognizes the NineTwelve District’s challenges and opportunities. The plan introduces new initiatives and builds around existing assets to create a mixed-use neighborhood that will serve the needs of the district and complement the rest of the investments underway in downtown Cleveland. District Boundaries: Euclid Avenue to the South, E. 12th Street to the East, and both sides of Lakeside Avenue and E. 9th Street.

Characteristics of the NineTwelve District include:

• District is adjacent to major development projects, natural resources, and existing capital assets.
• Numerous businesses over 20,000sq.ft. remain committed to the district.
• E. 9th Street is the only direct North/South connection to the highways through downtown.
• Strong, committed ownership throughout the district.
• Approximately 1,400 residential units and four of the major downtown hotels.
• Roughly one half of parks and public spaces in downtown are located near or along E. 9th Street.

Project Schedule

• Monday, February 13th - Program Introduction - Location TBD
• Thursday, March 1st - Downtown Cleveland Stakeholder Panel - Location TBD
• Tuesday, April 17th - Final Presentations - Location TBD