March 21, 2006, REALNEO and the Kent State University Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC)  hosted a wonderful open-house and Excellence Roundtable featuring, Steven Fong, the Charter Dean of the KSU School of Architecture and Environmental Design, which is based in Kent, Ohio, of which CUDC is part. In prime roundtable form, the attendees were as diverse and remarkeable as is Steven, driving a fascinating hour and half brainstorm through Steven's world of fantastic projects that he's worked on around the world, down to today's reality of NEO, viewed from 30,000 feet down to the streets.

I believe this was as much a learning experience for Steven Fong as for the attendees, who ranged from wind activist Martha Eakin and advanced energy entrepreneur Phil Lane to Cuyahoga County Planning Director Paul Alsenas and Plain Dealer Architecture Critic Steven Litt - a list will post here shortly. Following a half hour of Dean Fong sharing with us his vision for redevelopment and planning opportunities in NEO, we got down to the business of planning the future NEO. As you'll see, from a report Steven Litt posted from the Roundtable, the future of planning in NEO is suddenly much brighter... we are about to see the biggest change to our landscape imaginable as the KSU Graduate School of Architecture moves to Cleveland. This means we will attract, create, retain... always have... more, better architecture, planning and urban and environmental design talent, education, awareness, outcomes and, most important, culture than ever in the history of the region... right where it belongs, in downtown Cleveland. The heart of the region is about to have lots more talent focused on the planning and design of the region, and all people here will benefit. We could not have any better news.

Architects - urban planners - design every aspect of our lives - here's an interesting video clip from a CUDC student on that point... http://realneo.us/video-urban-planners. Our roads, and parks, and homes and schools... our region is all planned and designed, and how it is planned and designed means everything in determining our quality of life. This determines if we breath clean air, and have livable neighborhoods and strong economies... where everything goes and the rules by how everyone share resources is the foundation of modern society. Historically, Cleveland has been extremely poor at planning, as is well documented in a history of architecture by Cleveland Architect Joseph Ceruti on a MUST READ journal on the KSU site - see  http://realneo.us/Kent-Grad-School-of-Arcitecture-to-move-to-Cleveland#comment-877. In that architect's words, to clarify how important it is to have high level, independent, globally connected and competent design and planning leadership in NEO, consider an especially shocking highlight that shines unique light on how planning happens here usually

(45) Under Bohn's leadership, a comprehensive plan for downtown development was unveiled in 1957 with a grand affair in Public Hall, but Louis Seltzer, "kingmaker," had hand-picked Frank Celebrezze, state legislator, to be mayor of Cleveland and was planning to build his new headquarters at Lakeside and East 9th Street. Since Bohn's plan concentrated on the revitalization of Euclid Avenue, the heart of our city, it would not serve to appreciate the value of Seltzer's site on Lakeside Avenue. Therefore James Lister, then Director of Urban Planning set up to bypass the Planning Commission, for political reasons sold the mayor on having I.M. Pei -- world-renowned architect and planner -- to come up with Erieview I & II. Now the 1957 plan for downtown development was scrapped in favor of the Erieview plan. The Van Sweringens had aborted the Group Plan and Seltzer aborted the Downtown Plan. Politicians are not interested in long-range planning because it does not produce visible results in time for re-election.

 With the entry of KSU into the regional planning core, with an expert, globally-connected, innovative and resourceful presence in Cleveland, growing the hugely impactful CUDC into a world-renowned learning and doing institution, the ecosystem changes, This removes politicians and kingmakers from planning, putting that in the hands of resourceful experts, who by definition will work closely to protect diverse interests of all stakeholders - and they will be much more transparent and accountable than kingmakers.

Thank you Steven Fong, CAED, CUDC and KSU.