Philadelphia has chosen a provider for their municipal wireless network and the winner is...Atlanta-based Earthlink over HP.Click here to read the story .

In Wisconsin, new regional allliances are beginning to emerge, as civic leaders in Madison and Milwaukee recognize that they have more to gain from collaboration.

Here is a good article that surveys some of the recent developments. Read more.

In Albany, the Center for Economic Growth is a major player in the transformation of the economy. CEG is one of the leading organizations to support innovation in regional economic development.

In an interesting move to stimulate collaboration among their campuses, Indiana University and Purdue University are integrating their wireless networks.

The powerful aspect of this announcement comes in the next step. According to one of the project leaders, "[W]e should continue to work toward extending these capabilities across Indiana to other universities, colleges and related organizations." Read more.

The Kauffman Foundation has launched a new web-based tool to accelerate the flow of innovative ideas from universities to the marketplace.

The foundation's research showed that potentially valuable technologies lie dormant in universities too long. So, the foundation is investing in a new tool to tighten the connection between university labs and commercial markets. Initiallly, seven universities will participate in a pilot. Learn more.

Developing brainpower will determine the long term prosepects for our regional economy. As a result, we have a deep stake in improving the performance of the our high schools.

Few economic development investments are as sound as investments -- early childhood development, drop-out prevention, post-secondary education incentives -- that improve educational outcomes.

One of the biggest challenges facing Cleveland comes in building the networks needed to build wealth in our inner city neighborhoods.

The inner city is an important economic development frontier, and new models of development show promise. Some years ago, Michael Porter established the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City to apply cluster approaches to these markets. Learn more

More pictures from the final Waterfront Plan presentation on Tuesday.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/muscatello/sets/994365/

What Happens When the Federal Government Can’t Get Emergencies Right? And what does it say about our level of preparedness for disasters, wrought by nature or terrorists, even after the 9/11 disaster and the debate, planning and funding that all follows?

Had a great time this weekend at iNGENUiTY.
The family enjoyed it as well.

Here are some photos I took with my crappy camera.
Thursday
Friday
Sunday

Is a Cleveland Baseball Team Watching?

Earlier this month, the National Collegiate Athletic Association adopted a new policy to prohibit NCAA colleges and universities from displaying hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames or imagery at any NCAA championship, beginning in 2008. So what is the leading name banned by the NCAA under the rule, calling for cultural sensitivity and respect? Simply, "The Indians."

California computer firm will fund ambitious high school to get kids ready for the real world.

could the same thing happen here??

read more HERE

from waste comes incredible opportunity, right on our lakefront...... click HERE for more info.

OUR CITIES NEED KIDS

*It seems like there's something quite cool going on in the city of McKinney, Texas. First there was the prototype of an eco-Walmart, then the eco-dealership by Toyota, and now - thanks to reader littleCatalyst for pointing it out - we learn that the city also has a sustainable elementary school that has been named (pdf link) one of the ten Most Environmentally Responsible Design Projects in the Nation by the American Institute of Architects. They have some great green architecture and landscaping, harvest rainwater in 6 cisterns (10,000 gallons capacity) and produce electricity with a wind turbine, but most importantly, they teach the kids about sustainability (it warms my heart!). Read more about it here >>http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=art_1158&issue=sept_04

check out ClevelandBikes new website at http://www.clevelandbikes.org for all the info you'll need to know to ride your bike around our beautiful city.

Who are the gatekeepers in Northeast Ohio? I was reading what Jon Garfunkel (a fellow Drupal user) has written on his site, civilites.net. He has a series of 8 articles and the first asks, Who are the Gatekeepers?.

It appears Ohio State Senator, Senator Kim Zurz (28th
District) has jumped on the anti-eminent domain bandwagon. She has
started a personal blog called “Private Ownership and Public Good.� (http://ohioeminentdomain.blogspot.com/) She ends her opening post by stating:

Come to a celebration of REI's past and Northeast Ohio's Open Source Future

We will be having a party to demonstrate an important point: Building our future prosperity is exciting, engaging, and fun. Join other civic entrepreneurs to share stories, get connected, and enjoy NEO's home brew.

Jim Harris has posed a critique of Open Source Economic Development. Read more.

Here's my response to his main points.

Earlier this week, The 21st Century Growth Policy Team unveiled its recommendations on how Columbus should grow. The City of Columbus assembled the Team, a group of around 80 community representatives.

With all the recent developments, I missed mentioning a major new award for civic entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio. Here's the press release that Case issued.

E4S Founder, Holly Harlan, Receives First SBC/REI Civic Entrepreneurship Award

Cindi Deutschman-Ruiz of WCPN ideastream put together a good story on the emerging Second Curve economy in Cleveland. She managed to blend different viewpoints and avoid the trap of separating the world into competing camps.



Northeast Ohio will be transformed by open networks of collaboration with colleges, universities, and libraries in the middle of these networks. Our region created enormous wealth with industrial strategies. Now, to build our future prosperity, we need to shift our focus to networks, knowledge, and collaboration. 

There is an article ( http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/050630/b0630102.html ) from the CBC ( http://www.cbc.ca ) that talks about a new Toyota plant opening in Ontario. The combination of a well-trained and educated workforce, a comprehensive national healtcare plan (which saves employers money) and proximity to other employees led to choosing the Canadian facility over possible American options

One of the most telling statements is this one, made by Gerry Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association:

"The level of the workforce in general is so high that the training program you need for people, even for people who have not worked in a Toyota plant before, is minimal compared to what you have to go through in the southeastern United States,"