blood from a stone

Unsuccessfully I searched to find how Cuyahoga county ranks after Dimora and Hagan voted in the .25% increase to our sales tax (that the Plain Dealer so much endorsed - they probably all live and shop in the burbs). I know that we are not first in the nation, New York and Chicago probably have that honor, but if our combined state and local tax burden was rated 5th in the nation in 2007 we may have snuck up a notch.

Although I am curious where the money is coming from. If we are ranked #1 or so in poverty, then who the heck is paying for this? You would think the money would go directly back into the pockets of those that need it, not into some Chicago based organization that has or hasn't quite committed to the city yet depending on whom you ask.

Good times.

You may be able to do something to get the whole thing put on a public ballot (imagine, the public being asked about issues that affect them - CRAZY!)

How walkable is your city?

There are many reasons why walkable cities work. Pedestrian level engagement with the environment increases exposure to the city creating recognition of neighborhoods, retail areas, provided services, public spaces, etc. A walkable city is a healthier city, there is less traffic congestion, less pollution, safer streets (more eyes looking out for you), people get a tad bit more exercise. I could go on and on.

Instead I offer you a chance to rate the walkability of your city with the walk-o-meter. Just kidding, such a thing doesn't exist. Yet.

I present instead the Walk Score. Just input your zip code and google maps is queried to find certain services in your area from grocery stores to libraries, parks to hardware stores.

A small sampling of results.

Downtown Cleveland (44114) - 35/100
Lakewood, Ohio (inner ring cleveland suburb 44107) - 80/100
West Bank (44113) - 71/100
Midtown (where I moved from Lakewood to 44103) - 66/100
Mentor, Ohio (where no one freaking walks 44060) - 37/100

At first I thought I would find the results skewed and really quite wrong but after really testing the system I have to surprisingly report that I am amazed at how accurate I think the system is.

Here are the particulars

How It Works
Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Check out how Walk Score doesn't work.

What does my score mean?
Your Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100. The walkability of an address depends on how far you are comfortable walking—after all, everything is within walking distance if you have the time. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:

90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a car.
25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving is a must.
0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!
How it Works
Walk Score™ uses a patent-pending algorithm to calculate the walkability of an address based on:

The distance to walkable locations near an address.
Calculating a score for each of these locations.
Combining these scores into one easy to read Walk Score

MOCA Launchpad

Thursday, July 26, 2007
MOCA Cleveland
7-10pm

What happens when you combine the power of the internet (by power, I mean unreasonably simple access for anyone to state an unverified fact or misplaced opinion) with an established art institution and a cash bar?

The answer is Launchpad, an unveiled attempt to herd string cheese through a strong ocean current in an attempt to touch the face of God. I can only explain it that way because I have no idea what to expect. I know that there will be some very strong opinions present, I know that at the very least it should be...interesting and I know that all the beautiful people will be there.

What? You weren't invited? Oh, how embarrassing. Well, I can get you in.

You can even make some blogger friends.

Free and open to the public.

Waterloo Arts Fest

5th Annual Waterloo Arts Festival
Saturday, July 28th 2007
North Waterloo at E. 156th. St.
11am - 7pm

A day long arts festival celebrating the wonderfully resiliant and creative community that is Collinwood. Come on out and celebrate the fun!

Fun FREE crafts and activities for kids and families
Bike Rodeo
Live music
Great food
Original artwork for sale
Hands-on, interactive art demonstrations
Dance performances
Chalk art festival
Exhibits and installations

And don't forget to stick around for 'after festival parties' at the Beachland Ballroom and Music Saves (they have ice cream!).

Designed Obselesence wins an award!

TOIstudio recived it's first award in an open competition. That is nice. It was for submission to the Lifecycle Building Challenge in which I attempted to reuse some of the Breuer Tower instead of just tossing it out.

I am still highly interested in getting my hands on some of those panels for my studio or maybe to build a small cottage on a farm out east.

There is a People's Choice Awards type thing where I think the winner gets a hug or something. You can vote for it here.

Then send an email to peopleschoice@lifecyclebuilding.org with the entry number in subject line, name of entry in subject line and a brief reason why it is your favorite entry (not in subject line).

Possible reasons could be because I am so darned lovable or because I ate all my vegetables once.

Music Saves 3X Birthday Bash

I cannot believe it has already been 3 years since the moving of Mel and Kevin to their new digs and the realization of a million life long dreams that resulted in the fabulous Music Saves Record Store and Kool Kid Hangout. Oh, it was a balmy day, the farm truck Betsy (rest her soul) was purring like an asthmatic kitten and those display cases were so gawd-awful heavy! Still, it was all worth it to have a place like Music Saves in and about our fair town. Coupled with the Collinwood area (seems to be BOOMIN'!) Cleveland's east side has never seemed so, well, fun!

Anyways, go and help them celebrate. The party begins with an amazing show tonight at the Beachland Ballroom (I love me some Laura Viers) and culminates with a Beachland Tavern (early free show) and in-store extravaganza on Saturday!

Suzi Quilligan's having another show...

...in New York.

So, if you happen to be around about there go check out Suzi's show, intriguingly entitled 'eco art'.

Breuer Tower Exhibition opening

Thursday, July 19th
Former Oberlin Gallery
1305 Euclid Ave
(corner of 13th and Euclid)
5.00pm

The unveiling of the submissions for the infamous What Would you do with the Breuer Building will occur this Thursday at 5.00pm. There were more then 28 entries in the juried portion (I wonder what portion went 'unjuried'?) 'from local, national and even international architects and architectural firms'.

Also included in the show will be the six presentations that we given to the county commissioners, including boards from the 'winning' proposal.

There are also promised to be some 'surprise exhibits'.

Sounds like a fun time for sure!

Ideastream - Listening Project

Want to talk about your neighborhood? Then say something!

Back in 2001 WCPN ideastream began The Listening Project, an online survey and archive of Northeast Ohio residents perspective on their city and neighborhood.

Mostly a useful tool for WCPN to hear what the region would like to hear more about however it is also rather useful to see how other people percieve the area's problems and assests.

If you have a couple minutes, I suggest you fill out a survey. If you already have then feel free to read through the archive. I know I bring up WCPN a lot on this blog, and it isn't only because I am a treehugging liberal hippie or whatever most people ascribe to being NPR listeners, I love WCPN because of the local coverage and actual reporting that they manage to accomplish. If you ever wondered how I had my finger on the pulse of the city and seemed so well informed, it is because WCPN brings many of those topics to my attention. There, all my secrets are out.

Organic food news.

New news from the Organic Center, a group with the mission "To gernerate credible, peer reviewed scientific information and communicate the verifiable benefits of organic farming and products to society." arrived the other day and I thought I would pass it along as I found it very interesting.

Organic Tomatoes Found to be More Nutritious.

Organic Production Increases Yields and Builds Soil Quality in Iowa.

Scientists Estimate that Pesticides are Reducing Crop Yields by 1/3.

So, to recap, organic foods are better for you, replenish and are better for the soil they are grown in (at least in Iowa) and by using some pesticides you are actually decreasing your yield.

Like I said, interesting. I always become curious as to how the current system became the status quo and what market forces (to borrow from a conversation I had the other night) are driving these decisions. Is it ease, reliability, cost? What actually hinders organic gardening the most, and why?

Celebrate Cleveland Month - Birthday Xtravaganza!

I have a feeling that every year I am surprised that Cleveland has a birthday and that we typically celebrate it on July 22, when the survey party of Moses cleavland was said to have arrived. Well this month (July) we are going to celebrate all month long with a series of events and exhibits taking place around the city.

Sorry to be spreading the word a third into the month. I didn't realize that I was missing out on the festivities until this morning.

more events

more fun Cleveland facts to impress your friends and loved ones

Tremont Art Walk/Hop 2007 07.13

Its that time of the month to once again wander the streets of Tremont, Ohio looking for, well, art. Hopefully the weather will be nice and cool (at least cooler then it was the beginning of this week!)

map

I have to admit as well, taking a break and enjoying a beverage on the patio of the the Treehouse and watching people wander by is something I am really looking forward to.

See you there!

We are so far behind, someday we will be ahead...

A while back the ingenuity fest - Cleveland offered up a competition entitled 'What Would YOU do with the Breuer Building?'

I was beyond tempted to enter something, in fact I had at least submissions in mind but mostly due the time consuming action of moving my competition entering ability has decreased. Regardless I am sure that there will be some real fine ideas. In fact, I guarentee it.

A couple of days ago I stumbled across an article referencing the Nido Project in London. A student housing project where the students rent out very compact dorm rooms in downtown areas and share facilities such as recreation, exercise, library, living room, etc. Imagine only renting out the bare necessities of space for your life, where you sleep, restroom and eat. Then you share the rest with your classmates. Study space, a movie theater, education center, etc.

It sounds very similar to a boarding house or dorm building but on a larger more urban scale. The reason I bring this up is mostly to wonder if something like this could work in Cleveland. As Cleveland State University attempts to create residences for it's students close to campus I wonder (and hope) that the public spaces will become more active and that businesses will move in to capitalize, hopefully making downtown, well, vibrant.
The idea of centralized living spaces that hampers the basic human need to accumluate a ton of 'junk' also appeals to me (having recently packed up and moved much more then I thought I ever owned). I think I could apprectiate living in a smaller place if it was well laid out and not as cramped as many of the dorm rooms I had witnessed in my life. I just wonder why this only applies to college kids though. I think that there would be quite a few younger professionals looking to move to downtown if the rent was cheap and they weren't burdened with having to furnish a larger 'typical' apartment that didn't foster the idea of 'being neighbors'.

This is just a rant on an idea that doesn't seem all too out there, just doesn't have the market research supporting it's development. Oh, and this would be one of my suggestions for the Breuer building; dorm living for CSU and Kent State University.

TOI-blog-studio reaches 1 full year of diatribe!

About this time last year I started this little blog thing on TOIstudio as an effort to find a place to share my interests and critique. In that long year I have managed a semi-regular posting operation (broken up by recent events which I will soon share), have made some good friends, made some people angry (which is always a goal of mine) and raised some interest and concern in arenas which I find worthy.

Good.

This year is time to even further create change. I am attempting to start a Cleveland Chapter of Architecture for Humanity and we are having our first 'meeting' July 12th. You can check out the website for more information and to become involved yourself.

TOIstudio is also moving to actual physical location. I don't mean that it is moving to a desk, but to an actual workshop/studio/gallery with the hopes of creating an 'idea incubator' for sustainable and socially progressive project creation and development. You could say that I am moving to a giant garage, but I prefer to call it a loft.

My intentions so far are thus. Do some good, share some knowledge, figure science stuff out and try to keep myself amused and busy enough to not get too bored and mean.

Anyway, those are the current reasonings behind my llackadaisical sporadic posting. Once I get my computer set back up and the studio up and running more I should be right back on the horse.

Thanks for bearing with me.