Encourage Bottom-Up Redevelopment: Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey, Ep. 5

Cleveland has spent billions on big-ticket urban redevelopment efforts including heavily subsidized sports stadiums and convention centers that have utterly failed to revitalize the citys economy. Should the city be pouring even more money into and pinning yet higher hopes on long-odds mega-projects? Or should they realize that bottom-up projects driven by the actual residents and private-sector investors are the best was to build a vibrant city for the long haul?
Reason Saves Cleveland with Drew Carey is written and produced by Paul Feine; camera and editing by Roger Richards and Alex Manning; narrated by Nick Gillespie; music by the Cleveland band Cats on Holiday and Max Bowerman. This is the fifth of six episodes that will air March 15-19, 2010.
Approximately 10 minutes long.
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[@iThog]

Exactly, lets ignore the easy fixes and focus all our attention on problems that are much more difficult and contentious. Nevermind that progress on the easy issues may make it easier to attack the tough ones. Bravo!

[@sugarkang]

love this show. needs to be on TV.

[@ForOrAgainstUs]

There is an Applebees less than 1000 ft from the closest wal-mart. I cracked up at that.

[@62636263c]

The last thing a controller wants is to give up any control, unless there is some angle for personal enrichment.

[@RomanV101]

It's fantastic that Houston has no zoning mandates. American cities often force segregated uses, ie shops far away from housing, which effectively outlaws walkable neighborhoods. I think the problems with Houston are minimum lot size rules, parking requirements, lack of mass transit, etc

[@slack7639]

Government needs to stay small, and Government needs to break up big business like Walmart, so smaller businesses can thrive, then you'll create the opportunity for good paying jobs, and the desired vibrant economy.

[@gamp0001]

@bibikwan Sprawl does not come from a lack of zoning laws. On the contrary, zoning laws are the biggest contributors to the existence of urban sprawl. Height restrictions on buildings are the top of the list, followed closely by laws that artificially raise property values. Case in point: L.A., CA.

[@soylentgreenb]

Its curious that our city planers go to study places like Venice, yet fail to realize the blindingly obvious fact that nobody centrally planned Venice.

[@Amidat]

@studio7manga - you are absolutely correct... aside from the oil industry... there is defense money in Texas... and a lot of projects were funneled there because of the Bush's and their associates over the years. Who does Cleveland have now? I've never even been there - but I understand economics. As you said those industries that flourished in Cleveland, Pittsburgh etc. are not as they once were. It has almost NOTHING to do with zoning laws.

[@scottvska]

I guess you think that when someone asks a question they're proposing something.

[@voyowee]

As opposed to urban blight in the middle of urban blight... I know what I prefer.

[@rmcdaniel423]

Sure, the regulatory schemes in one city vs. another may not be purely black and white, but if one shade of grey yields better results than another, how do you argue against that?

[@sarjim4381]

There's a reason I left both Cleveland and California and now live in Alabama. We can't run a deficit, and that automatically keeps the size of government within the control of the taxpayer. Is is perfect? No. But it's still a lot better than what I saw in Cleveland and California.

[@Amidat]

@studio7manga - I agree with everything you said except "incentives"... Why? Because companies that are "bribed" to locate a business in a place will only keep it there until someone offers them a better deal or there is another low cost local. Look how many manufacturing jobs left old cities and went to new cities... only to eventually send the jobs overseas. Cities have to attract jobs who have a real "concrete" reason (pardon the pun) to be there.

[@ForTehNguyen]

proud to be Texan, even more proud to be Houstonian. Freedom, it just works

[@oilhammer04]

In my town you just need to be in good with the city counsel and you will get a zone rezoned.

[@Amidat]

@studio7manga - Cleveland just has to re-invent itself. It has VERY LITTLE to do with zoning. Changing the zoning in certain areas yes... but not having zoning in an old city is completely ludicrous. That's like saying old cities should rip out there sewers because they are too expensive to maintain.

[@DKWtube]

Height limits hardly have anything to do with the problem. It's mostly land use segregation, parking minimums, and the many policies favoring the movement of automobile travel over walkability.

[@KagarBeardtooth]

"...you could put a pawn shop in the middle of a residential neighborhood, and we don't want that." ...Why not?

[@scottvska]

Okay, but how do high taxes and zoning laws explain Cleveland's murder rate?

[@kittyprydekissme]

What's wrong with having a pawn shop in a residential neighbourhood?

[@sniper6081]

I know right. I mean, why's it so hard for people to do that? You know?

[@CountArtha]

Wow; even the city officials in Houston wear slicker suits.

[@Amidat]

@slack7639 - big problem... Wal Mart can spend loads and loads of money on lobbyist... the small business guy can't. Plus - many politicians I'm sure have stakes in Wal-mart or companies who profit off of Wal-mart.

[@UrDreamsOurSweatLLC]

you can not even go to IHOP with out crazy people getting into fights with the armed guards .

[@samuils]

lol, well said I like it

[@hagbard72]

All crumbling empires need bread and circuses to keep the sheeple from noticing the empire is collapsing.

[@Amidat]

This is ridiculous... Houston is "fresh" and in the "sun-belt". Cleveland is "old" (more expensive to maintain) and in the "snow-belt". Houston in terms of land size is almost twice as big as Chicago... they CAN get by without zoning laws. You can't compare the two.

[@darthutah6649]

Cost of living in Cleveland is roughly the same as it is in Houston (maybe a little lower). The problem isn't expenses but rather lack of opportunity and high crime.

[@bibikwan]

no zoning codes does have its benefits but man what about sprawl?

[@Amidat]

@ForTehNguyen - do you really think that potentially in 50 years that Houston won't have zoning laws???

[@Amidat]

@angel55676 - yeah these things sound good in the beginning but they always catch up in the end.

[@Brambledemon]

I don't know-I ten to think zoning laws are a necessary evil. It sounds like Cleveland has taken it to a silly extreme, but I wouldn't want a strip club opening up next door to me. There has to be a mid-point between letting people do whatever they want-and crushing economic growth like Cleveland is doing.

[@truthadvocate]

Zoning laws = higher cost of living = poor people suffer.

[@kittyprydekissme]

@godgunsncountry What is an ROI?

[@dorvinion]

It ruins the quaint charm and centrally planned beauty of inner city slums

[@DKWtube]

Those are symptoms, not problems.

[@scawarren]

Well this is the 5th episode and it seems Cleveland's biggest problem was government; imagine that :/

[@bittergunowner12]

@ElvinCole You just read my mind.

[@Ozbrithian]

Me too! Chimichangas are the food of the Gods! I don't believe in tacos they are just a state of mind.

[@gamp0001]

@nicademus1974 can you be more specific? Wal Mart has used legislation to gain an edge in entering communities 9eminent domain, etc.), which I would agree is not free enterprise. That being said, Wal Mart's principal competition for building new stores is a vocal minority of people who insist on using legislation to shut down free enterprise. Knowing this, it's hard to blame Wal Mart for fighting fire with fire.

[@rrush2214]

216!

[@libertyfizz]

@ForTehNguyen They want to save Cleveland but the vids make me want to move to Houston and start a business. Now if I get the spouse on board for the move.

[@nicademus1974]

They are totally off base with the wal-mart thing. Wally world is the worst example of free market capitalism you can find.

[@libertyfizz]

The political guy in a dying city calls a city that is growing and prospering a joke. Yeah the people in Huston are laughing all the way to the bank Cleveland. Sadly the people of Cleveland who understand that removing zoning is a great idea have already moved to Huston by now along with their entrepreneurial energy and the jobs that will create. If prosperity is not enough of an incentive how do you expect to get Cleveland to recover?

[@ForTehNguyen]

just lower taxes and regulations jesus, it wont cost any money to implement

[@CaliforniaArchitect]

I don't need some overpaid goverment worker to supposedly protect me from a pawn shop in the middle of a residential area. A pawn shop owner is going to locate where there is commercial traffic; not in a residential area. I'll take the free market zoning of Houson, TX or Hong Kong, China anytime over Cleveland, OH.

[@Mastikator]

@ForTehNguyen The powers that be would have less power with less taxes and regulations.

[@flagship21]

aleast they will have nice buildings

[@Amidat]

@fatpak419 - i agree

[@Amidat]

@studio7manga - OK - got it..

[@JBSauce]

Sorry Drew, Applebee's sucks.