The Decline of a Once-Great City: Reason Saves Cleveland Wit

UPDATE, MARCH 2011: We're happy to announce that Reason Saves Cleveland with Drew Carey is a finalist for a digital National Magazine Award. Check back on March 16 to see if we take home the big prize! For more info, go to reason.com/blog/2011/03/15/rea...
Sixty years ago, Cleveland was a booming city full of promise, opportunity, and people.
Today, the city's population is less half of what it was in its prime and it ranks as one of the poorest big cities in the United States. Hometown hero Drew Carey reflects on how the city became the mistake on the lake and wonders about the city's future.
Is a Cleveland renaissance possible or is the city doomed to a long, slow death?
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 first of six episodes that will air between March 15-19, 2010.
The next episode, Fix the Schools, will go live at noon ET today.
Approximately 5 minutes long.
Go to reason.tv for iPod, HD, and audio versions of this video.
Subscribe to Reason.tv's KZbin channel and receive automatic notification when new videos go live.

[@djben1977]

I grew up in the Tremont neighborhood, Clarence Ct. I was born in 1952. And I still live in Cleveland. Thank you Mr. Cary for taking the time to do this. I applaud and sincerely appreciate what you are attempting to do. Thank you.

[@fishsama999]

I'm from Cincinnati. Sure we have a friendly rivalry with Cleveland in sports, but in many ways, we're not far off from Cleveland in terms of economic and social problems (by my estimation). I hope both our cities can rise above all this with the principles of maximum free markets and less government, so I'm glad to have Drew Carey as an Ohioan. Part of the reason why I subscribed to this channel in the first place.

[@surferdfagan]

Koodoos to you Drew and all involved with making this project a reality. Educating the people who live here is probably the most important thing someone could do to bring about change! Looking forward to seeing all the episodes you bring live!

[@TheSiskoGGs]

I really enjoyed these videos. They really did take a hard look at allot of the issues facing Cleveland. However, these videos was made back in the 2010. I would love to see a follow up video series. Checking on Cleveland to see the change that has happened in the city since 2010 if any. Thanks

[@nogl0001]

i'm pumped for this series!

[@ls1z28chris]

I agree. Ultimately someone has to make a decision as to what is best for their family. Sometimes that leads to the painful decision to leave home. My parents did it when I was 3/4 when they left New Orleans when the oil industry there crashed. Now I'm 26 and am aching to get back down there.

[@jakob7722]

You forgot how a big problem was the unions made the businesses head toward the south and west US where there were little unions. Unions got too greedy, businesses fled

[@Amidat]

@angel55676 - yes - NYC experienced a similar type of renaissance as Sydney. Once NYC tackled crime it was able to re-attract investment... but that had much to do with it's strategic and symbolic importance. A lot of the investment came from overseas really. Some of the cities you mentioned may never be as strong as they once were.. but that doesn't mean that they have to be depressed. They just have to try to cultivate new industries.

[@GOPsithlord]

As fmr NE OH resident who grew up in a house of Clevelanders, I sincerely hope the city is paying attention to their solutions.

[@thejoeyd9207]

Read “Strong Towns” - THAT is what Cleveland needs

[@paulfeine]

we used the sony ex1 for this project. $6300 @ b & h these days. we've had some focusing/firmware issues, but it's otherwise a lovely camera.

[@mike8903]

i love the song in these clips does anyone know what the song is called?

[@djben1977]

Clevelander here, no offense taken. I totally agree.

[@huttwigley]

@ Vlaxitov You are correct! It's called "Voting With Your Legs"!

[@jsh78mang]

Great video and great thing Drew is doing trying to fix his home town. Now if other celebrities did the same thing??? HMMM.

[@Amidat]

@razoredge45 - no my point was that the population in Florida for example did not start to increase exponentially until there was reliable air-conditioning. That is a fact of history. Yeah it sounds nice to say "low cost - low regulation"... but after a generation or two - that changes because then regulations are needed once the population reaches a certain level. Real estate goes by supply and demand. Once a place becomes popular prices go up... and then there is the "next best place".

[@GWHH19]

Drew Please come to Pgh. and help us!

[@paulfeine]

we used the sony ex1 for this project. $6300 @ b&h these days. we've had some focusing/firmware issues, but they've otherwise been great.

[@mwangolatrue]

You see I agree with you, but we need to give more specific information to attract converts

[@enotdetcelfer]

Let's hope! hehe

[@hagbard72]

Were's the HD version??

[@vonPeterhof]

@Vlaxitov I agree with Is1z28chris. Also, not everyone grows up dreaming to spend the rest of their life in their hometown, but it is really sad when people have to get rid of their property, uproot their families and move to a place they have no connection to, just because a bunch of thugs and crooks ruined their hometown against their will. This has happened to me thrice as I was groing up and it was pretty traumatic. I would only recommend "voting with the feet" as a last resort measure.

[@Amidat]

@razoredge45 - i'm not sure if you were trying to be funny or not... but western Europe is spending a whole lot of money on renewable energy... and they also offer their citizens much more entitlements that most places in the US. If the US was a part of the "Euro zone" - it would be like Greece is now. People are moving south 1) because it is cheaper - just like when they went west. 2) check the availability of air conditioning and you will see after that the migration south started.

[@ls1z28chris]

@DillonX So what people here are doing is trying to break away from the city of Atlanta and incorporate their own towns. Much of the surrounding suburbs are tired of unresponsive county government, at least in Fulton, and incorporating their own cities. Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, etc. So having the core city simply annex the 'burbs isn't feasible here. They aren't likely to be able to annex other cities and towns.

[@ls1z28chris]

@Vlaxitov The problem is that such "statements" probably won't cause a turn around for the city. What will happen is that all the smart, capable, educated citizens will leave. The people left behind, the ignorant, lazy, and government supported, will be the pool from which the new elected representatives will be selected. It is a downward spiral.

[@gtpontiacg6995]

he's a Celebrity who Used to a native of Cleveland If he hadn't made it as a Celebrity He,d Be Putting up With the Real Problems Of Cleveland Neighborhoods

[@gtpontiacg6995]

he's kidding?!

[@ls1z28chris]

@DillonX It isn't as simple as you think. Here in Atlanta the city is shrinking. You have masses of poor, uneducated blacks in the south of the city who dominate its politics while not contributing much in the way of taxes. In the north you have very affluent, mostly white, neighborhoods that contribute the vast majority of its tax revenue. Yet those people have no chance of having a say in city government. See the "black mayor at all costs" memo of last year's election.

[@gtpontiacg6995]

Here's the Problem Get Realistic! the heyday of Cleveland Is Gone

[@robertpreskop4425]

Exactly, Cleveland like many other older northern US cities is going to be much smaller and not as economically important. It would be very wise for Cleveland to reimagine itself as a smaller city with an economy that isnt based mostly on heavy industry.

[@Hamadm6311611]

I live in Cleveland and if I can help in any way with this project, please contact me!!

[@guslingus]

Study economic history. Elitist capital has no home.. It has sucked the area dry and has moved on to new green pastures in China. You must prepare for a drop in living standards and taxes on consumption of resources. No happy tune will change that..

[@larrydallas187]

@DillonX so would the suburbs be in and pay their taxes to a rural municipality? if not the city municipality. they need to amalgamate, get them tax dollars. All cities have core deterioration, its just the way she goes.

[@JTlovesDexter]

Go Parma!

[@BrendanMcClelland]

This vid has used bogus optimism over objective reality. Cleveland is still far from making a renaissance.

[@ametora1231]

socialist and logical in the same sentence? that does not compute.

[@BrendanMcClelland]

And yet this video fails to realize that the decline of the Rust Belt and the decline of the working class are intertwined with each other. Forget bringing young professionals to the Rust Belt. All they will do is drive out the working class folks who built the once great cities of the Rust Belt. Nowadays working class people are fading away and have been largely replaced by a mass underclass. Anybody who fails to realize any of this is trapped in a bubble of non-reality.