Hard to argue with the comment that University Circle institutions need to do more to spur housing and create a dense, thriving village in University Circle. I was encouraged by the New York Times article on all of the redevelopment efforts going on there. Also, read Steven Litt's article where he talks to Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove—who considers the new parking garage a 'bitter pill'.

The Clinic needs to devote resources to more housing like the proposed Upper Chester and Beacon Place—why not offer a $10,000 voucher for 'campus' housing like Case is offering its employees? 

It will be easier to convince doctors and white-collar workers to live within walking distance of work once Cleveland gets its first taste of new mixed-use attractions on Euclid Avenue. Meanwhile, bike commuting for those living in Cleveland Heights makes sense—it should be part of the Clinic's health and wellness agenda if it isn't already.     

who walks and takes the #821 Circulator to work, my money's also on transit -- and on more housing within walking distance to campus -- as the long-term answer, more so than bikes. Bikes require people to be somewhat physically fit, and many people - though assuredly not everyone - are unprepared to bike in the worst days of Cleveland winters.
Any funny that you mention the University Circle parking crisis, because I've just been sending out feelers to stakeholders about a transit village on Cedar where the Red Line RTA station fronts. At a UCI event last fall, designers showed a sketch of a vastly improved RTA station that could come about due to RTA and maybe federal money that's been headed this station's way for a while. While we're at it, why not have a few housing unit suitable to Case staff or graduate students, plus a touch of lunch/coffee retail, abutting a cleaned up intersection designed so that people could cross the street without being terrorized by cars? If this idea excites you, email me at curatorius@hotmail.com
But as far as bikes are concerned, if you're going to live at Cedar and Fairmount, the choice between walking and biking is 5 minutes versus 15 minutes, and for the price of that extra ten minutes you won't have to wipe off sweat or check for bike grease on your pant leg.

I certainly agree that the over-dependence on cars is a serious long-term problem. A few thoughts, though:

(1) The parking cost: Surprisingly, I crunched the numbers and the per-unit cost ($42,500 per space) is not unreasonable. The Clinic can make their investment back in ten years at a reasonable rate (see my blog for the full calculations).

(2) As for biking: I'm not convinced that biking is a good direction to push for. Well, maybe not the only one anyway. I've never understood how bike-to-work functions in our area, given (a) the hills and (b) the inclement weather. What are the practical solutions to those problems? In any case, my money is still on mass transit, especially expanded light rail. I've seen enough light rail in action (Baltimore and Portland OR) to see that it has advantages over buses & subways.

(3) Do you think that the Euclid Corridor, once complete, will help the situation?

--Steve (http://grossreport.blogspot.com)