As more large-scale developments are being planned in Cleveland, interest grows in making them as green as possible. Building Cleveland by Design (BCbD) is a new nonprofit project that is working to expand the influence of local expertise in green building, urban design and public art initially by making the Flats a green neighborhood.

The project is being managed by ParkWorks and Cleveland Public Art, and it also involves The Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Center for Regional Sustainability (host of this GreenCityBlueLake site), Kent State's Urban Design Collaborative, and other organizations.

For now, a geographic focus of BCbD's work will be in the Flats near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. The convergence of major developments in this district — including Flats East Bank, Stonebridge, Canal Basin Park, Wendy Park, the Towpath Trail and a possible new convention center — provides an exciting opportunity to bring together high-performance building techniques and high quality public spaces.

BCbD will be managing the LEED-Neighborhood Development design and certification process for the Flats East Bank development, which is one of four pilot projects seeking LEED-ND rating in Greater Cleveland. The project also seeks to work closely with other parties involved in redesigning the Flats as a vibrant, 24-hour neighborhood.

BCbD director, Justin Glanville, says the organization will offer services in these three areas for the Flats and future projects:

Public realm and urban design. BCbD will lead the design process to create a cohesive streetscape and public areas that are inviting to pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and cars alike and work to strengthen connections between the distinct pockets of activity in the Flats.

Sustainable building and quality architecture. Besides managing the LEED-ND process for Flats East, BCbD will advocate for the new convention center to be LEED-certified and to imbue the center with new ideas, maybe in the form of a design competition.

Green infrastructure. Glanville and Cleveland Foundation special projects coordinator Lillian Kuri (who is managing the other LEED-ND projects in Cleveland) will be part of new "Green Teams" at the City of Cleveland that would pull together representatives from across departments to work on issues of permitting, zoning/ordinances, design review and offer technical assistance and training in the effort to bring the area's three LEED-ND pilot projects from concept to reality. The effort will extend to coordinating with the Northeast Ohio Sewer District on stormwater management and watershed planning.

Resources

• Flats East Bank public space design guidelines
• Best practices in river district design photo gallery