Research and publications

The GreenCityBlueLake Institute has had a long and influential history of research and publication, dating back to the founding of its preceding organization, EcoCity Cleveland, in 1992. Below are some of the documents that shaped the civic discussion about environmental and sustainability issues in Northeast Ohio.

Climate change
   Carbon emissions inventory
      - Inventory: Northeast Ohio greenhouse gas emissions
   Transition plans
      - Transition: Transportation
      - Transition: Buildings
      - Transition: Electricity generation
   Toolkits for action
      - Climate toolkit for local communities
      - Campus climate neutrality toolkit

Lakefront design
   Aerial tour of Northeast Ohio's lakefront
   Best Practices for Urban Waterfronts
   Burke Lakefront Airport: A report on its history, its current status and its future (2002)
   Cleveland Lakefront Rail Bypass Study (2003)
   Reclaiming our Lake Erie shore
   Lakefront ecological restoration

Regional land use
   Citizens' Bioregional Plan for Northeast Ohio
            We created a vision of sustainable land use for Northeast Ohio. The plan includes
            conceptual maps for compact cities and towns with urban development zones, a
            regional greenbelt, farmland protection areas, and other features. (1998, out of print)
   Church in the City
   Moving to Corn Fields
   Ohio Smart Growth Agenda
   The Smart Growth Challenge in Ohio (2002)
   Planning to stay: Proceedings of the Sustainable Communities Symposium 2000
              (EcoCity Journal V7N5-12 Summer 2000)
   What do We Like? Finding a common language of design (EcoCity Journal V7N12 2001)
   Making better places: A citizens' guide to assessing existing neighborhoods and proposed developments in Northeast Ohio (2004)
   Where are we now? (EcoCity Journal V6N9/10 October/November 1999)
   Connecting to Nature in Northeast Ohio: A map of opportunities for open space conservation, river corridor protection, and trail linkages

SmartHome
   SmartHome project page
   SmartHome Exhibit Resource Guide
   David Beach's award-winning article on the PNC SmartHome in Museum Magazine

Transportation
   Bet on bikes: The business case and economic analysis in support of University Circle biking   initiatives (with Case Weatherhead) 

   Car-Free in Cleveland
             Car-Free in Cleveland is your complete guide to getting around Northeast Ohio by
             bus, train, taxi, bicycle, car- and van-pools, and on foot. Whether you're visiting for
             the day or you're a lifelong resident of the Northeast Ohio, this is the essential guide
            for a healthy, car-free lifestyle. (1999, out of print)
   Circle-Heights Bike Network map
   Benefits of a Transportation Management Association for Greater University Circle (2007)
   The transit waiting environment ideabook (2003)
   Cleveland Bike Share: Potential and Possibility (2012 study with Case Weatherhead)

Watershed planning
   A Decision-Support Model of Land Suitability Analysis for the Ohio Lake Erie Balanced 
        Growth Program (2007)
   The State Role in Guiding Land Use Change in the Ohio Lake Erie Basin (2007)
   Helping Doan Brook insert - Guide for helping urban streams (May 2000)
   Northeast Ohio water quality plan
   Northeast Ohio watershed map poster

Other resources
   Environmental history of Greater Cleveland
   Genuine Progress Indicator
          We calculated the GPI for the State of Ohio, cities of Akron and Cleveland, and
          17 Northeast Ohio counties for the years 1950-2005.
   Conserving the Diversity of Nature in the Lake Erie Allegheny Ecoregion (2007)
   Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Briefing Book (2009)
   Water Ventures of Cleveland feasibility study

EcoCity Cleveland Journal  (1993-2002)
Before the development of more extensive web based reporting, our journal was the flagship publication and one of the best sources of information about the key issues facing Northeast Ohio — from ecological ways to redevelop cities to smart ways to preserve the countryside.  Find fully searchable archived issues of past Journal issues.

• ›  GCBL research
• Aerial tour of the lakefront
• EcoCity Cleveland Journal (1993-2002)