Cleveland Neighborhoods by the Numbers

Western Reserve Land Conservancy has released Cleveland Neighborhoods by the Numbers, a comprehensive report documenting building conditions found through the citywide Cleveland Property Inventory conducted by the Land Conservancy last year. The report provides a framework for blight removal and reinvestment city-wide and also captures the stories of Cleveland residents as they navigate the opportunities and challenges of a city in transition.

The citywide survey was conducted throughout 2015 by Western Reserve Land Conservancy in cooperation with the City’s Department of Building and Housing, Cleveland City Council and local community development corporations. A 16-member staff, consisting of mostly Cleveland residents, worked to survey all of the more than 150,000 parcels in Cleveland – and the buildings associated with them – to provide a snapshot of the current property condition. Information about each parcel – including its vacancy status, the condition of any structures on it and a photo – was recorded on a tablet computer.

Funding for the survey and report was generously provided by the Cleveland Foundation as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Quicken Loans and JACK Entertainment.

It is the Land Conservancy’s hope that the survey will provide the city with information that can be used to prioritize what structures should be demolished with available funds and to determine any need for additional demolition funding.  Interest in a citywide survey grew last year, when the Land Conservancy partnered with the Saint Luke’s Foundation to complete a study of two neighborhoods in southeastern Cleveland.

An online copy of the final report, Cleveland Neighborhoods by the Numbers, can be found here.