The Hough Community Green Space unites community vision with sustainable development to cultivate a park for Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood to cherish for generations.
The Hough Community Green Space is a transformative project by Western Reserve Land Conservancy aimed at converting a vacant 2.6-acre lot into a welcoming park in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood. It’s a response to the area’s need for quality recreational spaces. The project has evolved through extensive community collaboration, from initial surveys and meetings with local stakeholders to design proposals from Cornell students. With the hiring of experienced local firms for site design, the project is now in the final stages of planning, incorporating community feedback to finalize the park’s features and layout, ensuring it meets the needs and aspirations of Hough residents.
Partnerships:
Western Reserve Land Conservancy spearheads the Hough Community Green Space Project as project manager, fundraiser, and coordinator, while following the lead of our local partners who guide the project’s vision and community connection.
Village Family Farms, Little Africa Food Co-op, Famicos Foundation, and Councilwoman Stephanie Howse have been the cornerstone of the Hough Community Green Space Project. As our local stakeholders, they’ve provided invaluable guidance, ensuring the park’s vision stays true to the community’s aspirations.
Environmental Design Group provided the initial design that kick-started our funding.
Cornell University Planning Students, led by Professor Mitch Glass, turned local feedback into four detailed concept designs.
City Architecture and Layer Cake are now finalizing the concept designs into plans ready for construction, leveraging their professional expertise with local experience.
The land, formerly a Cleveland elementary school and currently under the stewardship of the Land Conservancy, is set to become a city park overseen by the City of Cleveland, complementing the Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center and securing its place as a community resource for future generations.
Our journey began when the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District presented a unique opportunity: a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to repurpose vacant properties. The Western Reserve Land Conservancy saw potential in a 2.6-acre empty canvas in the Hough neighborhood, where the John W. Raper school once stood. With the community’s need for quality, accessible park space in mind, we proposed a passive green space to fill this gap and catalyze neighborhood revitalization.
The city and school district accepted our vision, marking the beginning of a deeply collaborative process. We reached out to the heartbeat of Hough—its residents and local partners. Alongside Famicos Foundation, Village Family Farms, Little Africa Food Co-op, City Planner Kim Scott, and Councilwoman Stephanie Howse, we embarked on a series of door-to-door surveys and community engagement sessions. These efforts ensured our plans would be a true reflection of the local community’s desires and needs.
Drawing on these foundational discussions, a dedicated group of Cornell University planning students entered our story. They brought a fresh perspective and, after a series of community-hosted events, presented four distinct concept plans for the green space. Each plan was a mosaic, pieced together with local feedback and a detailed understanding of the site’s potential. You can view the student’s final design presentations at the bottom of this page.
With these concepts in hand, the Land Conservancy issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to find the right design firm to crystallize these visions into reality. After a thorough search, we selected a team with roots in the Hough community: City Architecture and Layer Cake landscape design. Their expertise promised to honor the collective imagination of the residents.
City Architecture’s design process has been iterative and inclusive, engaging the community every step of the way. Residents have had a say in refining the park’s design, contributing to the final layout and selection of amenities. It’s this partnership that has shaped the Hough Community Green Space into a project that not only promises a brighter, greener future but also stands as a testament to what we can achieve together.