Local and national experts will discuss best practices in urban revitalization and community development

Metropolitan centers throughout the United States are experiencing a revival with people, businesses and community institutions moving to and investing in downtown cities in a manner not seen in decades. The positive impact of this revival has been significant for economic and community development but more work needs to be done to ensure that all citizens of America’s cities have equal access to quality health care, education and job opportunities.

Cleveland State University will host a TEDx Salon, March 31, to investigate the role anchor institutions, such as hospitals, universities and churches, can play in continuing and enhancing the metropolitan revival. This goes beyond the “If you build it they will come” mentality of the past and includes being an engaged and active participant in promoting healthcare access, educational attainment and neighborhood development in the areas they serve. The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in CSU’s Student Center Ball Room, 2121 Euclid Avenue.

Local and national experts in the field will discuss the role anchor institutions have played in the resurgence of cities and how they can enhance efforts to ensure this revival is available to all citizens and neighborhoods, as well as present best practices that can be disseminated nationally. The Salon will also delve deeper into several key areas of urban policy that anchor institutions can and should play a major role in addressing. These include: post-secondary attainment, the continued development of the “New Economy” and police/community relations.

Speakers for the event include Danette Howard, Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President of the Lumina Foundation; Ted Howard, President of the University of Maryland’s Democracy Collaborative; Lee Fisher, Interim Dean of CSU’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and former Lieutenant Governor of Ohio; Roland Anglin, Dean of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at CSU; Ronnie Dunn, Associate Professor of Urban Studies at CSU; and Jonathan Witmer-Rich, Associate Professor of Law at CSU.

The event is free and open to the public but registration is required. For more information or to register, visit http://tedxclevelandstateuniversity.com/tedxsalon-resurgent-city/.

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