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Cleveland part of national study on changing regional economies
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Michael Sangiacomo
Plain Dealer Reporter

Cleveland and other large metropolitan areas in Ohio will be examined as part of a million-dollar research grant on challenges facing urban areas.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded $1 million to the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program in Washington, D.C., for a three-year research project to analyze how metropolitan economies need to change in the face of globalization and other factors.

The foundation also gave $400,000 to the Urban and Regional Development program at the University of California at Berkeley for an 18-month study called the Successful Regions Project, designed to help local, state and national leaders "understand the demographic, economic and technological changes affecting metropolitan areas." A spokesman for the university said they have not determined whether Cleveland would be among the metropolitan areas to be studied as part of that grant.

Bruce Katz, director of the Metro Policy Program for Brookings, said the Cleveland area would be part of its project.

"We will be doing a lot of analysis about what matters to the regional economy," he said. "In the old days, something like a new stadium or a convention center fueled economic development. These days it's no longer clear if that's the case.

"Things like higher education are more critical to the health and vitality of a region than other factors," he added.

Katz said that three decades ago the health of a region like Cleveland was directly tied to its manufacturing industries.

"Today, a region prospers because of its people's high education, knowledge and services," he said.

Katz said researchers will compare trends in the major metropolitan areas of the country and see how they differ by the number of industries it has, their size and number of employees. Metropolitan areas will be able to see where they rank on these "clear indicators" of economic performance.

In a similar occurrence, the Cleveland Foundation awarded a $450,000 grant to the President's Council, a group of black business owners and executives, to study the impact of regional consolidation on the state's black community.

The study will examine how minority populations fared in regions around Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind., after the government services of the city and surrounding communities combined.

Lonnie Coleman, member of the President's Council and president of the Coleman Spohn Corp., said that if properly managed, regionalism can work for everyone.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

msangiacomo@plaind.com

216-999-4890