The Civic Commons: Common Blog

Radio Free Summer

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Spokeswoman for a healthier commute

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:00:00 -0400

If you haven’t noticed, biking is really taking off in Northeast Ohio. As the cost of gasoline goes up and our streets become more biking friendly, there are fewer and fewer excuses not to ride. There are incredible advocates for cycling in the region, the newly formed Bike Cleveland being the biggest convener of advocates in Cleveland. Bike Cleveland was born in September of 2011 from cyclists and civic leaders after years of talk about an organized advocacy entity. Guidance fromcities like Columbus, Pittsburgh and Chicago provided Cleveland with a vision for how to make the city a safer and more enjoyable place to ride.

Guest Blog: What are effective ways for dealing with Iran without war?

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Guest Blog

by Norman Robbins and Douglas Kerr (for Cleveland Peace Action Education Fund)

Over many years, the US and Iran have been unable to negotiate a mutually secure peace agreement, especially on the nuclear issue. Many questions surround the looming difficult choices: further sanctions, more effective negotiations, or war.

Fitzball, or what government is actually made of

Tue, 29 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

With all this talk about rising taxes and government efficiency, you'd think more people would be paying attention to the Cuyahoga County Executive. They're applauding him and all, but it doesn't seem like they're actually listening.

Take me back to the Rust Belt city

Tue, 29 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

What is it about cities, particularly in the Rust Belt, that attract young talent? I reflect on my own journey in Cleveland.

Open Source 101 (video included!)

Mon, 28 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

The Civic Commons might not be the Khan Academy, but if you want to expand your knowledge base about open source software, learn why government should be using it and take steps to make that happen, this post, this Powerpoint and this handy new Civic Commons petition tool - should do the trick

Tilting at silos

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Shouldn’t an entity be tasked with creating a meta-conversation for all of the collaboration silos to, er, collaborate? Yes, I’m talking about a silo of silos -- a place where the wisdom and day-to-day best practices can be shared, organized and disseminated.

Don't gamble with downtown

Wed, 23 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

The Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland opened to much fanfare last week. There were countless articles and news stories about all the new features of the casino, beefied up police protection, and of course where to park. So we can check that off the list. Now what are we going to do with tax revenues from the casino? That’s the debate currently raging in the chambers of County Council. Should the monies be utilized to bolster downtown or spread throughout the county?

Do one thing now

Mon, 21 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Today, I have only one request, and it's an easy one.

Everybody's talkin' 'bout pop culture

Sat, 19 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

...the shaping of popular perception is every bit and as important as the more tangible concerns that preoccupy those who are trying to improve the region.

Get out there and move!

Tue, 15 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

I recently finished the national bestseller Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, an inspirational story about a method of living that we’ve actually known for 10,000 years, but recently rediscovered--running to be happy, to be healthy and to survive.

Evangelizing Open Source...for Government

Mon, 14 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Ever feel like you've been lured into something that turns out to make you the Mikey in the room? You know, from the 1970s LIFE cereal ad, "I know! Let's get Mikey to try it! He hates everything!"

Victory for Bipartisanship?

Mon, 14 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

The Democrats won a victory last week, but none of them will tell you that. I can't figure out why.

Patriots and Fat Cats

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

I think in our everyday lives, we all accept toxic language without recognizing how much it blocks our progress.

Are You a Civic Idol?

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

The Civic Commons is holding its first “Civ-Hop Civ-Pop contest with a grand prize of $500 and an opportunity to share your civic passions with the greater community.

Separation of Church and State

Wed, 09 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

The separation of church and state, one of the pinnacles of the First Amendment of the Constitution, has been such an important clause of American history, allowing all faiths, races, and creeds to practice their own rituals without persecution by the state. Yet it seems today we have reversed the trust of this First Amendment clause, with religious organizations using government constructs to pass laws that restrict the rights of others because it is not within their own religious beliefs.

Hacking the economy

Wed, 09 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

It all started with the Kent Community Time Bank. A couple months back, a Facebook friend added me to a what seemed like a random group, and very soon, I started getting updates from the Time Bank with unparalleled frequency. So, being me, I got curious. It's all, I realized, about hacking the economy.

Why I run

Sun, 06 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Do you know what civic engagement means? If you don’t it’s okay because the likelihood is you are already participating every day without even thinking about it.

Engaged...Or Addicted?

Sun, 06 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

So engaged was my social media interaction at a conference recently that I may win a free trip back next year. And yet one attendee of the same event aggressively described my activity as being addicted. I'm still trying to figure out if this is a case of semantics, evidence of a digital divide or something else entirely.

Which is scarier: terrorists or superheroes?

Thu, 03 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

If you've caught the news lately, you will have noticed a terrorist plot was recently exposed in Greater Cleveland. Most of the community that is giving these five misguided self-proclaimed anarchists a second thought is wondering what on earth was motivating them and whether we should be worried about more homegrown discontent. If you ask the pundits who spend full time hours worrying about terrorism, though, the big threat to Cleveland isn't bomb plots. It's superheroes.

More parking needed? I think not.

Wed, 02 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Parking is an necessary evil for urban planners. Especially in region like Northeast Ohio, which is addicted to the automobile. With all the development in downtown Cleveland the discussion of parking shortage has begun in earnest. Horseshoe Casino is predicting hundreds of thousands of new visitors opens in early May and the Convention Center/Medical Mart is predicting similar numbers opens in 2013. New businesses moving downtown like AmTrust Financial and its 1,000 workers will further strain the parking situation, right? Where will all these people park?

Yes, 2.0 is a tired metaphor, but...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

In case you haven't been paying attention, there have been some very exciting improvements to our website in the last month or so. It may be too lofty and overreaching to say this is the coming to fruition of months and months of work, dreaming, and something in between, but we've been saying for awhile that we were giving community members a chance to turn talk into action. Now, we finally turned that talk into some action.

If Clown Fish Can Do It, So Can We

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

I used to think of Ellen DeGeneres whenever I thought of the movie, Finding Nemo. But now? I think of efficient government.

Faith-Based Civic Improvement

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Faith is the key to transforming our region. But the kind of faith I’m talking about doesn’t require a spiritual belief, although that probably helps. I’m talking about an unrelenting faith in an imagined collective future -- a future that is vibrant and looks a good deal like what we’d like it to look like.

Making change through petitions

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Last night I was catching up on some episodes of The Daily Show with John Stewart and I watched Monday’s interview with Ben Rattray, founder of Change.org. The interview, embedded below, is worth watching for two reasons. First, hearing Ben talk about why he started Change.org is seriously inspiring. Second, Change.org is an example of a community-based, civic-oriented, altruistic venture like the Civic Commons that took four years to take off, but is now a great success and actually leading to CHANGE!