City governments often get a bad rap. Cleveland's government isespecially vulnerable to dismissal, what with that lingering "mistakeon the lake" thing. But some informed government watchers — at Harvard,no less — like what they see, at least in terms of the city'swillingness to cooperate with communities in building a better future.

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation,at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, recently recognizedthe Strateg... Read more >

With just six miles remaining, and following a route that was created some 177 years ago, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail finally is nearing completion. Terminating at the Flats' new Canal Basin Park, the Towpath Trail will connect cyclists and pedestrians to Cleveland's historic neighborhoods. And when it comes to attracting the highly mobile talent class, access to bike paths is no longer an amenity -- it's a necessity

So how deeply has the sustainability movement taken hold in NortheastOhio? Three organizations that already have a lot on their platesrecently collaborated to save some grass.

Mind you, this wasn't just any grass. This was native prairie grassthat until recently was part of an art installation on Mall B. But theinstallation must make way for the Medical Mart, for which ground willbe broken later this month. So last spring, Cleveland Public Art contacted Slavic Village Dev... Read more >

The Euclid Corridor project is completed. The Towpath Trail is knocking on downtown's back door. The long-planned Medical Mart and convention center are nearing shovel-ready status. Dan Gilbert's downtown casino is a deal away. And a revived Flats blueprint is being unfurled. This is the moment that green-space advocates have been dreaming about for years.

What's it like to be a Cleveland locavore? Spend a day with Dan Scharf, an attorney who smokes meat, cures ham, and raises chickens, and you'll find out. Hint: It involves a lot of shopping.

We managed to squeeze three days of mind-bending, jaw-dropping art, technology, music and performance art at the Ingenuity Fest into one teeny little photo slide show. Let Fresh Water managing photographer show you around.

For decades it was merely a dream, but soon, the Syrian Cultural Garden becomes a reality. Part of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens that wend along Rockefeller Park, the Syrian Garden is in progress on Martin Luther King Boulevard across from the Indian Garden. Upon completion, it will be the first of the Cultural Gardens representing an Arab country.

About 80 years ago, Cleveland's Syrian community received a garden site on which to commemorate its culture and heritage. Pl... Read more >