Cleveland Inner-City Greening Initiative

As BBC continues to redefine the parameters of community development, we have embarked upon the economic and social impacts of greening strategies. Coined the Cleveland Inner-City Greening Initiative, BBC seeks to improve the physical appearance of the streetscapes of its neighborhoods and city of Cleveland, as well as contribute to the economic viability of both.

Part of a two-prong approach, the landscaping initiative will employ local area residents, both youth and adults, who will landscape key public spaces, vacant lots, and owner-occupied homes of senior citizens and disabled persons for streetscape beautification and added aesthetic value to the neighborhood.

The urban tree farm initiative will transform a desolate area in the Forgotten Triangle (Garden Valley) neighborhood of Cleveland into a tree nursery for the growth and sale of trees to be planted along the streets of Cleveland and surrounding communities, across the campuses of area businesses and institutions, and within new developments. The concept originates from BBC's master planning process.

The feasibility study for an urban tree farm conducted by Arborist Alan Klonowski, is now available for download here.

To hear BBC Executive Director Timothy Tramble on WCPN 90.3 FM in Cleveland regarding the Cleveland Inner-City Greening Initiative, please click here. His interview begins around the 36-minute mark in the Tuesday, May 27, 2008 edition of "The Sound of Ideas."