Environmental Costs of Urban Sprawl

Several decades ago, following the dramatic loss of about one-fifth of Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing jobs, Cleveland turned to the academic community for help in analyzing the region’s economic problems. Case Western Reserve University’s Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI) was created to help economic recovery. REI seeks to improve the economic welfare of the nation’s regions through a unique program of policy research, education, and decision support. REI’s studies have contributed to the region’s economic development by providing better information to policy makers.

This capability gave Cleveland an information advantage, changing its thinking about itself and helping to launch some of the City’s most important programs during the 1980s.

TerrAqua participated in public and technical meetings to identify regional priorities, needs, and capabilities; helped develop a framework for evaluating the economic and environmental impacts of alternative land-use patterns; contributed recommendations and analytical approaches; and translated complex technical information into clear, accessible findings for policymakers, community leaders, and the public. This work supported the broader regional effort to develop a consensus-based approach to sustainable land-use planning in Northeast Ohio.

Client: Center for Regional Economic Issues, Case Western Reserve University