As Cleveland updates the boundaries of its 36 "statistical planning areas," several neighborhoods stand to lose their traditional identities.
The new boundaries could also cause conflict among community development organizations and pressure them to collaborate or merge in order to survive. The changes could also result in changes to ward lines when City Council shrinks from 19 to 17 seats two years from now.
Under the plan, about a dozen planning areas would be changed or eliminated. For example, the Stockyards neighborhood would merge with Clark-Fulton and be known by that name. West Park would take over for Kamm's Corners. Aside from political and financial implications, the changes affect residents who strongly identify with traditional neighborhood monikers.
(See a map of Cleveland neighborhoods here. The Plain Dealer article on the proposed changes is here.)
Where do you stand? Do you live in/have an attachment to a particular Cleveland neighborhood? Do you think the proposed changes would negatively affect CDCs and their programming?
