ABSTRACT
In Cleveland, the restored theatre district, Playhouse Square, is at the eastern end of the downtown area. Two of the new sports facilities are at the southern extent of the downtown area with the football stadium, and two new museums located on the downtown area’s northern edge adjacent to Lake Erie (see Figure 8.1). It may be that Cleveland’s leaders tried to spread new investments across too much geographic space. This reason for the lack of success and other lessons from Cleveland’s reliance on sports, entertainment, and culture as the anchors for its redevelopment strategy are explored and considered in this chapter. Throughout the early years of the 21st century, numerous vacant buildings and storefronts were interspersed between new assets and amenities. The failure to concentrate the new facilities and completely restore one part of the downtown area as opposed to initiatives in several parts of a shrinking core was surprising given the city’s rich planning history that emphasized carefully detailed plans and focused redevelopment.
