Browse Interviews

Frank Gerlak, architect and urban planner, discusses the history of Coventry and, more generally, Cleveland Heights. Throughout this discussion he touches on the topics of streetcars, planned suburbs, public transportation, and the nation's obsession with the automobile, which concludes with thoughts on Cleveland's development, growth, and missed chances.

Bob Gardin, of Big Creek Connects, grew up in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood, and has also been affiliated with the Tremont area. Informed by his background in business, politics, and urban planning, Gardin envisions an urban landscape where people are connected to the natural environment while still enjoying the benefits of living in the city. He remarks on the Jones Home Historic District, where he currently resides, and the importance of Cleveland's watersheds.

Susan Kaeser lived in Wisconsin through graduate school. She earned a master of urban planning degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, during which time she met Cleveland City Planning Director Norman Krumholz. Krumholz brought her to Cleveland to serve as a city planner. When she arrived in Cleveland in 1976 she lived first in the Ludlow neighborhood near Shaker Square before moving to Cleveland Heights in 1979. In the interview she discusses how she became a community activist, the…

Frank Porter Jr., of Central Cadillac-Hummer, discusses the history and role of the company in Cleveland's Midtown Corridor. He discusses the company's origins, the changing environment around the company, and its relationship with Midtown Cleveland Inc. Other topics include the debate over the configuration of the Innerbelt Freeway, the impact of the automotive industry on the area, accomplishments of Midtown Cleveland, and the impact of the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project on the Midtown…

Paul Volpe, President of City Architecture Inc., discusses the company's role in redeveloping Cleveland's Midtown Corridor. Established in 1989, City Architecture's main focus is urban redevelopment in the Northeast Ohio region. Volpe served as the urban architect for the mayoral administrations of George Voinovich and Michael White throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He discusses the ideas within city hall regarding redevelopment during his years working for the government. Volpe also explains how…

Interviewee Lilah Zautner talks about her ties to Cleveland and education in the first part of the interview. In July 2009, she was hired to manage the grant side of ReImagining Cleveland, a shared staff position. She talks about the study ReImagining Cleveland and more Sustainable Cleveland. Another point of discussion is how Neighborhood Progress Inc. approached the City of Cleveland to allocate funds. In much of the interview, she details out the application and funding process, problems…

Director of University Circle Incorporated, Chris Ronayne discusses the City of Cleveland, urban planning, and his own life's path. He begins by talking about how he got into urban planning on the recommendation of a professor during his undergraduate years. He went to Cleveland State University (CSU) where he met a professor, mentor, and lifelong friend Norm Krumholz. Through his work with Krumholz and the Levin College, Ronayne was able to get jobs as the Cuyahoga County Planner and as a City…

Jennifer Coleman, a native Clevelander, works as an architect in the city and is the founder of CityProwl, which provides free audio tours for downtown Cleveland. In this 2006 interview, Coleman, who resides in Euclid Avenue's Midtown district, provides a unique perspective of the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project. She speaks about the buildings along the whole of Euclid Avenue and the development of the street throughout history. In offering her opinion on the continued improvement of…

Norman Krumholz, Professor of Urban Studies at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, served as Planning Director for the City of Cleveland from 1969-79. As Planning Director, Krumholz helped establish the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) in 1975. In this 2006 interview, he gives his opinion on some of Cleveland's development projects - past and present - as well as the problems that Cleveland faces in remaining a viable city. Urban sprawl, deindustrialization, and…