Community Vision Plan


The Cleveland Public Library (CPL) is leading an effort to determine the appropriate services that will be offered at its branch locations by 2019 through authentic engagement and valued input from community residents.

CPL engaged Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) to partner with Enlightenment Consulting Group (ECG) to provide the necessary neighborhood planning expertise. The CUDC, in collaboration with ECG, will articulate community priorities and generate a clearer vision of the library’s role in each target neighborhood.

CPL faces a challenge familiar to many institutions serving communities in Cleveland: How can we best meet the needs of our patrons in a changing context of new technologies, aging facilities, and declining population? CPL’s response to this question will be crafted individually for each branch neighborhood, based on the unique demands and opportunities present in those communities. The CUDC’s local knowledge of Cleveland neighborhoods and expertise in public engagement and physical urban planning provide the complementary skills to enable CPL to take the next step in crafting an equitable Community Vision Plan.

The current planning process addresses thirteen initial branches, split into three groups.

Group 1: Fleet, South, Sterling, and Woodland
Group 2: BrooklynEast 131st St., Mount Pleasant, and South Brooklyn
Group 3: Eastman, Hough, Union, Walz, and West Park

 

A final report will be produced for each group with recommendations tailored to each branch, which may include:

  • Exterior architectural renovations for library branch buildings
  • Conceptual proposals for reprogramming interior spaces
  • Outdoor site improvements on library properties
  • Framework for prioritizing library service locations based on pedestrian, transit, and bicycle accessibility
  • Streetscape enhancements to improve neighborhood character surrounding branch buildings
  • Creative ideas for bridging the digital divide
  • Opportunities for current library services to shift to other neighborhood locations
  • Partnerships with community organizations to achieve residents’ desires

Please check back frequently to this CPL150.org website for updates on the community engagement process.

Thank you!