Cleveland is a city consistently ranked among the poorest in the nation. It also frequently tops lists of undesirable realities ranging from Black infant mortality to the digital divide.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR IMPACT
An expanding network of organizations has adopted this Urban Agenda of continuous improvement informed by rigorous data collection to retool systems, increase economic mobility and drive transformative change.
Urban Agenda Activities Began In October 2023
35000+
HOURS
80
ORGANIZATIONS
120+
MEETINGS
CALCULATING THE BENEFIT FOR THE REGION
$6,900,000,000
6.9 BILLION
Estimated annual increase in Cuyahoga County GDP if racial and ethnic disparities in employment, wage and educational attainment were eliminated.
The Federal Reserve Community Development staff conducted a simulation in 2021 estimating the gains each state would see in gross domestic product if racial and ethnic and gender disparities in employment, wages and educational attainment were eliminated. The analysis tallied the benefit from eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in Ohio to be roughly 5.7% (or $12 billion) over a baseline GDP of $210 billion. Using 2022, the baseline year for this Economic Mobility Dashboard of indicators, as a reference, that would suggest Cuyahoga County would have had an additional $6.9 billion in GDP if racial and ethnic labor market disparities had been eliminated.
ABOUT THE URBAN AGENDA
This Urban Agenda is a bold, collective pursuit for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Since Fall 2019, PolicyBridge has been convening talks and organizing meetings of leaders and representatives from local government, philanthropic, business advocacy, and social and community support organizations. Building on a 2021 report from PolicyBridge advocating for “Resetting the Table” in Cleveland, these meetings have sought to bring together stakeholders and challenge them to think differently and act collaboratively to address deep-rooted problems that have too long held back the local community and its people. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress but ultimately enabled the effort to ride the tide of an unprecedented wave of new institutional leadership. Now is the time for an Urban Agenda envisioning a brighter future for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County through collective action.
Cleveland is a city consistently ranked among the poorest in the nation and is also singled out for undesirable realities ranging from Black infant mortality to the digital divide.
ECONOMIC DISPARITIES LOOM LARGE
FOR BLACK AND HISPANIC RESIDENTS OF CLEVELAND COMPARED TO WHITE RESIDENTS
- $26,000
LESS INCOME
BLACK HOUSEHOLDS
-$128,000
LESS WEALTH
- $16,250
LESS INCOME
HISPANIC/LATINO HOUSEHOLDS
1.9x
HIGHER POVERTY RATE
The focus of this Urban Agenda is improved economic mobility—measured as gains in income, wealth and poverty status—for Black and Hispanic/Latino populations in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. The region can no longer accept having large segments of the local community denied pathways to prosperity. Removing barriers to opportunities and mobility not only will improve the lives of Black and Brown families, but will help prime the economic engine for the region overall and generate a more vibrant community for all.
URBAN AGENDA ECONOMIC MOBILITY GOALS
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Increase Median Household Incomes of
Black and Brown Families.
WEALTH GAP
Close the Black/Hispanic/White
Wealth Gap.
POVERTY RATE
Reduce Poverty Rates Among
Black and Brown Residents.
A CHANGE IN APPROACH
The Urban Agenda is not a new program or an initiative advocating programmatic change. Instead, the Urban Agenda emphasizes systemic change, striving to reform structures, alter practices and shift mindsets to bring about long-term solutions. Community initiatives tend to be program-based. These play important roles in addressing societal challenges and improving communities, but they typically do not focus on, nor have the capacity for, sweeping, population-level change. Population-level change requires an emphasis on systems, an understanding of intersecting factors and coordinated action. The Urban Agenda advocates a collective impact approach toward a consensus vision for improving economic mobility and eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
TRACKING DATA
The Urban Agenda Dashboard is a first step in understanding where we are today and will be an important tool in measuring progress toward the consensus priority of improved economic mobility. The Dashboard will help shape the priorities and activities of the Urban Agenda and its partnering organizations. It is hoped that the Dashboard will also inform individual actions and community efforts to bring about meaningful change.
THE PROCESS
Engage and activate collaboration partners using a Collective Impact model consisting of common agenda, co-designed strategies and activities, backbone organization, and shared measurement to leverage networks, align efforts, remove systemic barriers, and make progress toward stated goals.