Urban Agenda

THE URBAN AGENDA

WHAT IS AN URBAN AGENDA?

An Urban Agenda is not a report or policy brief, or a new program or initiative. An Urban Agenda calls for coordinated and integrated planning, collective action, and accountability. An Urban Agenda advances the economic and social inclusion of Black and Brown people; builds a vital, sustainable, healthy, and engaged community for all; addresses conditions that have resulted in disinvestment in communities of color; mitigates policies and practices that foster structural racism and ineffective systems; and serves as a blueprint that clarifies community priorities, codifies joint approaches for action, and unifies like-minded leaders from various backgrounds and disciplines to ensure successful implementation.

WHY AN URBAN AGENDA?

PolicyBridge was conceived to address issues negatively affecting life in Cleveland’s distressed neighborhoods, especially the African American community. In our 19 years of research and advocacy, we have seen a significant number of quality programs and initiatives to address a wide range of specific issues. Yet even our most successful endeavors have not moved the needle in improving the overall quality of life and access to economic opportunities in Cleveland’s low-wealth neighborhoods.

Cleveland is a city that consistently ranks among the poorest in the nation and is also singled out for undesirable realities ranging from Black infant mortality to the digital divide.

THE QUESTION – HOW CAN THIS BE?

Especially when we are a city of many diligent, and innovative community leaders and activists, an engaged business community, and admirable philanthropic institutions and resources.

THE ANSWER

Years of disinvestment, structural and institutional racism and inequities that continue to loom large in Cleveland

Challenges not deliberately addressed and accounted for to bring about meaningful change.

Well-intended endeavors, and single-issue initiatives are not enough to combat systemic, intersecting challenges.

To truly make a dent in such broad-based needs, we must unify our many individual efforts behind a single plan.

Why implement the Urban Agenda now?

The last few years have brought significant transformations in institutional leadership across various sectors, including government, philanthropy, social services, and business advocacy. This indicates a unique opportunity for innovative thinking and bold ideas. The Urban Agenda seeks to capitalize on this moment to create impactful change for the residents, businesses, and communities of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

What happens if we don’t change our approach to the challenges we face?

In 2004, Cleveland gained the unwanted title of the nation’s poorest big city. Despite various efforts over recent decades to improve, the city has largely remained among the nation’s poorest. Data suggest that the city and county have failed to keep pace with the state and nation overall in terms of measures of economic well-being, such as income, house values, education, and wealth. This relative decline has profound implications for the region. If we don’t change and look for new ways to address our challenges, we can only assume that we will continue to fall behind and lose economic vitality.

What is the Goal of the Urban Agenda?

Specifically, the Urban Agenda will aim to narrow and eventually eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in economic well-being in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. The three shared primary goals are:

improving median incomes for Black and Hispanic/Latino households,
reducing poverty rates and
closing the wealth gap between Black and Hispanic households and their White counterparts.

What makes the Urban Agenda unique from other initiatives?

The Urban Agenda is about systemic, not programmatic, change.
The Urban Agenda recognizes that significant change will take decades
The partner model of The Urban Agenda is unique.
The Urban Agenda adopts a collective impact approach to systemic change.

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.

DOWNLOAD Resetting the Table Report – Read the Complete Report

VISION

Adopt and pursue a shared Urban Agenda for improving economic mobility among Black and Brown families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, giving rise to a region that is both just and economically robust for all its citizens.

OBJECTIVE

Key governmental, institutional, and community stakeholders charged with improving economic and social conditions in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County unite behind co-designed strategies, collaborative planning, coordinated activities, shared metrics, and mutual accountability. Enabled by a singular moment of leadership change and new energy within stakeholder organizations, this shared Urban Agenda will incorporate annual tracking of population-level progress, data analysis, and community input to guide priorities, approaches, and resource allocation.

URBAN AGENDA GOALS

INCREASE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF BLACK AND BROWN FAMILIES

Over the past decade, Black and brown families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County have seen their household incomes fall relative to their white neighbors while the racial gap in incomes has tended to narrow for the state, nation, and comparable cities. By 2030, the income gap in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County between Black and Brown households and white households will no longer be wider than the gap seen in the state overall. By 2035, the racial income gap in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will be no wider than that of the nation overall. By 2040, the racial income gap will be 10% better than the national average, and by 2050, the gap will be eliminated.

CLOSE THE BLACK/HISPANIC/WHITE WEALTH GAP

By 2030, the wealth gap in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County between Black and Brown households and white households will no longer be wider than the gap seen in the state overall. By 2035, the racial wealth gap in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will be no wider than that of the nation overall. By 2040, the wealth gap between Black and Brown families and white families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will be 10% better than the racial gap seen nationwide, and by 2050, the gap will be eliminated.

REDUCE POVERTY IN CLEVELAND AND CUYAHOGA COUNTY

The poverty rate among Black and Brown families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County is more than twice the rate for the nation overall and is substantially higher than that experienced by Black and Brown families across the state and nation. By 2030, the poverty rate for Black and Brown families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will be on par with the rate for Black and Brown households in the state overall. By 2035, the poverty rate among Black and Brown families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will be no higher than the national average for Black and Brown families. By 2040, the racial poverty gap between Black and Brown families and white families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will be 10% better than the racial gap seen across the nation overall. By 2050, the gap will be eliminated.

ENTER THE URBAN AGENDA DASHBOARD HERE