The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

On December 11, 2020, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) adopted a new policy prioritizing racial and economic equity when making regional decisions about highway interchanges. NOACA is the first metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in the state to require this level of analysis for proposed highway interchange projects. Previously, decisions were made primarily focused on the impact of traffic flow and safety; with the new policy, consideration will be given to economic development, environmental justice, quality of life, transit and bike use, and racial equity.\r\n\r\nThis new policy follows decades of highway additions and expansions that encouraged suburban and exurban sprawl at the expense of the urban core - a practice that is often cited as a contributing factor to the region\'s racial segregation, persistent economic inequality, generational urban poverty, and struggling school systems.\r\n\r\nMany supporters of the policy believe it is long overdue - and hope it will lead to greater cooperation to strengthen the region as a whole, rather than pitting communities against each other in competition for jobs and new development. Others question the practicality of any continued suburban expansion given the region\'s flat population growth.\r\n\r\nJoin us as three regional leaders discuss the policy and its short- and long-term implications for the future of Northeast Ohio.

On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Trump violently stormed the Capitol after attending a rally on the National Mall where Trump furiously defended his belief that the election had been \"stolen\" from him. Five people died. Many saw it as inevitable, a cumulation of four years of President Trump and his administration testing the invisible boundaries of American democracy. Others called it a failed coup attempt. Regardless, the violence shocked the world, with many global leaders publicly expressing their anger and sadness while maintaining their belief in the strength of American democratic institutions.\r\n\r\nBut coups are not uncommon worldwide. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 75 countries (including a few that no longer exist - Czechoslovakia, North and South Yemen, and South Vietnam) have experienced at least one successful coup since World War II. Overall, while military and self-coups are on the decline, they still occur in the modern era: in 2013, Egyptian General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stormed the presidential palace riding his tank, toppling the first democratically civilian-elected President, Mohammed Morsi. In 2017, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was removed as president and party leader of ZANU-PF.\r\n\r\nIn the United States, Americans have struggled to define and comprehend what happened. Was it a riot? An uprising? A coup? And, perhaps more importantly, could it happen again? It\'s unfamiliar territory for a nation committed to a peaceful transfer of power.\r\n\r\nJoin us as experts discuss the what it takes to overthrow a democracy, and offer some perspectives on what happened in the United States on January 6.

Across the globe, young girls face innumerable challenges when it comes to education. Girls are four times as likely to be out of school than boys from the same background and, in 2016, an estimated 61 million girls were not receiving an education at all. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck it disrupted the education of girls, pulling many out of school to care for sick family members or to join the workforce. \r\nWhat is global impact of the health crisis on girls' education and on their well-being? How are current efforts being adapted to life in a pandemic to ensure girls have access to quality education and achieve their full potential in life and livelihood?\r\nThis forum is the Nathu Aggarwal and Roy Blackburn Forum. It is part of our Education Innovation series sponsored by PNC and Nordson Corp., with additional support from the Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation. Support for City Club Virtual Forums is provided by Bank of America, KeyBank, PNC and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Production and distribution of City Club forums in partnership with ideastream is generously provided by PNC and the United Black Fund. \r\n

Four years ago, as President Barack Obama was preparing to leave office, the United States Supreme Court looked radically different than it does today.\r\n\r\nSince he's been in office, President Donald J. Trump has appointed a record three new justices to the highest court in the land-Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017, Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and finally, Justice Amy Coney Barrett in late 2020.\r\n\r\nThese nominations and subsequent appointments were not without controversy, with opponents noting key, longstanding court cases such as Roe v. Wade (1973) now in jeopardy of being under legal scrutiny once again. However, proponents have countered, political affiliations aside, cases will still be subject to the same legal processes as any other ruling.\r\n\r\nStill the appointments have raised the question of just how influential the Supreme Court truly is, both on the federal and more local level. How will rulings going forward influence and even change state law? Will new, possibly controversial rulings have an effect on precedents on the local and regional levels?\r\n\r\nJoin us for a City Club Youth Forum on the ways in which federal law impacts what happens locally.

One of the hallmarks of American democracy is the peaceful transition of power between Presidents. Since President Joseph Biden was declared president-elect, that transition has been anything but peaceful. Violence has shocked the country to its very core. Social media companies stripped President Trump and many of his staunchest supporters of their accounts. What can the new administration do to bridge the deep fissures that divide us? Lisa Brown, Vice President and General Counsel of Georgetown University and Chris Lu, a Teresa A. Sullivan Practitioner Senior Fellow at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, both members of President Barack Obama\'s transition team, share their insights.\r\nThis forum is the Tecovas Foundation Endowed Forum. Support for City Club Virtual Forums is provided by Bank of America, KeyBank, PNC and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Production and distribution of City Club forums in partnership with ideastream is generously provided by PNC and the United Black Fund. \r\n

Working a summer job teaches young people communication skills and fiscal responsibility, and introduces them to the basics of business. However, youth summer jobs also have the potential to improve educational outcomes and disrupt cycles of economic inequality and crime. All members of the workforce have felt the impacts of COVID-19, but those who were already most at risk were disproportionately impacted. Local leaders discuss the importance of summer jobs, their influence on career preparedness, and the role of summer employment in disrupting cycles of economic inequality- specifically for Black and Brown youth in our community.\r\nThis forum is part of our Workforce Development series sponsored by the Deaconess Foundation. Support for City Club Virtual Forums is provided by Bank of America, KeyBank, PNC and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Production and distribution of City Club forums in partnership with ideastream is generously provided by PNC and the United Black Fund. \r\n

In late 2019, Cuyahoga County Council passed legislation creating the formation of the Citizens\' Advisory Council on Equity. For the last several months, the Council has worked on proposed changes to County policies, procurement, structure of County government, and the Cuyahoga County Code. Panel discusses Part II of our series on the work of the Citizens\' Advisory Council on Equity as four of their members discuss these proposed changes and what they mean for County residents.

America's legacy cities, once drivers of industry and wealth, have developed unique cultures of grit and innovation to try to overcome major obstacles like changing industries and government policies that steer investments away from communities of color. How do we confront racist systems that drive deep inequities in public health, safety, and access to opportunity in these unique American cities? How do we bring sustainability and modern urban infrastructure to these metropolitan centers while ensuring that everyone benefits from new investments and growth? \r\n\r\nSupport for City Club virtual forums is provided by Bank of America, KeyBank, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and PNC. Production and distribution of City Club forums in partnership with ideastream is generously provided by PNC and the United Black Fund.

Governmental ethics, transparency, and accountability took center stage a few months ago when Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives Larry Householder was discovered to have accepted a $60 million bribe from FirstEnergy in exchange for passing HB 6, a $1.3 billion bailout for the struggling nuclear power operator. Common Cause Ohio, the League of Women Voters, and the City Club are partnering to host a series of virtual events focused on transparency and accountability in the Ohio Statehouse. A panel explains structural changes need to be made to increase accountability and transparency at the Ohio Statehouse.\r\n\r\nThis forum is the Peter DiLeone Endowed Forum on Local Politics. Support for City Club Virtual Forums is provided by The Cleveland Foundation, Bank of America, The George Gund Foundation, KeyBank, PNC, Eaton, Nordson Corporation and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.\r\n

Enrique Pe?alosa has spent much of his career advocating for sustainable mobility and quality of life in cities. During his two terms as Mayor of Bogota, Pe?alosa implemented a city model that promoted equity, respect for human dignity, and gave priority to public pedestrian spaces. Mr. Pe?alosa discusses how he advanced equity for all residents through thoughtful transportation planning and urban design