Evaluation

Awards

2003 Governor's Award: The Cleveland EcoVillage Townhomes was selected as the 2003 Governor's Award for Energy Efficiency.

2003 NAHB Award: The National Association of Home Builders selected the Cleveland EcoVillage as 2003 Best Urban Setting, Multifamily Developments of less than 50 units.

2004 ODCA Project of the Year: The EcoVillage Townhomes received the Ohio Community Development Association (OCDCA) 2004 Project of the Year Award.

2004 Dominion Community Impact Award: The Cleveland EcoVillage was selected as a winner of the 2004 Dominion East Ohio Community Impact Award.

Objective Reactions

The initiatives put forth by the state of Ohio, and the city of Cleveland specifically are innovative and conscientious ideas to battle the ever present problem of suburban sprawl and poor landscape shaping design. The EcoVillage is just a small part that the city of Cleveland is investing in, to try and reverse some of these poor planning choices previously made. The initial idea of placing an EcoVillage near an already exisiting rapid transit station is certainly a clever idea. Instead of starting from scratch, many cities and communities should look at working with what has already been established and implementing new and innovative practices to make the area more sustainable.

This EcoVillage is not a completely defined area, which could be considered both positive and negative to its cause. Positively the area can continue to expand without having to grow past actual boundaries. Negatively, like with any specific site it can become hard to pinpoint exactly what consists in the ecovillage, however, the key to make these types of areas work well with the public is for proper signage and education so that more people can learn about what an ecovillage is and where is located, from a visual perspective. Community input and programs are brought to the table with every meeting and the EcoVillage is continuing to gain momentum. By involving the community fully in the decision-making process, the whole premise of an EcoVillage can be realized.

From an outsider looking in point-of-view, a good sense of community and sustainable living habits are proven valuable in this case study. It is possible for an area in a large city to start practicing green building tactics, alternate modes of transportation, and community involvement. Criticism comes into play when dealing with the future. How long can this EcoVillage actually stand true? With negative development encroaching just outside of the invisivble boundaries of the EcoVillage, it can become difficult for the area to remain "green." What are the guidelines for the home owners who purchase a townhouse or green built home? Also, what about the rapid transit station? Can it survive in the picture that the EcoVillage committee draws for it, or will this area become run down if the private automobile continues to be dominant?

Many questions arise to the nature of the future of this EcoVillage. But time and again these areas are praised for their opportunity to step back from poor design strategies and to look at where the future is heading. By addressing these issues, Cleveland, and Ohio as a whole, are moving in the right direction and are taking action as quickly as possible, while also educating their residents as to the best ways to live a sustainable, heathy, green existence in a urbanized environment.