Jackson says his goal is to make Cleveland a "city of choice." In what he's calling the Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan, city dollars will leverage state and federal money for investment across all 36 city neighborhoods. It will cover a wide range of projects, from the lakefront plan developed by former Mayor Jane Campbell, to demolition or rehabilitation of dilapidated housing, to various economic development initiatives. Jackson says he's taking a holistic approach to making Cleveland attractive to businesses and residents.
Frank Jackson: We're going to rebuild this entire city, and we're going to do it in an equitable way based on those needs and based on those assets, and that is why we've categorized neighborhoods and doing specific things in those neighborhoods and directing resources as they're needed.
The initiative was developed jointly by the city's community and economic development departments. The mayor says it represents a year's worth of work and planning. Cleveland hasn't had a capital improvement plan since 1991.