Cuyahoga County, Ohio is home to the City of Cleveland and 58 other cities, villages, and townships, each with their own story to tell, their own unique assets, and their own set of challenges. The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission is an independent agency that provides these communities and Cuyahoga County as a whole with planning services that inform decision-making.

After years of sharing data and resources with individual communities as part of planning projects, the Cuyahoga Planning Commission recognized that a single compendium of data across all of our communities would be helpful in comparing community needs.

In 2020, the Cuyahoga Planning Commission released its first data book: Our Communities: The 2020 Data Book and has released three annual updates since then. The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates have been one of the major sources of information for the publication, along with other Census Bureau datasets. The data book provides insights into the communities that comprise Cuyahoga County, and it is intended to be used by local governments, community organizations, and others interested in learning more about our communities. It can also be used as a resource in preparing grant applications, understanding community changes, and identifying issues to address.

Outcome

Communities have used the data in the Data Book series in their grant applications, public planning processes, and to inform decision makers. For example, in 2020, the City of Fairview Park used ACS data in the Data Book to inform grant applications to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for a new restroom at Bain Park and was awarded $80,000. The previous restroom was built in 1956 and had been closed since 2018 due to deteriorating conditions and costly repairs. The new restroom opened in May 2023 and is closer to highly trafficked areas like the playground and pavilion and is also accommodating to those with disabilities. Mary Kay Costello, Director of Public Service and Development reported that Bain Park “is a beloved park. It has a lot of foot traffic, and it is where kids play at the playground and families meet at the pavilion.”

The City of Fairview Park also used the Data Book for grant applications on behalf of a new trail connector and pedestrian signal and was awarded about $170,000. This area in which the trail connector and pedestrian signal was constructed has seen an increase in population and these improvements increased safety for residents to gain pedestrian access from Fairview Park into the Cleveland Metroparks.

Locations

State of Ohio, Cleveland metropolitan area, Cuyahoga County, and all cities, villages, and townships in Cuyahoga County, and census tracts in Cuyahoga County