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Adam Stalder (MUPDD '10) was recently named the Managing Director of the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Center Community Development Organization. 

Kyle Krewson’s  (MUPDD, ’14) research on Lakewood, Ohio’s zoning ordinance (completed for UST 609: Planning Law) has made a lasting impact on that city. In September 2015, the Lakewood City Council unanimously voted to amend the zoning ordinances regulating the heights of accessory structures and air conditioners in side yard setbacks. The Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals, Planning Commission and housing committee made only minor changes to Kyle’s original recommendations. According to Krewson, “it was fun to see the whole process through and go before the various boards/committees. I feel as though I have a much better understanding of the local legislative process.” Beginning in December 2015, Krewson is the Manager of the Building Department for the City of Shaker Heights.

Carla Colon (MUPDD, ’13) is now a Transportation Planner with the Richland County Regional Planning Commission.

In October 2015, Assistant Professor & MUPD Program Director, Stephanie Ryberg-Webster, presented the paper “Heritage amid an Urban Crisis: A Case Study of Cleveland, Ohio’s Slavic Village Neighborhood,” at the 55th annual Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Conference in Houston. She also presented research on the history of the Cleveland Landmarks Commission at the 16th National Conference on Planning History, hosted by the Society for American City and Regional Planning History, in Los Angeles in November 2015.

Emeritus Professor, Dennis Keating, serves on the Civic Engagement Committee of Future Heights. Two major concerns of Future Heights in Cleveland Heights are the future of the Severence shopping mall and the identity of the Cedar-Lee district (the subject of the Spring 2016 MUPD planning studio). In January and February, Keating spoke on Cleveland history to Cleveland Leadership and Neighborhood Leadership classes in the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs.

In October 2015, Visiting Assistant Professor, Dongkwan Lee, presented the paper “Crash severity as function of driver demographics, built environment and road conditions: A logit modeling approach,” at the 55th annual Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Conference in Houston.

Dr. Alan Weinstein has co-authored (with Brian Blaesser, Esq.) Federal Land Use Law and Litigation, 2015 edition (Thomson/West Publishing), published two articles in the American Planning Association’s Planning magazine: “New Rules for Regulating Cellular Towers” (vol. 81, no. 6) and “The Legal Standard for Stating Reasons for Decisions” (vol. 81, no. 12), and published “Practice: Temporary Signs” (with Wendy Moeller) in the February 2016 issue of Zoning Practice. In fall 2015, Dr. Weinstein gave presentations on “Local Government Sign Regulation after Reed v. Gilbert” (Arizona Chapter of the APA 2015 State Conference, Tucson), “From Caselaw to Applied Learning: Approaches for Teaching Aesthetics in the Planning Law Course” (55th annual Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Conference, Houston), and “Sign Regulation after Reed v. Gilbert” (Cleveland Planning & Zoning Workshop, Westlake).

Dr. Rosie Tighe, Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Assistant Professor, was invited to participate in the 2016 University of San Francisco Law Review Symposium, "Revisiting Housing Rights and Policies in a Time of Expanding Crisis.” Professor Tighe spoke to the unique housing needs of shrinking cities on a panel titled, “What’s the Matter with Housing” with Dr. Peter Dreier and Dr. Rachel Bratt. More information on the symposium can be found at: https://www.usfca.edu/law/professional-skills/student-run-academic-journals/law-review/symposiuma

On Tuesday, September 15, 2015, the Cleveland City Planning Commission, in partnership with the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University and the American Planning Association,  hosted a forum featuring the Cleveland City Planning Commission's five current and past planning directors in celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the Cleveland City Planning Commission. The planning directors shared insights and stories about their time with the city and gave an insider's view about a multitude of initiatives, projects and plans that have happened in the city over a number of years. The forum also educated the public about what went into the initiatives, projects and plans that have been produced by the Cleveland City Planning Commission. It offered a first hand account and brought about a new perspective of planning in the City of Cleveland. The five planning directors included: Norman Krumholz, Hunter Morrison, Chris Ronayne, Robert Brown, and Freddy Collier.

MUPD Alum and College Lecturer Justin Glanville was featured in the Cleveland.com article: Sidewalks of Buckeye project tells stories of Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood.

Dennis Keating participated in a panel "Why Bad Things Happen to Good Neighborhoods" on May 19 at the 2015 Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference of the Center for Community Progress held in Detroit. Dennis Keating and Stephanie Ryberg-Webster both had book reviews published in the Summer 2015 issue of the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

Note about MUPDD/MUPD program transition:
This Spring with the unanimous approval of the faculty of the MUPDD Program, the title of the degree and the program was changed to: Master of Urban Planning and Development (MUPD). “Design” was dropped because it is not a primary emphasis of the curriculum. However, the curriculum remains unchanged, including the core course on “Urban Design”. MUPD students interested in taking advanced courses in urban design will still be able to take those courses through the Kent State University School of Architecture. The MUPD designation will take effect in Fall, 2015. After the end of the Spring semester, Professor Dennis Keating, who has directed the program since Fall, 2007, is retiring. His successor as Director of the MUPD Program will be Professor Stephanie Ryberg-Webster, who has coordinated the Historic Preservation specialization and certificate.

On March 26, 2015 almost 100 (including several dozen MUPDD alums) celebrated the 25th anniversary of the MUPDD Program. They heard from speakers about neighborhood development in Cleveland, including the impact of the Cuyahoga County Land Bank. MUPDD alums who work or who have worked in neighborhood development were recognized

Professor Alan Weinstein spoke on a panel on Sign Regulation and an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Planning Association in Seattle.

MUPDD alum Jeff Pesler received the Community Spirit Award at the 41st Annual Meeting of Cleveland's Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization. He is active in his block club in this neighborhood.

Dr. Stephanie Stephanie Ryberg Webster visited New Orleans on April 16, 2015 to give a lecture on Historic Preservation in the Era of the Shrinking city.

MUPDD Alum Chris Ronayne, President of University Circle, Inc., has been named Chair of the Board of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

Alum Scott Schirg, the Relationship Manager at Key Community Development Lending (KeyBank), has joined the board of the Campus District.

MUPDD Degree Name Change: On March 4, 2015 CSU approved a name change for the MUPDD degree. As of the next academic year (2015-2016), pending approval from RACGS, the degree will be named: Master of Urban Planning and Development (MUPD). This name change was unanimously approved in Fall, 2014 by the MUPDD faculty to reflect the primary emphases in the curriculum. It does not signal a change in the curriculum as it affects urban design. The urban design seminar will continue to be offered as a core course. Those MUPD students interested in advanced urban design courses will continue to be able to take those courses through the Kent State University School of Architecture.

Dennis Keating authored a book chapter in "The New American Suburb: Poverty, Race and the Economic Crisis" (Ashgate, 2015).

MUPDD student Michael Mears was a member of a team with other members from the Kent State University Architecture School's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and Case Western Reserve University that won an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Urban Design competition (with students from 120 schools from the U.S. and Canada competing). The team's submission was an urban design and financial scheme for a site in New Orleans' Treme-Lafitte neighborhood.

MUPDD Alum and Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs instructor Justin Glanville authored an article ("A River Runs Through It") in the Spring 2015 issue of the Kent State University Magazine about a group from Kent State University's kayak journey (the first ever "Crooked River Commute") from Kent to Cleveland and Lake Erie via the Cuyahoga River in July 2014. 

Save The Date: 3/26/15. A Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Forum on Neighborhood Development will highlight the 25th Anniversary of the MUPDD Program. It will recognize the contributions of MUPDD students, faculty and alums to Neighborhood Development. For for more information (including registration) go to: http://www.csuohio.edu/urban/forum.

On Saturday, February 28, 2015, the first exchange program between urban planning students from Ohio State University and from the MUPDD and Urban Studies programs at CSU was held at the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs. During the day, the participants heard from several speakers about a variety of planning, design and development issues in Cleveland. The speakers included MUPDD alums Chris Alvarado (Executive Director, Slavic Village Development), Michael Fleming (Executive Director, St. Clair Superior Development Corporation), and Steve Litt (Architecture Critic, Plain Dealer). Four MUPDD students (Michael Mears, Timothy Holcomb, Julia Schnell, and Kessa Turnbull) presented examples of their work, with Mears presenting last year's AICP award-winning Capstone project "Irishtown Greenway"). Emeritus Professor Norm Krumholz talked about his experience advocating "Equity Planning". James Aspery, President of the CSU-APA chapter, led a Cleveland tour for OSU students on Sunday, March 1. In the Fall, CSU urban planning students will go to OSU for a reciprocal exchange program.

Listen to Professor Stephanie Ryberg Webster speak about public transportation on Sound of Ideas.

Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs' Spring 2014 Planning Studio Class wins the AICP National Student Award.

MUPDD alums Greg Soltis and Christina Lincoln are currently on the homepage of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Site.

Professors Mittie Davis Jones and Dennis Keating have both led Books@Work groups (with participants from local governments, foundations, and community groups) at the St. Luke's Foundation. The books were "Just Growth" and "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" respectively.

Prof. Roby Simons co-authored two articles in the Journal of Sustainable Real Estate (Vol. 6, No. 1).

At the October 25, 2015 26th annual Planning and Zoning Workshop of the APA Ohio chapter, Prof. Alan Weinstein spoke on "Dealing with the New Rules for Dedications and Exactions" and Kirby Date, AICP (Center for Community Planning and Development) conducted a workshop on "Intro to Graphic Communication for Planners".

MUPDD Alum Morgan Taggart was featured in a 10/10/14 article on Cleveland.com: OSU's Morgan Taggart helps harvest the city: My Cleveland.

MUPDD Alum Justin Glanville wrote articles on Barista Training and Cleveland's Rich Beer History in the Fall 2014 issue of Edible Cleveland. He teaches a course in the Urban Studies program and is the author of New to Cleveland: A Guide to (Re) Discovering the City.

MUPDD Emeritus Professor Norm Krumholz completed a 6-year term in September as a member of the Cleveland City Planning Commission.

Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs congratulates Greg Zucca for becoming the Economic Development Director for the city of Cleveland Heights.

From June 5-7, 2014, the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs / Cleveland State University, in partnership with the Cleveland Restoration Society, hosted "Historic Preservation in America's Legacy Cities." The interdisciplinary convening brought together more than 250 participants from 20 states to discuss and generate ideas about the future of historic preservation in legacy cities, such as Cleveland. The event was spearheaded by Stephanie Ryberg-Webster, an Assistant Professor at the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs.

The convening included 24 speaker sessions, with topics including federal policy, historic rehabilitation tax credits, data collection, the role of community development corporations, and preservation in African American communities, among others. The event also included five tours around Cleveland, showcasing Downtown, Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, Slavic Village, and Glenville/University Circle/East Cleveland. On Friday, June 6, an interdisciplinary plenary panel addressed the audience, with speakers including Dr. Clement Price (/Rutgers University & the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation/), City of Cleveland Councilman Jeffrey Johnson, Lavea Brachman (/Greater Ohio Policy Center/), and Emilie Evans (/National Trust for Historic Preservation /& /Michigan Historic Preservation Network/). The convening concluded with a dynamic, roundtable workshop which resulted in a Priority Action Agenda for the future of historic preservation in legacy cities (/a report will be forthcoming later this year/).

Professor Sanda Kaufman has been elected to be the North Central region's faculty representative on the board of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) for the 2014-2016 term.

Professor Alan Weinstein organized and served as both the moderator and a speaker for the American Planning Association's 2014 Planning Law Review on June 25, 2014.

PAB Re-Accreditation Approval: The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) has re-accredited the MUPDD Program through 2019. In its review of the MUPDD Program, the PAB stated: "The Board commends Cleveland State on a vibrant planning program that is highly engaged with issues and institutions in the region, enjoys support of active research centers, has excellent facilities, and often exerts national leadership in the areas of community and economic development".

As reported in the latest issue of the Campus District, Inc. newsletter, MUPDD alum Dr. Heather Ways is volunteering to manage a project on the Public Bathroom Initiative.

On April 10,  2014, a Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Forum featured a panel discussion on the Cleveland waterfront. Speakers included Tony Coyne, the chair of the Cleveland City Planning Commission, and Bob Brown, its Executive Director. This Forum was taped and the video will be available in the future. A Campbell Gallery exhibit on Cleveland's waterfront created by the CSU APA can be viewed here. On May 5, 2014, MUPDD students in the Planning Studio presented "Lake Link Trail", their research on linking the Towpath Trail in the Canal Corridor to the Cuyahoga River and the lakefront, in cooperation with the Trust for Public Land, Ohio.

Dennis Keating was inducted into the Urban Affairs Association Honor Roll at its March, 2014 annual meeting. He served two terms on its board and hosted one of its annual meetings.

MUPDD alum Richey Piparinen has been named the Director of the Center for Population Dynamics in the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs. He is the co-author of a recent study entitled "From Balkanized Cleveland to Globalized Cleveland" that analyzes the effects of migration to "Legacy Cities" like Cleveland.

W. Dennis Keating is the Principal Contributor of the 2013 annual report of the Cuyahoga County Land Bank entitled: "A Successful Stabilization Response for the Present, A Strategic Redevelopment Catalyst for the Future".

MUPDD alum Michael Fleming, Executive Director of the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, has been named a German Marshall Fellow for Spring, 2015.

MUPDD Alum Andrea Bruno has joined the Board of Directors of the Housing Research & Advocacy Center. She joins MUPDD Program Faculty member Brian Mikelbank on that board. Andrea is Housing Manager for the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation.

Jordan Yin and Norm Krumholz organized a panel on "Big City Plans and Social Equity: Where Are We Going?" for the 2014 American Planning Association national conference in Atlanta in April, 2014. Alan Weinstein will co-present at a session on Sign Regulation.

As a guest columnist for The Plain Dealer, Dr. Stephanie Ryberg Webster highlights the importance of historic preservation in redevelopment. Read More. »

Read about Professor Norm Krumholz's Lifetime Achievement Award for Design from clevelandartsprize.org.

An October 6, 2013 article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer describes the innovative programs of the St. Clair Superior Community Development Corporation headed by MUPDD alum Michael Fleming. These include Upcycling and the Cleveland Flea (a monthly market). In addition to Fleming, three other MUPDD alums are members of the staff. Read More. »

Professor Stephanie Ryberg-Webster presented on "Preserving Cleveland's African-American Heritage at the 2013 Society for American City and Regional History conference in Toronto in October, 2013.

Professor Haifeng Qian presented on Regional Economic Development at the 2013 annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers and his article entitled "Diversity versus tolerance" was published in Urban Studies, Vol. 50: 2718-2735 (2013). He is PI on a grant on "Skills, regions, and entrepreneurship" from the Regional Studies Association.

Professor Alan Weinstein co-authored the 2013 update of "Federal Land Use Law and Litigation" and presented on "Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses" at the March, 2013 International Municipal Lawyers' national teleconference.

Professor Norm Krumholz has been named as the recipient of the APA Ohio President's Award for Outstanding Planner. The award was presented on September 27, 2013 at the annual APA Ohio conference in Cleveland.

Rust Belt Chic: MUPDD alum Richie Piiparinen is the co-publisher of the collection of essays under this title published last year. He and his co-publisher Anne Trubek launched Belt on the web on August 22, 2013. Rust Belt Chic and the Belt were featured in the article "A New Magazine Takes on Old Rust Belt Stereotypes" in the August 27, 2013 online issue of The Atlantic Cities Place Matters (www.theatlanticcities.com)

New instructors: Among the part time instructors teaching MUPDD courses in the Fall, 2012 semester are Bob Brown, Cleveland's City Planning Director, and Kathleen Crowther, Director of the Cleveland Restoration Society. (and a Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs alum). Brown is teaching "Neighborhood Development" and Crowther is teaching "Contemporary Issues in Historic Preservation".

MUPDD Faculty Mittie Davis Jones, Sanda Kaufman, Wendy Kellogg and Dennis Keating made presentations at the ACSP-AESOP Joint Congress in Dublin, Ireland (July 15-19). Ned Hill co-authored a paper presented by Kelly Kinahan. Sanda Kaufman co-chaired the Governance, Institutions, and Civic Initiative track.

AICP Exam Results: During the period 2004-2012, 17 of 27 MUPDD students who took the AICP exam passed (a pass rate of 63% compared to the mean pass rate of 72%).

MUPDD Professors Wendy Kellogg, Haifeng Qian, and Stephanie Ryberg-Webster were winners of 2013-2014 CSU Faculty Scholarship Initiatives Awards by the CSU Office of Research.

MUPDD Professor Roby Simons and a group of students are conducting a Summer 2013 study for the CSU Vice President for Business Affairs and Finance looking at the campus needs for more housing and retail and a business incubator.

The Cleveland APA provided scholarships to five members of the CSU-APA chapter to attend the April 2012 national APA conference in Chicago. In its May/June newsletter (The Ohio Planners News), Ohio APA included articles by two of the five students on their experiences: "Cleveland Section Students Reflect on National Conference"Read More. »

MUPDD alums Hannah Belsito and Justin Glanville were members of the host committee for the fourth annual Next City Vanguard conference held in Cleveland June 10-11. Forty-three young urban planners, academics, developers, economic development experts, community activists, and civic leaders participated in this event.

Hannah Belsito, an MUPDD alum, is featured in an article on " Training program bolsters front line of local tourism" in the June issue of CBC (Cleveland Business Connects) magazine. Read More. »

"Campus District Master Plan Recommendations Created by CSU Urban Planning Students" Campus District Observer (www.campusdistrictobserver.com) June 2013. Read More. »

MUPDD students' Campus District project presentations are discussed in the June CD Observer.Read More. »

Professor Stephanie Ryberg-Webster and 2013 MUPDD graduate Greg Soltis co-authored "Putting Artists on the Map: The Geography of Artists in Cuyahoga County" which was published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Urban Affairs (Vol. 35, No. 2).

2013 Student Awards: Greg Soltis has received the AICP Outstanding Student Award (see his profile in MUPDD Alumni Profiles) and Greg and Andrew McMillan shared the Wallace G. Teare Prize.

First year MUPDD student Steve Kanner has been named a Summer 2013 intern by the Cleveland Foundation.

Student Achievement: The team that competed in the 2013 ULI Hines Student Urban Design competition which included MUPDD students received honorable mention.

Michelle Johnson, an MUPDD alum who crafted the West 65th multimillion-dollar makeover proposal is mentioned in the May 2, 2013 issue of the The Plain Dealer. Read More. »

MUPDD alum planner and writer Justin Glanville wrote an article entitled "Take the Sting Out of Gentrification" in the April 2013 issue of Planning magazine.

Cleveland's St. Clair-Superior Development Corporation, headed by MUPDD grad Micheal Fleming, has been awarded a $375,000 grant by Art Place America to support its "UrbanUpcycle" project to attract artists.Crain's Cleveland Business (www.crainscleveland.com) May 20-26, 2013. Read More. »

Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs helps design Cleveland's urban future. Read More. »

Congratulations to Jordan Yin (College Associate Lecturer/Director of Undergrad Programs) for his book Planning for Dummies being selected as a top 10 book choice of Planetizen. Read More. »