History of Cleveland’s Diversity and Inclusion and Community Benefits: Lessons Learned
Over the past 50 years, local government and business leaders in Cleveland have implemented several ordinances, policies, and programs seeking to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) within the construction industry and urban redevelopment. These DEI efforts have had a significant impact on the urban planning process in the City of Cleveland and led to the creation of Cleveland’s Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Community Benefits and Inclusion (MOU) or what is commonly referred to as a model Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).
In this article, I share a detailed account of Cleveland’s model CBA and explore DEI initiatives (both prior to and post MOU) to provide historical context for the potential creation of the City of Cleveland’s Community Benefits Ordinance (CBO).
Using information collected from interviews and other publicly available sources, I describe the negotiation and implementation processes and outcomes of Cleveland’s MOU. I also examine 5 development projects (post-agreement), that instead of abiding by the MOU, employed an alternative community benefits plan. I highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the agreement along with other DEI efforts, so local government and other relevant stakeholders can learn from these examples when creating Cleveland’s first CBO.