Anyone who has kids, or even has taken kids out on a walk, knows from experience that if there is a ledge, an edge, a walkable border, a curb, or anything just a bit higher than the surface the kid is walking on and it’s walkable, the kid is going to climb up and walk on it.

And anyone who has seen this will know that the kid will walk on the edge until it ends. Even if they can’t see how far it goes, even if the edge meanders, even if there is a huge drop at the end of the edge.

In my experience, the kid will always take the edge over the flat ground on which you’re walking, every time.

At first (if it’s your own kids), it’s cute and fun as they ask you to hold their hand. You … Read More »

I didn’t think about being brown, a minority, a brown woman, a brown Muslim woman and all the minorities that description contains, for a long time.  I’m not sure when or where the idea of race and identity hit me or why.  I always knew I was different as the only other Indians and Muslims in my community were my family.  Growing up in suburban Chicago, in my particular suburb, there was actual diversity in race, ethnicity, and economics, though many times I’m not sure I noticed it all.  This has to do, perhaps, with my own naivety, and being sort of “color blind” myself; thinking that I wasn’t really different than anyone else.

Of course, as you grow older and have more bumps and bruises from running into different types of people and points of view, your opinions and realizations … Read More »

For a long time, I thought that I should be more serious when I write these blogs—that they should be work-specific, devoid of my personal musings and life. But I’ve come to realize, over time, that I just can’t do that. Why? Because for me, so much of my work and life ebb and flow together and much of the learning I’ve experienced seems to arise out of the moments between that ebb and flow. So, I’m starting my 2016 blogging with the first work I did this year: mending something very personal.

It’s odd to think about mending in a throw-away world and culture. In college, a dorm-mate from a very rich family was upset one evening because what she had to wear needed a button and some mending, and she didn’t know how to … Read More »

We arrived on a lovely but rainy evening, quickly rushing past the bicycles that rule the streets of Copenhagen. In Demark as a Marshall Memorial Fellow, my first meeting was at Danish Industries (DI), a large chamber of commerce group that lobbies for business and economic reforms in Denmark. From the building, a modern piece of Danish art against the historic city center, we were afforded a view of the downtown area, the water and–even on a rainy day–the bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden.

It was at dinner in this building that our group of fellows was first introduced to the idea of “Hygge”. The issues of Denmark were discussed including the changes in the welfare state, immigration, and the lack of entrepreneurship. These issues seemed, at the time, relatively standard based on our previous conversations in Europe and … Read More »

The Cleveland Velodrome is a 166-meter, olympic-style banked wooden cycling track in Slavic Village. It was opened on August 30,2012 by Fast Track Cycling, a non-profit dedicated to running a velodrome in Cleveland. It is one of only 27 velodrome tracks in the U.S. This velodrome’s steep bank requires cyclists to maintain a speed of at least 30 km/h while riding through the turns. Beginners can keep a lower speed under the blue line, or “the staying line”. Programming exists for both kids and adults and includes open riding sessions, structured training sessions and races. Everyone under 18 rides for free! More information can be found online at clevelandvelodrome.org.

In the consulting world, it is inevitable that at some point, you will need to create and put a Request For Proposal (RFP) out to bid for a new system or tool. We at SUS recently had the opportunity to work with a client on creating an RFP for a new system and are working on requirements for this client to select the tool that works best for them.

While it might seem daunting at first, writing an RFP isn’t rocket science. It does, however, take a lot of practice to write a good one that will help you get you what you need. In my experience with writing RFPs, I’ve come across common mistakes that people tend to make – vague details, bad schedules, and unrealistic expectations for both software and organizational change. However, the more RFPs you have under … Read More »

At Strategic Urban we tend to do a lot of work with large institutions: Cities, Non-Profits, Schools, etc. Typically, these institutions will need to move on from their old paper-based methods of doing business and adopt an organizational system. Let’s face it, this is usually long overdue and necessary.  When an organization’s staff need training on these new systems, it can be both rewarding and challenging to be in the position of the Trainer. I will be honest and say that I have not always been good at this. In fact, I wouldn’t be able to offer up any of this wisdom if I haven’t been thoroughly beaten up along the way. After many years and nearly 100 training sessions, I’d like to offer up three techniques that I have found indispensable.

1.) Don’t Be a Policy Middleman

Many times when you are introducing a … Read More »

Four years ago today, I was starting my 40th week of pregnancy. On November 2nd exactly, I had a 3 year old at home and was wondering how and what I might be able to do to get to the Obama rally in downtown Cleveland. It was the last rally before then Senator, now President, Obama would have before taking off November 3rd and waiting for the election results on November 4th.

I found a babysitter, and with friends, took the bus to downtown Cleveland to wait for the man that would be president to come speak. It was a beautiful but chilly fall day and there was so much energy and excitement. In the prior 5 years, I had never before felt that excitement or energy in Cleveland. I was not there early enough to get into the sitting area … Read More »

Ohio City is so excited to welcome The 8th International Public Markets Conference to the neighborhood this month! In a preview of the event, staff from Ohio City’s own small business Strategic Urban Solutions sat down with David O’Neil to talk about the economic and health benefits of markets in our communities. For more information visit the event’s website.

Like most good things in life, David O’Neil fell into his profession. While working at the Reading Market as a way to get to talk to people for a mystery he was writing, he was approached by a few men who had worked for the Reading Railroad that owned the market. A couple days later he was offered the job of running the market. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Mr. O’Neil did not have any previous … Read More »

As David O’Neil pointed out in my interview with him a couple weeks ago, one of the great things about this international public markets conference is being able to talk to other people who are passionate about markets. I had a chance to sit in on a discussion surrounding farmers markets. It was a great setting where people who run farmers markets or who organize them got a chance to hear the issues that other markets were having and offer advice, and in many cases, commiserate and encourage.

This discussion group was a true example of the international nature of the conference. There were at least four individuals from Canada and one from Poland. The rest of the discussion participants were from all over the United States with nine states represented altogether. That’s pretty good for a total of about 20 … Read More »