Want to love Downtown Cleveland more? Spend more time experiencing more of it, says Downtown Cleveland Inc. (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Survey drives new downtown PR campaign
Downtown Cleveland, Inc. (DCI) says that the biggest thing wrong with the city’s central business district is that not enough people are familiar with it. If more people visited it more often, DCI said people would enjoy it more. And DCI has a survey of perceptions to back up its argument.
“Experience drives perception” is one of the most prominent takeaways DCI gained about the city center. The data from DCI’s survey suggests that as people spend more time downtown, their views of safety and vibrancy improve significantly.
DCI said its survey reinforced its Greater Downtown Vision, the organization’s action agenda to enhance safety, connectivity and activation to support long-term growth. Building on these findings, DCI launched the “Downtown in Motion” marketing campaign.
“Cleveland has built a downtown people love and the survey proves it,” said DCI President and CEO Michael Deemer in a written statement. “Downtown in Motion inspires them to experience it even more.”
“Northeast Ohio residents like when downtown feels active, connected and welcoming, with consistent energy beyond major events and greater ease moving between destinations,” he added. “That is exactly what we are working to deliver.”
At the west edge of Downtown Cleveland, the Flats has been a top Northeast Ohio nightspot for 40 years. This view looks north along the Cuyahoga River from Settlers Landing (Destination Cleveland).
Downtown in Motion connects residents, visitors and workers to practical information, including safety and parking resources, sample itineraries and a full calendar of downtown events.
But it’s more than perception and marketing of downtown that needs to be fixed, based on the recent and pending departures of the Cleveland Browns, Medical Mutual of Ohio, and the partial departure of AmTrust Financial Services, plus the difficulty in attracting retailers downtown.
In DCI’s survey, while safety was important, parking emerged as the top issue to increasing visits with nearly 60 percent of respondents saying they primarily drive and park to get downtown. Problems with downtown parking garages, many of which were built four to seven decades ago, have persisted for years.
“I would challenge the city to support activating these downtown garages that have fallen into disrepair,” said Rico Pietro, principal at Cushman & Wakefield | CRESCO Real Estate. “It’s a big issue in why we’re hemorrhaging tenants downtown.”
He recently represented the Kassouf family that recently paid bargain prices for three properties with decaying parking garages — 800 Superior at its namesake address, the former Huntington Garage, 999 Chester Ave. and the the condemned Statler Garage, 1111 Hickory Ct.
Euclid Avenue is Cleveland’s main street but the section between East 9th Street and Playhouse Square is not an attractive place to linger, with its narrow sidewalks, lack of shade trees and windbreaks. Several other streets are similarly barren (NEOtrans),
“We have to find ways to economically support these garages,” Pietro added. “If we can address that and use these garages to support mixed use, you’d have the chance to leverage more retailers like a City Target. I think that’s the right approach to fill the missing spaces downtown.”
The survey and campaign launch align with the rollout of Downtown Cleveland, Inc.’s Summer Series, which includes the debut of a new farmers market, movie nights and an expanded concert series on Public Square. The series is designed to give people more reasons to spend more time downtown.
The survey highlights a strong relationship between firsthand experience and positive perception, especially around safety. Just three visits annually can significantly improve impressions of downtown.
Safety perceptions rise by nearly 30 percentage points between those who visit twice or less and those who come three to 12 times a year. Respondents also pointed to fuller sidewalks, visible activity and positive social energy as cues that downtown feels more vibrant, welcoming and worth prioritizing.
The research also shows what people value most about downtown. Among respondents, 68.4 percent cited dining and restaurants as a primary draw, followed by 63.9 percent for plays, concerts or comedy shows and 61 percent for sporting events.
The North Coast Yard is a pop-up park created on city-owned lakefront land, north of Huntington Bank Field and next to the Steamship William G. Mather Museum. Although temporary, its recreational uses are the types of public-space programming that Downtown Cleveland Inc. wants to bring more people downtown more often (NCWDC).
In addition, 39.8 percent said they spend time downtown for work or business, reinforcing that downtown’s value extends well beyond leisure alone. When asked to name downtown’s best assets, respondents again put dining first, followed by professional sports teams and stadiums, then theater and performing arts venues.
While interest is high, the research also points to what needs to improve to turn that interest into more foot traffic. Nearly half of respondents, 48.6 percent, said they would like to visit downtown more often next year, and among those who already visit about monthly, that number rises to 68 percent.
Respondents also said downtown feels most vibrant when it offers a mix of marquee moments and smaller recurring activations, while event awareness remains low overall, suggesting that stronger communication can lift both attendance and perception.
With 89 percent name recognition among community-connected respondents and 49 percent among baseline Northeast Ohio residents, DCI said it is well-positioned to lead this work.
The survey also found that 85 percent of those familiar with the organization view it positively or neutrally. Together, the findings reinforce the value of continued activation and stronger communication about the amenities, resources and investment that increase investor and public confidence in downtown.
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