Ohio

Real estate speculators are being fined big bucks in Cleveland for letting properties sit vacant, but the jury's still out on whether this is the key to stabilizing neighborhoods.

A new study looks at how home values in neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio responded differently to the presence of gay populations.

Youngstown, OH has experienced 11 quakes, including one rated 4.0, which may be tied to deep disposal wells for the water used in the hydraulic fracking process of natural gas drilling.

Cleveland, suffering from a disappearing population, is pinning its hopes on a new Uptown arts and entertainment district, including the new Museum of Contemporary Art which opens in 2012.

60 Minutes reports on Cleveland, Ohio's growing problem of abandoned homes, where 1/5th of all houses are now vacant.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, the "shovel-ready" Streetcar project has been awarded 10.9 million dollars in grant funding, according to Jenny Kessler, to "restore the project to its original aim of connecting the Uptown and Downtown employment centers."

In Ohio, officials are looking at new ways to liven up their parks. They are providing incentives for volunteers to help beautify and maintain the parks, in addition to adding new programs to attract users to frequent the parks.

25 miles east of Cleveland you'll find a futuristic-looking office building featuring a gigantic geodesic dome. Metropolis Magazine looks at the building's history and the preservation efforts that recently restored it.

In Cincinnati, voters have defeated an attempt to block the city's new streetcar, which now will move forward and could be operational as early as 2013. The new streetcar will link downtown and the uptown district around the University.

Richey Piiparinen weighs the good and bad aspects of a proposed casino which the developer says will be "integrated within the fabric" of Cleveland's downtown.

With its first casino currently under construction, Cincinnati is attempting to redefine the stereotype with a consciously urban design that turns the typical casino inside-out.

Blair Kamin uses Columbus, Ohio's retail development on the Cap at Union Station as a success story. What can Chicago learn from this design strategy that at once addresses economic development and the enrichment of the cityscape?

Executives of Rock Gaming LLC and its partner, Caesars Entertainment Corp, are hoping to revitalize Cleveland's downtown nightlife and create connections with nearby businesses by building Horseshoe Casino Cleveland.

A study by the National League of Cities says how the economic recession has finally started to hit cities as property- and income-tax have decreased. Cities are balancing their budgets through layoffs, canceled construction projects or raised fees.

The Banks, an ambitious redevelopment plan for Cincinnati's waterfront, is near completion. Travis R. Eby takes a look.

A recent study found that a city could completely live off food grown from urban agriculture. Sharanbir Grewal, the study's author, discovered in his analysis of Cleveland that the city could produce up to 48 percent of the city's fresh produce.

Deadly algae and invasive species are choking the life out of Lake Erie. It recovered from near-death 40 years ago, but the regulations that helped save it last time are under increasing attack.

With a high rate of foreclosure, Cleveland instituted a land bank to rein in rampant vacancies. After two years, the program has made some headway.

As consumer real estate debt surpasses $9 trillion, TIME magazine examines four radical proposals that top policymakers and economists think will help turn things around.