A Grassroots Guide to Saving the Rust Belt

A native Clevelander, Jack Storey has always had a deep personal connection to the Rust Belt. So he was stunned when, in 2010, a friend showed him a copy of Forbes magazine’s Most Miserable Cities List, a list that Cleveland topped. “None of us has ever found our city to be particularly miserable, despite the brutal winters and struggling economy. I don't think anyone expected us to top the list of most vibrant cities, but to land at the other end of the spectrum was confusing - and infuriating.”

Storey decided to do something about it, and after a year spent scribbling plans on random pieces of paper, he and a group of friends decided to band together and form Saving Cities, an organization dedicated to using media as a tool for community development within the Rust Belt. Among their initiatives are the Rust Belt Revival Center, a proposed space that would serve grassroots initiatives and organizers, both entrepreneurs and activists; a Kiva-meets-Kickstarter Rust Belt Idea Bank; and the documentary, Red, White & Blueprints: A Grassroots Guide to Saving Our Great Cities, which focuses on five major cities in the region: Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Buffalo. As Storey explains, “We found contacts in each city, developed those relationships over the course of about six months, and planned each leg of the production with them personally. Without those local advocates, and their patience for our meticulous planning, this project would have ended before it truly began. We owe them everything; they are truly the lifeblood of this project - and more importantly, the region.”