• NorthEast Ohio Places

    Identify landscapes: natural, historical & developing. Bluestone Heights in its NEO context (30m DEM)

  • As a place, the Bluestone Heights is the land atop the Euclid Bluestone, a patch of sandy sea bottom laid down 360 million years ago. Later becoming durable bluish-gray sandstone, the patch has kept the East Side Heights area intact while local rivers cut into and removed the surrounding soft shale.
    The Bluestone Heights is therefore a unique, small natural area on Cleveland’s greater East Side--now with an important human presence. It is time to understand the interplay of human and natural actions on this place and also to revalue and regenerate its diminished landscape elements.

    Using the small area as a model, Bluestone Heights is also a conversation on all NEO local places: past, present, and future. NeoMap presents the tools to identify NEO local landscapes and to explore their natural and cultural features. NeoPlace is the forum for writing the deep histories of these places. As NEO takes on sustainable growth, the Bluestone Heights conversation seeks to know and value our places.

  • NeoMap Online Mapping

    Explore local landscapes using Google Earth+. Bluestone Hts. with Google Earth Layers (10m DEM)

  • NeoMap is an interactive mapping system that takes advantage of the Google Earth online aerial view.
    NeoMap links two kinds of local cartographic resources with Google Earth mapping tools:
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    Digital elevation model (DEM)-based terrain data.
    Historical map overlays and other legacy site data.
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    Through NeoMap, geo-referenced historical maps may be viewed upon the natural substrate. Google Earth tools can be used to merge or diverge natural and cultural landscape elements. NeoMap brings home the interplay of human and natural actions in creating local landscapes.

    NeoMap is also is team that gathers and geo-references local cartographic resources for online presentation. The NeoMap team also travels to give hands-on Google Earth-based tutorials in classroom settings. Contact us for information.

  • NeoPlace Deep History Landscapes

    Learn/write the historical cycles of your NEO place. Portage Escarpment early stone houses (1m DEM)

  • Northeast Ohioans are looking toward more vigorous yet sustainable development. We strive to regrow the regional economy and to redesign energy, building, and transport systems.
    Rethinking development gives chance to reconsider the human footprint. Might we live more equitably with nature? If so, it is time to regenerate valued natural and legacy landscape elements. NeoPlace, the Bluestone Heights landscape forum, is keen to aid in regenerative development.

    To begin, we must understand industrial cycle landscape transformations place-by-place. The crucial task is to write deep histories: narratives that address the interplay of natural and human activity at a given place. With deep histories in hand, we may rebuild NEO landscapes equitably.

    NeoPlace is a forum for writing deep histories and for advocating in regenerative development.