The new global economy has not been kind to many U.S. cities. Great manufacturing centers across the nation have become shells of their old selves, and urban leaders struggle to attract new employers and create new economic opportunities.

The key to success, most agree, is an "information economy" - one based on innovation and technology. But how do you build that? How do you bring together all the major players - government, private business, nonprofits - and persuade them to buy in? How do you fund such a cross-boundary collaboration, initially and in the long run?

This case study looks at OneCleveland, a public/private approach to that dilemma in which key nonprofit institutions, rallied by Case Western Reserve University, have come together to build an "ultra-broadband" infrastructure and develop collaborative applications of that technology for the common good.

The project has earned Cleveland and Case international acclaim - as one of the Intel Corp.'s Worldwide Digital Communities and, most recently, as one of seven global "Intelligent Communities" of 2006. Cities from Ft. Lauderdale to Jerusalem have looked to OneCleveland as a model.

But is OneCleveland a viable model - strategically and financially - to replicate across the country and the world? Could government take the leadership role that nonprofits have taken in Ohio? Are there pitfalls in OneCleveland's approach that others should try to avoid?

This case will provide you with information and background materials to explore those questions. At the end, you’ll find a detailed explanation of how you to proceed.