GOPC recently updated our 2016 report, “From Akron to Zanesville: How are Ohio’s Small and Mid-Sized Legacy Cities Faring?”, with new census data from 2018. The data was promising, showing that population loss is slowing, unemployment is down, poverty and per capita incomes are improving and housing values and vacancy have seen positive changes but remain a challenge. While the challenges facing Ohio’s smaller legacy cities remain, research surveying similar cities makes clear that these communities’ current conditions do not have to dictate their destiny.
GOPC has emerged as a national expert on revitalization strategies in smaller legacy cities in Ohio and beyond. These cities, which have long industrial histories, population loss, and current populations of 30,000 to 250,000, are the backbone of Ohio. Nearly a third of the state’s population lives within their regions, and over a quarter of the state’s GDP is produced by their residents and businesses, making them important places now and in the future. GOPC understands that the obstacles these smaller cities face are unique compared to their larger peers and has positioned itself as a resource for these places.
Now, GOPC’s efforts have been recognized by the Columbus Dispatch, which recently ran an editorial noting that, while the city of Columbus has a growing population, healthy economy and new-building boom, the region cannot expect to maintain a current wave of prosperity if the rest of the state falls behind.
The Dispatch recognized GOPC for working to rebuild and rejuvenate Ohio’s “legacy cities” that have been hit hard by societal changes. “Cities like Sandusky and Marion and Hamilton don’t carry as great a burden as Portsmouth’s, but they too have struggled with the loss of manufacturing jobs and population. That makes the progress shown in the Greater Ohio Policy Center’s updated report especially encouraging.”
The same editorial endorsed GOPC’s work to provide a dedicated source of funding for the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund and support of placemaking programs. “Leadership and investments by the state are important; we agree with the center’s suggestion that the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund, which supports cleaning up and redeveloping polluted industrial and commercial properties, should have ongoing dedicated funding. The state also could help with design guidelines for streetscapes that are attractive and accommodate pedestrians, bikes and buses as well as cars.”
We appreciate the support from the Dispatch editorial board. You can learn more about GOPC’s work on brownfields, placemaking, and legacy cities, on our website.