This weeks #GOPCThread takes a look back at sustainable (or green) infrastructure and the possibilities investment in such infrastructure can have on cities, particularly Ohio’s Legacy Cities.
Not on Twitter, the thread is available online, as well as below.
Greater Ohio Policy Center Read on Twitter
This weeks #GOPCThread examines why urban #sustainability is important for #legacycities & what strategies look like.
The @urbaninstitute explains some of the objectives of urban #sustainability are “reinvesting in cities, restoring urban density, & advancing racial equity.” Cc: @EcocityJoe @landpolicy #GOPCThread
Broadly, the framework for urban sustainability is built on three pillars—environment, equity, and economy #GOPCThread
Urban #sustainability is well-suited to the challenges & opportunities of legacy cities for several reasons outlined by @urbaninstitute #GOPCThread
The industrial past of legacy cities has left behind environmental issues, like brownfields and contaminated waterways, that require remediation for reuse. Ohio alone has over 9,000 environmentally contaminated #brownfields. #GOPCThread
Brownfield 101 | Greater Ohio Policy Center (click image for link)
Legacy cities are often saddled with aging infrastructure. Urban #sustainability strategies allow for system upgrades to be more sustainable and efficient #GOPCThread
Lick Run Greenway in Cincinnati addressed sewage overflow into Mill Creek while also creating a new recreation area. @CincinnatiMSD #GOPCThread
Lick Run Greenway Starting To Come Alive in South Fairmount WCPO News (click image for link)
Legacy cities leaders can catalyze equitable economic growth & attract new residents through enhancing & greening physical & natural assets. @sustainableCLE embracing sustainability strategies to enhance the city’s vibrancy & livability. #GOPCThread
Sustainable Cleveland (click image for link)
Embracing #sustainability in legacy cities stands to benefits millions of people – nearly 17 million live in legacy cities. In Ohio, one third of the population lives within a legacy city or the surrounding region. @BrookingsInst #GOPCThread
#Sustainability is timely given forecasted changes federally toward climate-focused economic policy. Prioritizing sustainability can give small or midsize legacy cities a leg up in competing for federal funding and support. #GOPCThread
Here’s What’s In Biden’s $2 Trillion Climate-Focused Infrastructure Bill | Forbes (click image for link)
There are lots of ways to embrace urban sustainability programming. #GOPCThread
Green infrastructure, a part of urban sustainability, is programming that reclaims vacant properties, adds or improves greenspace. In Youngstown, Ohio @YoungstownNDC wrote a playbook for converting vacant properties back into productive use. #GOPCThread
Vacant Land Reuse Resource Guide | Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (click image for link)
#Brownfield remediation, a crucial issue in many #legacycities, is also an important tool for vacant property reclamation & #sustainability. In Ohio, between 2002-13 every state dollar invested in #brownfields generated $4.67 in economic activity
Brownfield Economic Impacts | Greater Ohio Policy Center (click image for link)
In Sandusky, OH brownfield remediation helped spur downtown revitalization and access to Lake Erie. #GOPCThread
Downtown Sandusky Reinvigorated By Brownfield Cleanup | Greater Ohio Policy Center (click image for link)
Blue infrastructure strategies refer to the reclamation of water resources or improvement of water quality. In @cityofdayton, the downtown riverfront is a kayaking destination making recreational use of the urban riverfront. #GOPCThread
Urban #sustainability can focus on mitigating climate impacts, reducing energy use & greenhouse gas emissions or transitioning to sustainable energy. In @Rochester_NY a green roof added to city hall improves air quality, reduce run-off & energy consumption #GOPCThread
Urban #sustainability can also focus on supporting the growth of “green” industries and the jobs required to sustain them. @NewBedford_MA city leaders are working to become a leader in offshore wind energy. #GOPCThread
New Bedford Citied as a Leader Among Clean Energy Communities | South Coastal Today (click image for link)
Transportation programs can also be “green” be offering options like multi-modal transit and vehicle fleets that are low carbon or those that support investments in sidewalks and crosswalks so people can walk or take transit where they want to go. @MORPC #GOPCThread
Municipalities can promote holistic approaches to urban #sustainability by adopting sustainability-focused plans & codes, identifying sustainability staff positions or creating an office of sustainability. @Pittsburgh leaders produced a climate action plan and 100% renewable energy target. #GOPCThread
Climate Action Plan | City of Pittsburgh (click image for link)
@CountyofErie Department of Environment & Planning officials, following their sustainability plan, are conducting climate vulnerability assessments to better understand climate risks in Erie County, PA.
In some places, new types of green CDCs, like @PUSHBuffalo & @GroundworkUSA, are emerging to revitalize neighborhoods by incorporating a focus on sustainability & urban greening #GOPCThread
Push Buffalo’s Green Development Zone | Partnership for the Public Good (click image for link)
If you want to learn more about Urban Sustainability efforts & how it could benefit your community, check out these references:
How Two Smaller Legacy Cities Are Adopting Green Infrastructure | NextCity (click image for link)
The Legacy Cities “Greenventory” | Urban Institute (click image for link)
Greenventory 2.0 | Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (click image for link)
Small, Gritty, and Green The Promise of America's Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World (click image for link)