Restoring Prosperity
The Greater Ohio Policy Center Blog
Last week, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) released the Corridor Concepts Scenario report. The report concludes that the Columbus region could accommodate more than half of its predicted population growth into five major corridors through denser development and coordinated investments in improved transit.
Scenario planning has the capability to better inform public officials and development authorities of the costs associated with different development models. Vibrant NEO 2040 and insight2050 are examples of regional planning in Ohio providing collaborative and forward thinking models for regional development planning bolstered by data-driven inquiry and neighborly support.
This past week, Greater Ohio Policy Center attended a Columbus Metropolitan Club event on insight2050 and the impact of land use decisions on our health, economy, environment, and mobility.
Here are some highlights from the panel, which were live tweeted from the event by GOPC:
- Yaromir Steiner: what are the infrastructure, health, social, environmental & fiscal costs of the way we develop? #Insight2050 answers this question
- Yaromir Steiner: land use is the critical determining factor for the success and quality of life of places.
- Yaromir Steiner: economic development is about creating places where people want to live.
- Steve Schoeny: we don't have enough #transportation options for downtown. This will take investment to change.
- Keith Myers: cities have been shaped by #transportation since the beginning. We need transportation options supportive of #development we want.
- Keith Myers: the transformation of cities requires political leadership & commitment
Click here to see all of our live tweets from the event on Storify.
About insight2050:
insight2050 is a collaborative initiative among MORPC, Columbus 2020, ULI Columbus, and a stakeholder committee consisting of public and private partners. The initiative aims to help Central Ohio communities proactively plan for development and population growth over the next 30+ years, which is expected to be dramatically different from the past.
The first phase of insight2050 is a regional analysis that provides data for decision makers to understand the impact of future land use policies on specific factors influencing the region’s quality of life. The Scenario Results Report is now available online at www.getinsight2050.org.
The regional growth scenarios that reflect different types of development patterns were informed by the latest data and projections and then compared utilizing a variety of metrics, such as land consumption, infrastructure costs, air pollution, household expenses for transportation and utilities, as well as public health and safety costs, to arrive at an assessment of their relative impacts.
The Importance of Regional Land Use
The scenarios developed through insight2050 lay out different ways the Central Ohio region can grow and the impacts those land use decisions have on the region’s future competitiveness, sustainability, and quality of life. The video above features Peter Calthorpe, whose firm developed insight2050, talking about the critical importance of land use.
Greater Ohio Policy Center is a firm believer in the immense significance of land use and will be addressing these issues of regional growth throughout the state at our upcoming Summit, Restoring Neighborhoods, Strengthening Economies. Click here to learn more about the Summit.
GOPC is co-sponsoring the Ohio Association of Regional Council’s 2014 Candidates' Forum next week on Friday, August 22 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton Town Center.
At the event, the 2014 Gubernatorial Candidates have been invited to share their platforms related to transportation, infrastructure, and economic development to the state’s top political, business, and civic leaders.
A panel of national experts will also be discussing the role of transportation, infrastructure, economic development, and regionalism in preparing Ohio for long-term success.
Click here for more information and to register to attend the Forum.
Today at 10am, Executive Director Lavea Brachman was featured on WOSU's All Sides with Ann Fisher in a discussion about the state of Ohio's infrastructure. Lavea was joined by Patrick Natale, Executive Director of American Society of Civil Engineers, Robert Lawler, Director of Transportation of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and Barry LePatner, construction lawyer and author of Too Big to Fall: America’s Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward.
Click here to listen to the podcast:
Infrastructure: Are we making the grade?
"The recent collapse of the I-5 bridge in northwest Washington State shined a spotlight on the country’s aging infrastructure. Since the recession, funding for bridges and tunnels has dropped steeply, and fixing them would cost an estimated $20 billion. This hour, we’ll discuss the balance of safety and spending, and how long our functionally obsolete structures will stand."
ULI Columbus and their partners present Columbus 2050, a strategic vision on how we will LIVE, WORK and PLAY in Central Ohio by the year 2050.
Columbus 2050 Description
Over the past 40 years, the population of Central Ohio has grown by 707,000 people, adding 235,900 between 2000 and 2010 alone. If the region grows at even half the rate of the past ten years, 604,000 will be added to the area by 2050. Absorbing a population that equates to the entire city of Boston will take some planning.
In furtherance of its mission to promote the responsible use of land, ULI Columbus, in partnership with the City of Columbus, Franklin County, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning, has developed a strategic vision that explores where and how we will Live, Work and Play in Central Ohio in the year 2050. This strategic vision is focused around eight themes: Metro Metrics; The City Wild; Water, Power, Light; Getting Around; Whole Buildings; Full Spectrum Housing; Plan it. Build It; and Click, Learn, Go, Get.
To download the full Columbus 2050 report, click here.
