Greater Ohio has written before about the importance of placemaking as a tool to capitalize on a local community’s assets, inspiration and potential.
Ohio Budget Finalized: Number of important changes soon to become law
Letter to Governor DeWine Requesting Line Item Veto in House Bill 166
Foot Traffic Ahead details Economic Impact of Walkable Places
Density, Income, and Vehicle Ownership drive High Carbon Emissions
A 2013 paper presents a visually striking comparison of the impacts of transportation, land use, and energy choices on carbon emissions. Findings from this study affect city strategies for climate action plans, and present an opportunity to tailor community-specific solutions by keeping smart growth tenets in mind.
Pro-Sprawl bill amended into House version of Operating Budget
The enactment of the so-called Affordable Homebuilding and Housing Act will subsidize unnecessary urban and suburban sprawl and fuel economically and environmentally unsustainable development across the state of Ohio. At a time when the state has an abundant supply of available housing and the lowest rate of population growth in thirty years, it simply does not make sense to incentivize this dangerous build-up at the expense of local governments. It is for this reason that GOPC opposes these provisions and is urging lawmakers to reject this cookie-cutter policy and leave such decisions up to local policy makers.
MORPC Corridor Report Calls for Denser Development, Investments in Transit
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.
Columbus Dispatch Shines Light on Ohio’s Reinvention Cities
The Columbus Dispatch gave front page coverage to Ohio’s smaller legacy cities this past Sunday. Two long-form articles reported on the innovative, creative, hard work that leaders in Marion, Springfield, Mansfield, Lima and other communities are carrying out to reinvent themselves.
The great divide: Many Ohio towns left behind despite strengthening economy
(The Dispatch, Dec. 16, 2018)
Struggling Ohio cities searching for ways to reinvent themselves
(The Dispatch, Dec. 16, 2018)
The paper highlighted the disparate economic performance between Columbus and many other parts of the state, while also telling stories that are less told: that mayors, chambers of commerce, nonprofits, philanthropy, and average citizens love these communities and are investing in them.
The Greater Ohio Policy Center’s research on the conditions in Ohio’s small and mid-sized legacy cities was featured, as was our work stewarding the Ohio Reinvention Cities Network.
The articles make clear: Ohio needs state policies that help these communities reinvent. Investing in the remediation of obsolete factories and buildings, increased resources for public transportation, and strategic technical assistance to communities that want to reinvent will support Ohio’s local change-makers, whose tenacity are building vibrant, economically competitive communities.
GOPC stands with Ohio’s legacy cities in calling on Governor-Elect DeWine and the General Assembly to authorize the policies and tools that they need to accelerate their path towards revitalized, reinvented communities.
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