Bike to Work Day May 18th

Don’t forget that Friday, May 18^th, is National Bike to Work Day! According to the 2010 Census, over half a million people in the United States ride their bikes to work.  In Ohio, 3.8% of workers in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo ride their two-wheelers to their jobs.

In Ohio, multi-modal streets (meaning streets that can handle a range of traffic besides just cars) and dedicated, non-motorized, bike paths are two important ways bicyclists can safely travel to work.  These safety amenities are important elements to making our metros attractive places to work, play, and live in.  As quality of life factors, bike lanes and multi-modal streets make it easier to exercise, but they also reduce car traffic, which in turn reduces the “wear-and-tear” on our roads that costs taxpayers so much.

Columbus, Ohio makes one “best biking cities” list and we know that Dayton, Cleveland and Cincinnati are focusing on improving their biking ecosystems.  With many of Ohio’s railroad lines now decommissioned, dozens of rail lines are being converted to trails with the advocacy efforts of “Rails to Trails.” Rails to Trails has dozens of trail maps for Ohio—see if there is one near you!

Check out this link for the different ways you can participate in National Bike to Work Day.  Hope to see you out there!

The Global Cities Initiative

Our long-time partner, the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, in joint partnership with JP Morgan Chase, is sponsoring “Going Global: Boosting the Economic Future of Ohio”- a Global Cities Initiative Forum, to be held in Columbus on May 9th.  Hosted by The Ohio State University, this unparalleled event will feature former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley; the Honorable Peter Ammon, Ambassador of Germany to the United States; an interview of Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase by David Gregory, host of NBC’s Meet the Press; and representation by Ohio business leaders and policymakers.

Going Global: Boosting the Economic Future of Ohio

Bruce Katz: In the aftermath of the great recession we must pursue a different growth model; the next economy will be metropolitan in form and function; metros are driving innovation in practice, policy and global trade links.

Bruce Katz delivered the featured speech from Columbus, Ohio, at "Going Global: Boosting Ohio's Economic Future," the second in a series of domestic and international forums being convened this year by the Global Cities Initiative. The forum, hosted by the Metropolitan Policy program at Brookings and JPMorgan Chase on May 9, explored how metropolitan-led economic growth—including global trade and investment—are important for job creation, and how Ohio can leverage its position in the global market. For more about this event, click here.