Blog — Greater Ohio Policy Center

Central Ohio Car Free Day

Today is Central Ohio Car Free Day.  Visit the website to take the pledge and learn more about transportation alternatives.  This is a great reminder that there are other forms of transportation that we should consider and support in Ohio.  The main message is that just for one day we should consider our alternatives. This also coincides with PARK(ing) Day which is a global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places.  The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat.

We hope you will be able to participate in both events.  If so, please share your stories about your commute or your PARK(ing) spots.

Third Round of NSP Funding

By Zach Crafton. Last week, I attended an announcement for the third round of funding for HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The event was held at a home, in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, that was rehabbed with the aid of stabilization money from the program’s previous round of funding.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program provides emergency assistance to state and local governments to purchase, redevelop, and/or demolish foreclosed homes. With this latest round of funding, Ohio and its municipalities are set to receive nearly $52 million to help reverse the negative impacts the foreclosure crisis has had on the state and its communities.

The event brought together officials from federal, state and local governments – including Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, representatives of Senator Sherrod Brown, Ohio Department of Development Director, Lisa Patt-McDaniel, and the City of Cleveland Mayor, Frank Jackson – to announce Cleveland’s award. Officials spoke about the city’s strategic use of program funds to rehab and demolish foreclosed homes in order to protect and enhance the vitality of Cleveland neighborhoods, and how this latest round of funding is intended to further support these efforts in Ohio.

For more information about the program and Ohio awardees see here.

Dayton Urban Nights: Sept 10, 2010!

Walk on downtown Dayton's creative side! Tomorrow night is Dayton's fall Urban Nights. It takes place Friday, September 10 from 5 to 10 p.m. More than 30,000 people are expected to pack the streets, so come join the fun and experience the downtown!  If you're in Dayton tomorrow, check it out!

What is Urban Nights?

Urban Nights is a free event that showcases downtown's dining, nightlife, art, music, retail, urban living options and more twice a year - once in the spring and once in the fall. The event has been described as a huge, all-inclusive street party and open house for downtown, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Businesses and restaurants offer special discounts, artists and galleries open their doors to the public, musicians and entertainers of all kinds perform throughout the center city, and downtown's most impressive urban living options are open for tours. More than 100 creative places and spaces are part of the event, including locations throughout downtown, the Oregon Arts District and the Wright-Dunbar Business Village.

Visit Dayton Urban Night's website for more information.

Greater Ohio Calls Commission on Local Government Reform Report a Modest First Step

More reform, action still needed to prepare Ohio for the competitive Next Economy Greater Ohio Policy Center called a draft report, which was unanimously approved at a meeting of the Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration Friday, a modest first step toward increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of local government and fostering economic development in Ohio, but called for government leaders to quickly build upon the commission’s efforts.  Today is the statutory deadline for the commission to issue its final report, the culmination of 19 months of work to develop recommendations to increase the efficiency of local government, achieve cost savings for taxpayers and promote economic development.

“The report and its recommendations are a step in the right direction, but the pending state budgetary crisis makes real local government reform all the more urgent, as the gap between costs and revenues on the local level continues to widen with reduced ability for the state to make up these differences,” said Greater Ohio’s Executive Director Lavea Brachman. “To avoid crippling budget cuts in the next state budget and make Ohio economically competitive, local government must become more attentive to reducing costs through collaboration and consolidation. The commission’s recommendations are not the bold action steps required under the current dire fiscal and economic conditions.”

These issues require long-term attention, and, as a logical next step, Greater Ohio calls for the creation of a permanent, intergovernmental, collaborative body responsible for continuing the work of the current commission.  To read more, see Greater Ohio's press release posted on our website.

Interested in learning more?