Blog — Greater Ohio Policy Center

And the Suburbs Continue to grow...

More disheartening news about sprawl and development that goes against Smart Growth Principles:

"Opportunity-seeking urban dwellers, get ready to start padding that commuting budget. Private sector jobs are continually moving out of city centers to further-flung suburban areas, according to a report out today from the Brookings Institution, an independent public policy institute.

All but three of the 98 major metro areas studied showed a drop in the share of jobs located within 3 miles of downtown, even though the overall number of jobs in those areas increased slightly during the 1998- to-2006 study period."  Read the full article

"The Disciannos moved from Aurora, Ill., to their home here in Plano three years ago, lured to the outermost fringes of suburbs, known as the exurbs, by the promise of owning their first home. Today, their credit is shot and they no longer own, but Ms. Discianno still has a four-hour commute.

The Disciannos are among many exurban families losing their homes and their grip on the dream of home ownership. The exurbs were among the fastest growing counties during the boom -- entire civilizations built around the idea of owning real estate. With home prices falling and unemployment rising, more people are renting -- just as they had before the boom -- and turning the community into a rental economy." Read the entire article

But there is some light at the end of the tunnel:

The Columbus Dispatch A bright spot in Ohio

"The babies just keep coming in Franklin and Delaware counties, again making central Ohio the growth region in a state that's barely been avoiding a population decline.

Franklin County alone added more people than Ohio did last year. And that local growth has been driven by the "natural increase" in population -- births minus deaths." Read the full article

Job Sprawl...the lastest phenemonon

The Brookings Institution recently released a report on "job sprawl" or communities where jobs moved farther away from city centers between 1998 and 2006. The goes directly against the principles of Smart Growth and the policies that the Restoring Prosperity to Ohio Initiative is trying to implement. Spacial Mismatch, a phenomenon which occurs when the employment opportunities for workers are located far away from where they live. This often affects low-income workers the most as the travel costs affect them the greatest.

An article in The Plain Dealer, Northeast Ohio jobs move farther away from city centers, study finds outline more of the effects of sprawl and the study:

Elizabeth Kneebone, the report's author, said many people realize that urban sprawl hurts the environment and the tax base of cities. "Now we must recognize what job sprawl means for the economic health of the nation," she wrote.

Robert Puentes, a Brookings senior fellow, added: "Allowing jobs to shift away from city centers hurts economic productivity, creates unsustainable and energy inefficient development and limits access to underemployed workers."

Cleveland Councilman Roosevelt Coats said some of these workers are residents of his South Collinwood ward. Many don't have cars to get to suburban jobs, or they face bus rides of nearly two hours to places like Solon. Long commutes with bus changes leave these workers vulnerable to fatigue and tardiness, which could cost them their jobs -- especially in a recession.

Click here to read the Brookings study.

More info on New Schools, New Neighborhoods in Toledo

Greater Ohio recently sent out our April newsletter that highlighted the innovative activities occuring in Toledo, Ohio. One program we mentioned was the New Schools, New Neighborhoods initative which seeks to rebuild neighborhoods. For informaiton on this initative I encourage you to check out the Toledo Free Press blog, Initative seeks to rebuild neighborhoods, which discusses the program and its progree in-depth.

Everyone's Talking About Benchmarking Central Ohio 2009

Everyone's Talking About Benchmarking Central Ohio 2009

On March 25, 2009, the report Benchmarking Central Ohio 2009 was released at a Columbus Metropolitan Club Forum. In its third year, the report, which is prepared by CRP for The Columbus Partnership, has again generated interesting discussion in the media and in the community. To see some of what is being said about the findings, check out the links below:

To read the full report, visit the Community Research Partners' website!

An Ohio Transportation Update

Ohioans have been waiting with bated breath as the deadline neared for Ohio officials to agree on the proposed transportation budget. Some of the contentious items in the bill which caused delay included the seat belt clause, cameras in construction zones, increasing the speed limit for truckers and the construction of mass transit. However, today they reached a compromise on the bill and it passed in both the House and the Senate. For specific details of the plan click here.

Although this puts Ohio one step closer to its goal of mass-transit and sustainable communities, there is still a lot of work ahead as we apply for Federal Money required to bring the Ohio Hubs project to fruition. We also have to coordinate our efforts to build a train system that connects cities and offers riders a way to get to their destination once they arrive in a city. However, the potential benefits of this bill are enourmous and as RustBeltFriends blog writes, this is Good News for Ohio (and those traveling to and through it.

Interested in learning more?