Restoring Prosperity
The Greater Ohio Policy Center Blog
Springfield, Ohio's Center City Association hosted several policy thinkers and city officials at their annual event on March 25th in order to discuss the challenges and opportunities Springfield has in revitalization.
Lavea Brachman, Co-Director of Greater Ohio moderated the event.
Watch to the 1st of 7 segments as Wittenberg University President, Mark Erickson discusses the university's role in development as an anchor institution.
Mass-transit is a hot topic in Ohio these days. Yesterday I posted a testimony given by the President of the Ohio Contractors Association against the construction of mass transit. Today I give you one of the rebuttals. Ken Prendergast, Executive Director of All Aboard Ohio, issued a response in the Columbus Dispatch arguing that
"It is apparent that the Ohio Contractors Association, which represents the highway-contracting industry and lobbies for increasing gasoline taxes, has been feeding at the highway-funding trough for so long that it believes that our gasoline taxes are an ever-expanding entitlement program for its own benefit. Travel between major cities in Ohio continues to be important for our economic vitality and growth. I agree that the highway system is the primary means of transporting individuals and goods within and through Ohio and needs to be in a state of good repair."
Read his full op-ed here. Obviously both arguments are made by people who have obvious motives. What are your thoughts? Will Mass-transit burden Ohioans and lead to more deaths or is it the opening to reinvigorate economic development?
While many Ohioans seem eager for mass transit in Ohio, there are a couple of naysayers who believe that setting up public transportation systems thorughout the state will hurt Ohio's economy and lead to disrepair. On Wednesday, March 11, 2009 one such naysayer gave testimony to the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee warning against the problems of mass-transit. Christopher L. Runyan, President of the Ohio Contractors Association argued that mass-tranist would unfairly tax Ohioans who preferred to use their cars and it could also lead to more highway deaths as less money would be going toward road repair leaving dangerous conditions for drivers. To read his complete testimony click here.
Interested in the downtown restoration projects going on in Ohio. Read an update, "Around Ohio" on MyHometown Ohio's blog.
Cities in Northeast Ohio are pushing for federal money to implement passenger rail service in the Tech Corridor, otherwise known as the Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh rail corridor. Proponents argue that there are individual economic engines that are revving up in numerous locations – in Cleveland, Kent, Warren, Youngstown, Beaver Falls, Pittsburgh and the potential for growth is immense if these economies are connected and can leverage the other’s strengths. However, the cost of this rail corridor will require federal money in the ballpark of $30 million. In order to receive this funding the state departments of transportation, state commissions, compacts of states or Amtrak must submit a request to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Then, the U.S. Department of Transportation must submit to Congress by April 18 a strategy for the use of $8 billion in passenger rail stimulus funds.
Mass transit is a growing trend throughout the nation and the world, so I do not see how Ohio can ignore it. If you look at the booming cities, they almost all have some form of public transportation. Buses are useful however, they do not mean much from an economic development standpoint. Developers are wary to invest in areas based on bus lines, because technically a bus route can change on a whim of a politician. It is fixed rail that really brings in the businesses and stimulates the economy. While I fully support the development of a 3-C Corridor mass transit system. The state needs to coordinate its efforts. Building a train system that connects cities but then leaves you stranded once you arrive at the city will not be effective and will only give naysayers more power. Yes, we need to connect our cities; however we must first build transportation systems with the city in order to wield the full power of a statewide transit system.
Greater Ohio, through its vacant property redevelopment network, ReBuild Ohio, helped advance new federal legislation this week. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Tim Ryan introduced the Community Regeneration, Sustainability and Innovation Act, targeting community revitalization in older Ohio cities.Greater Ohio Co-Director Lavea Brachman, in a press call with the Senator on March 11, stated that the Act would “usher in a whole new era of federal urban policy, giving the many cities in Ohio -- large and small -- that have shrunk in population the impetus they need to reimagine themselves and to work collaboratively and rebuild for a twenty-first century economy.” The Senator released a county-by-county report on population loss and a statewide analysis of vacant properties. The report revealed that more than 18 percent of housing units in Columbus were vacant or abandoned in 2006, with even more dire numbers in Ohio’s other core cities.
The Community Regeneration, Sustainability and Innovation Act of 2009 (CRSI) would create a new, competitive program within HUD targeted towards cities and metropolitan areas experiencing large-scale property vacancy and abandonment, and would provide assistance to communities to start or expand land banks that establish public control so the properties can be used in ways to benefit the public. The program would also provide funds to demolish abandoned properties, find innovative uses for old structures, and create green space.
Greater Ohio sees opportunities to align this federal legislation with our state reform agenda and the Restoring Prosperity to Ohio Initiative through strategies we are proposing to assist communities to “right-size.”
Read the Columbus Dispatch article. For more information on ReBuild Ohio, visit www.greaterohio.org.
Yesterday, Lavea Brachman, Co-Director of Greater Ohio, joined Senator Brown to discuss legislation that would create a new competitive program within the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD) targeted towards cities and metropolitan areas experiencing large-scale property vacancy and abandonment due to long-term employment and population losses. The program would provide funds to demolish abandoned properties, find innovative uses for old structures, and create green space. Brown and Brachman will outline how Ohio communities could use funds from the Community Regeneration, Sustainability and Innovation Act to rebuild blighted urban areas."Brown announced the legislation, the Community Regeneration, Sustainability and Innovation Act of 2009, during a conference call Wednesday. The three-year, $500 million demonstration program would provide funding to 15 small cities of 150,000 people or fewer and 15 large cities over the three years to find innovative ways of dealing with vacant structures and properties to improve the character of the neighborhoods in which they are located."
"Cities can't go it alone anymore," said Lavea Brachman, co-director of Greater Ohio, which runs a statewide vacant property redevelopment coalition.
Read the full article Senator working on bill to help deteriorating neighborhoods.
Lately it seems that the news is filled with depressing stories of bankruptcy, foreclosures, and unemployment. However, as bleak as is looks now, there is hope. As the economist Paul Romer once said "A Crisis is a terrible things to waste" and Cincinnati appears to be taking that message to heart. Despite the increase in unemployment, the city is continues to rank highly for ecnomic development expansion projects. However, Cincinnati isn't the only one to encourage development during these hard times, Site Selection magazine's "Top Metros of 2008" also ranked Dayton, Ohio first in economic development expansion projects among cities with less than 1 million in population. Ohio's cities still have a lot to our offer businesses, residents and workers and it is important that we align state policy with cities' urban agendas in order to invest in our cities' assets to continue to fuel development.
Read more about Cincinnati and Dayton at the Business Courier "Site Selection: Ohio, Cincy good for economic development"
"Warren Ohio Decay to Growth?" aptly describes the phenomenon occurring in Ohio. Many of Ohio's cities are experiencing decay as business close and workers leave in search of jobs. The times are changing and it is important that Ohio's cities recognize this and make a plan that will adopt policies that fit with new economic times. One aspect that cities need to re-evaluate their size. How big should a city be? Is it realistic to expect cities to regain the population size they enjoyed in the 1950's? Warren, Ohio is case and point. The city has wonderful qualities but it is facing decay with the out-migration of people. Rob Hathhorn offers a look inside the city. As you watch the video as yourself, "Does this resemble your city?" If so, what is your plan for the future?