Restoring Prosperity
The Greater Ohio Policy Center Blog
On Friday, February 25, GOPC staff members attended “Dream ▪ Play ▪ Build: Hands-On Community Engagement for Enduring Spaces and Places,” a webinar presented by James Rojas of Place It! and John Kamp of Prairieform and hosted by the Maryland Department of Planning and the Smart Growth Network.
As Columbus and New Albany have continued to grow over time, this has put increased development pressure on more rural and small-town areas like Jersey Township and Johnstown, a particularly pressing issue for Central Ohio areas lacking existing plans or the capacity to facilitate robust planning processes.
Ohio’s cities have experienced an increase in rental properties over the last decade and many communities have established rental registries and licensing programs in response. Rental property registries and licensing programs are often utilized by municipalities to gather up-to-date information for rental properties and owners, and to ensure properties meet basic standards of habitability.
The new policy will be important for Ohio, which reversed a four year trend last year, experiencing an increase in the number of pedestrian-related crashes last year, while at the same time continuing the trend of an increase in the number of fatal accidents (up for the second year in a row following a three-year decline).
