A Toolkit for Identifying Equitable Real Estate Development Strategies

A Toolkit for Identifying Equitable Real Estate Development Strategies

Local actors have a lot to juggle and the options for equitable development programming can be overwhelming. So how can community leaders determine which strategies and programming to pursue? This toolkit offers a roadmap for identifying suitable equitable development programming that is driven by an evaluation of a community’s unique assets. This approach is based on the framework outlined in Moving Beyond Conventional Economic Development Practice: An Asset-Based Framework for Sustainable Communities and it builds on the principles described in Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities and Equitable Real Estate Development Strategies for Weak Markets.

Current Conditions Reports for Warren & Youngstown

The cities of Warren and Youngstown have seen a considerable drop in vacant housing since 2020, while the number of minority, women and EDGE-certified businesses has doubled in these communities. These are just two of the encouraging trends highlighted in a new two-part report developed by the Greater Ohio Policy Center on behalf of  The Raymond John Wean Foundation, an organization dedicated to community revitalization within the Mahoning Valley.

The reports provide a comprehensive view of the current conditions of the cities of Warren and Youngstown as they compare to Trumbull and Mahoning counties, respectively, and the state of Ohio. They are designed to provide accurate, up-to-date information for both the Wean Foundation and its grantee partners to better understand areas that have seen improvements and where there are opportunities for greater support. The reports include data on population, housing, employment, education, and more.

Access the Warren Current Conditions report and the Youngstown report at weanfoundation.org/resource-library/.

Housing Ohio: Tools for Development

Housing Ohio: Tools for Development

Housing production has slowed, prices have surged, and community leaders are searching for tools to address these challenges effectively.

The Ohio REALTORS™ and Greater Ohio Policy Center have developed this guidebook which offers three voluntary tools that local governments, developers, land banks, and homeowners can use to promote infill housing across Ohio.

These tools can be applied individually or in combination to overcome barriers to housing development on vacant lots in established neighborhoods.

The Benefits of Brownfields for Ohio's Communities

The Benefits of Brownfields for Ohio's Communities

Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) is proud to share “The Benefits of Brownfields for Ohio’s Communities: An Analysis of the Brownfield Remediation Program Over the Past Three Years”. This white paper examines the $659 million awarded between 2022 and 2024 for the Brownfield Remediation Program. The white paper also makes the case for allocating additional dollars to a statewide brownfield grant program in the next state Operating Budget.

The Creating Healthy Communities Program: An Active Transportation Project Development Tool for Ohio Communities

The Creating Healthy Communities Program: An Active Transportation Project Development Tool for Ohio Communities

The Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) has been advocating for greater investment in Active Transportation for the past several years. This work has involved growing the availability of resources at the state level, as well as working with local communities to raise awareness about the availability of resources at the federal, state, and philanthropic levels. We have also worked to educate communities throughout Ohio by highlighting well-developed active transportation projects and initiatives throughout the state.

Akron Housing Action Plan and Market Value Analysis

Akron Housing Action Plan and Market Value Analysis

The city of Akron, in partnership with GOPC and the Reinvestment Fund, has released the Akron Housing Action Plan and Market Value Analysis.  The Action Plan and Market Value Analysis will help city officials and other leaders in Akron spur new housing development, keep long-time residents in their homes, and improve the quality of existing homes for all Akron residents.

Unlocking Opportunity: Ohio's Brownfield Remediation Fund Awards & The Benefit of Brownfields

Unlocking Opportunity: Ohio's Brownfield Remediation Fund Awards & The Benefit of Brownfields

The Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) has released a white paper Unlocking Opportunity: Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Fund Awards & The Benefit of Brownfields, which analyzes the full grant awards for the Brownfield Remediation Fund and makes the case for additional funding for environmental clean-up.

Building on Momentum: An Argument for State Investment in Public Transit in Ohio

Building on Momentum: An Argument for State Investment in Public Transit in Ohio

Building on Momentum: An Argument for State Investment in Public Transit in Ohio, provides an assessment of both the current status of the state's public transportation infrastructure and capacity. The report focuses on why, given shortages of reliable workers, and a growing number of rural elderly and disabled residents who need transportation options, it is critical for Ohio to continue to maintain and grow the historic investments which have been made in public transportation since 2019.

Quality Housing For All: A Four-Year Strategic Plan for Springfield

Quality Housing For All: A Four-Year Strategic Plan for Springfield

The Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) has released a multi-year strategic housing plan for Springfield. Quality Housing for All: A Four-Year Strategic Plan for Springfield provides community leaders with a roadmap to address current and future housing needs in Springfield. Community leaders have elevated housing as a communitywide priority.

Redeveloping in the Comeback City: A Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis for Portsmouth, OH

Redeveloping in the Comeback City: A Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis for Portsmouth, OH

Leaders in the City of Portsmouth identified housing as an important component of city’s revitalization journey, launching a comprehensive housing analysis as a first step to understand housing conditions across the city. Various community partners engaged the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) to analyze market rate and affordable housing conditions within the municipality.

Equitably Developing America's Smaller Legacy Cities

Equitably Developing America's Smaller Legacy Cities

Former industrial and manufacturing hubs like Dayton—known as legacy cities—need not choose between economic growth and equity, as growth is most durable when it benefits everyone, according to a new Policy Focus Report and accompanying Policy Brief published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in partnership with the Greater Ohio Policy Center. Legacy cities can promote long-term growth while addressing racial and economic inequities laid bare by COVID-19 using strategies mapped out in Equitably Developing Smaller Legacy Cities: Investing in Residents from South Bend to Worcester. Using case studies of successful initiatives, the report guides practitioners through equitable investment in both physical projects and people.

Interested in learning more?