A POLIC

Y PLAT

FORM FO

R

ECONOMIC

REGENERATION AND

SUSTAINABLE PROSPERITY

IN OHIO

G R E A T E R OH I O

PO L I C

Y CE N T E R

Alison D. Goebel, PhDAssociate DirectorGreater Ohio Policy Center

April 14, 2016

ABOUT GREATER OHIO POLICY CENTERAn outcome-oriented statewide non-profit that champions revitalization and sustainable redevelopment in Ohio:

• Revitalize Ohio’s urban cores and metropolitan regions

• Achieve sustainable land reuse and economic growth

ABOUT GREATER OHIO POLICY CENTER: SUBJECT AREA EXPERTISE

Urban regenerationSustainably revitalize urban cores and neighborhoodsTransportation & infrastructure modernizationDevelop improved & modern infrastructureRegional growthPromote regional economic development & collaborative governance structures

BUILDING ON OHIO’S

ASSETS

M E T R O P O L I TA N R

E G I ON S A

N D OU R C

I TI E

S

THE VAST MAJORITY OF OHIOANS LIVE IN A METRO

Almost every single Ohioan lives within an hour’s drive of an urbanized area.

Clockwise: Piqua; Mansfield; Cincinnati

81% of all Ohioans live in 1 of 16 metro regions

Ohio’s 16 metro regions hold 84% of the state’s jobs

Ohio’s 16 metro regions produce 87% of the state’s GDP

Half of the state’s population lives within 10 miles of an urban core.

91% of Ohio’s millennials with college degrees live in the state’s 8 largest metros

OHIO’S METROS ARE THE ECONOMIC DRIVERS OF OUR STATE AND THE KEY ENGINES TO OUR ECONOMY ARE OUR URBAN CORES

1. Toledo2. Sandusky3. Cleveland

ElyriaLorain

4. Akron5. Warren

Youngstown6. Lima7. Mansfield8. Canton9. Steubenville

10. Dayton Piqua11. Springfield12. Columbus Lancaster Newark13. East Liverpool14. Cincinnati Hamilton Middletown15. Ironton16. Marietta

3-PART

POLIC

Y PLAT

FORM

FOR ECONOMIC

REGENERATION

GOPC’S POLICY PLATFORMI. Revitalize our neighborhoods and cities

Ohio should leverage our greatest asset—our unique places and regional strengths

II. Diversify our transportation options The market demands a range of transportation options

III. Modernize water and sewer infrastructure Ohio must maintain safe water quality to remain

competitive

URBAN AND

NEIGHBORHOOD

REVITA

LIZATI

ON

Maintain and regrow communities in which people want to live and businesses want to locate

GOPC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS & SOLUTIONS

• Establish a responsible process to fast-track mortgage foreclosure that will help alleviate the spread of blight that mars neighborhoods and communities

GOPC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS & SOLUTIONS

• Establish a brownfield redevelopment program that is complementary to existing JobsOhio and Ohio EPA programs and that supports communities with a range of brownfield types, end users and financing needs.

• Amend public nuisance statute to give local governments the ability to address blighted industrial and commercial properties and reduce unnecessary and expensive demands on the court system.

A robust and multi-modal system will carry Ohio into the 21st Century

DIVERSE TR

ANSPORTA

TION

OPTIONS TH

ROUGHOUT

OHIO

BUILDING A COMPETITIVE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

Employees want to utilize a wider range of modes of transportation than just cars

•< 3% of ODOT’s budget goes to public transportation; other states dedicate 15-24% of transportation budget to transit

Businesses want functioning non-highway options that connect to highways, including: deep water ports, airports, and rail.

•<1% of ODOT’s budget goes to rail, ports, or airports.

GOPC TRANSPORTATION POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Undertake a comprehensive funding reform through the 2017 ODOT Budget.

Pennsylvania’s 2013 transportation budget reform recalibrated funding and:

• Created new fees and aggregated small increases on existing taxes and fees

• Focused resources to repairs and maintenance, with limited capital expansions

 

GOPC TRANSPORTATION POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Increase Federal Highway Administration funding for public transportation from $20 million to $50 million.

An additional $30 million per year for transit would:• Support 370 new rural transit vans or 107 new full size buses

per year• Boost transit’s budget 33% and decrease the budget for

highway construction and maintenance by 3%

Adopt a Complete streets policy so that all users can safely access Ohio’s roadways

MODERNIZED WATER AND

SEWER

INFRASTR

UCTURE

Water is one of Ohio’s most lucrative and important assets

OHIO’S WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS ARE AGING

• Ohio’s water and sewer systems are in need of an estimated $25 billion over the next 20 years for system upgrades & modernization improvements.

• The anticipated cost associated with upgrades to current water/sewer systems will put a significant strain on ratepayers.

GOPC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOLUTIONSCreate new, innovative financing programs

that support infrastructure modernization. • Financing that shares burden across all users

Support utilization of integrated infrastructure (i.e. “green” and “grey”) to reduce costs and leverage existing vacant land

QUESTIONS?

Alison D. Goebel, PhD

Associate Director

Greater Ohio Policy Center

agoebel@greaterohio.org@alisongoebelOH

www.greaterohio.org614-224-0187