As employees of Ohio's smart growth organization, all of us at Greater Ohio Policy Center get asked from time to time what does “smart growth” mean. Our sister organization in New York, Empire State Future, answered the question for us in a recent blog entry and took it a step further by sharing why smart growth was so important to all Ohioans, whether they live in a rural setting or an urban one (okay he was actually talking about New Yorkers, but we think you get the idea). Check it out and let us know if they hit the mark.
Federal Bill Aimed at Improving Livability in Ohio and Rebuilding Communities
By Lavea Brachman. Following a key committee vote, I was pleased to participate today in a news conference call with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-17) discussing critical legislation that could improve the livability of Ohio communities and direct federal assistance to communities with a high concentration of vacant and abandoned homes due to major population and job loss. Portions of Senator Brown and Congressman Ryan’s Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act (CRSI Act), which was first introduced in 2009, was included as an amendment to the Livable Communities Act of 2010. Specifically the amendment will create a new, competitive grant program under HUD that would allow communities to demolish abandoned properties, find innovative uses for old structures, and create green space.
If enacted, the CRSI amendment will help communities better address fallout from the “shrinking city” phenomenon, which is pervasive in Ohio. The issue confronting these cities is not whether they will have different physical footprints and more green space than they do now, but how this transformation will happen, so they are ultimately smaller but stronger places to live. These cities, which have far more vacant land than can be absorbed through traditional redevelopment efforts, require innovative, comprehensive solutions that this legislation will be instrumental in encouraging.
The Livable Communities Act of 2010 with the newly added language from the CRSI Act will improve the coordination between housing, community development, transportation, energy, and environmental policies to help create better places to live, work and raise families. All of these goals align closely with our report, Restoring Prosperity: Transforming Ohio’s Communities for the Next Economy, which was released earlier this year. The bill cleared the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee yesterday and awaits consideration by the full Senate.
For more information on the bill and today’s conference call, please see Senator Brown’s press release.
New Research on Ohio School Districts
By Dawn Larzelere. In response to our recent report, Restoring Prosperity: Transforming Ohio Communities for the Next Economy, The Fordham Institute's Education Gadfly team examined Ohio districts’ Student to Administrator ratios as well as the amount spent on administrators as a percent of total expenditures. Fordham also took their analysis a step further by drilling down to see if patterns emerged based on district size.
Greater Ohio’s report found that Ohio spends 49 percent more on district administration than the national average. The state ranks 47th in the nation in the share of elementary and secondary education spending that goes to instruction, and 9th in terms of money spent on administration.
In Fordham’s research, among other things, they found a sizable range in terms of the amount spent on administrators and most of that correlated with districts’ size with smaller districts often spending more on administration costs. Quoting from a recent blog entry on the Fordham analysis:
“In light of this, districts – especially the smallest ones — must ask themselves tough questions about whether it’s worth merging positions where there’s potential duplication in order to discover cost savings.”
Check out the Fordham Foundation’s blog post for more information.
Report Calls for Increased Exporting in Ohio
Today, the Brookings Institution released a report focusing on the importance of exports to both Ohio and the nation's largest metropolitan areas. The report, Export Nation: How U.S. Metros Lead National Export Growth and Boost Competitiveness, is the first comprehensive analysis of U.S. exports of goods and services produced in America’s 100 largest metropolitan areas. Seven of Ohio’s metros are included in the report: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown.
Export Nation’s findings are consistent with Greater Ohio Policy Center/Brookings’ Restoring Prosperity report, which called upon Ohio’s regions to build upon their strength in manufacturing and exporting goods, while also strategically adapting to new demands in the next economy.
Both reports call for policies that promote increasing educational attainment, workforce training based on industry demand, and greater investment in innovation. Greater Ohio’s Restoring Prosperity report emphasized the need for Ohio’s state policy efforts to promote exports and encourage growth in Ohio’s cities and metropolitan areas.
According to Export Nation service exports make up a lower percent of total exports in Ohio metros than the nation's other large metros, which likely correlates to below average, college attainment. With regards to goods exports, all of Ohio's metros surpass the national average. However, the recent Brookings report also found that Ohio's major metros are comparatively weak in innovation as shown by patent rates compared with their national peers, despite the high levels of manufacturing employment and generally high export intensity. Nationally, metros that are manufacturing oriented or export intensive typically tend to have higher patent rates.
Greater Ohio believes reliable export data can inform state and local leaders about the untapped export potential of Ohio’s metropolitan areas, and assist them as they reorient the state and its metros to the global trade environment to remain competitive in the 21st century global economy.
For additional Ohio-specific export data click here or see the full report at http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2010/0726_exports_istrate_rothwell_katz.aspx
The Evergreen Cooperative in Cleveland
By Zach Crafton. Last week I had the opportunity to take part in GLUE's very informative and interactive conference. The three day event, which pulled together nearly 100 individuals from the Great Lakes region, took place in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Unlike many typical conferences, participants were not confined to the boundaries of the hotel (although the arcade is quite lovely) or even limited to the downtown area. Instead, we were encouraged to get out and experience Cleveland and all it has to offer, as well as learn a few lessons from projects that are working and some that are not.
That being said, last Friday afternoon, I eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to visit and learn more about one of Cleveland’s most innovative programs. A team of GLUEsters and me hopped on a bus and headed for the city’s east side to tour a commercial-scale laundry facility created by the Evergreen Cooperative. Now, I recognize that a laundry facility might not elicit intense excitement in most, but this laundry company is different in a number of ways.
Photo from Cleveland Plain Dealer
First, it focuses on environmental sustainability and exceeds all industry “green” standards. Second, it leverages its location to nearby anchor institutions (i.e. University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, Case Western University, etc.) by focusing on their current/future demands for laundry services to create jobs in the community that would otherwise be lost to businesses outside of the neighborhood. Lastly, it is a worker-owned operation, focused on creating local jobs, community wealth (rather than simply providing a “living wage”) and equity in a neighborhood that has faced disinvestment and many other barriers.
The tour of the Evergreen Laundry Cooperative was hot (literally), but thoroughly interesting. I especially liked watching the laundry move from station to station on various mechanizes, which to me resembled Mouse Trap, a wacky board game I enjoyed as a child. Following the tour we were given a short presentation about the Evergreen Cooperative and its other worker-owned companies, including Ohio Solar Cooperative and the GreenCity Growers Cooperative. For more information on this nationally recognized program visit http://www.evergreencoop.com/.
GLUE Urban Laboratories Conference
By Katherine Buckingham. I just attended the Great Lakes Cities Urban Laboratories Conference in Cleveland, Ohio hosted by GLUE (Great Lakes Urban Exchange). Over eighty people from across the Great Lakes region attended this exciting event. It was three days of Cleveland tours and field trips, inspired speakers, brainstorming, and problem solving dedicated to the cause of renovating our rust belt cities throughout the region. It was great to see so many young people committed to the revitalization of their cities.
The conference was themed around the Re-imagine a More Sustainable Cleveland plan which is an innovative strategy to put vacant land in Cleveland back into productive use. Neighborhood Progress, Inc is working with the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative at Kent State on this effort. Bobbie Reichtell of NPI and Terry Schwarz of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative gave an excellent presentation to frame the project. Participants then worked in groups throughout the conference to think of signature projects for Re-imagining Cleveland 2.0. This new version of the project is called Re-imagining a Greater Cleveland, and it is a county-wide framework for the use of vacant land.
Some of the suggestions for signature projects included variations of the “Mini-Emerald Necklace” plan to create off-road biked and pedestrian greenway. Another idea was to use materials from deconstructed buildings to create an inter-generational playground placed on vacant land. Other suggestions included urban agriculture related projects. Do you have any ideas for Re-imagining Cleveland signature projects?
Happy Birthday Cuyahoga County Land Bank!
Congratulations to the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation for finishing its inaugural year. So far, the land bank has acquired 212 properties and is on track to acquire an additional 500, due in large part to innovative deals they have finalized with Fannie Mae and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Greater Ohio hopes to send our birthday wishes next year to additional counties that have recently received access to this important tool and looks forward to continuing to keep you updated on best practices and progress throughout Ohio in addressing the challenges caused by vacant and abandoned properties.
The Importance of Walkability
By Gene Krebs
Greater Ohio has been forecasting for several years that people would be and are already choosing to move to walkable communities and leave the car-centric city behind. According to a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, the free market is now validating this assertion in stronger terms than we had anticipated. The article explains that the desire to live in a walkable community is reshaping the real estate market.
"Today's home buyers aren't just looking for good schools and low crime rates when they evaluate a neighborhood, many brokers say. They're paying much more attention to what they can walk to."
This article confirms that the increased interest in walkability is not just a blip, but a burgeoning trend that is worthy of the attention of homeowners and policy makers alike. If you want to checkout the walkability of your neighborhood, visit https://www.redfin.com/how-walk-score-works.
Ohio Foreclosure Legislation Stalled
Despite statistics from the Ohio Supreme Court showing that foreclosure filings in Ohio have experienced an annual increase for the past 14 consecutive years andmore than 24,700 foreclosure filings occurred in the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 9 percent over the same time period last year, the Ohio Senate has decided to postpone until after the Summer break consideration of several key pieces of legislation designed to protect homeowners and renters in the event of a foreclosure.
Three specific pieces of legislation have passed the Ohio House, but have all stalled in the Ohio Senate, that would help address concerns that Greater Ohio and others have expressed with various parts of the foreclosure process. House Bill 3 would regulate mortgage servicers and charge a filing fee, the proceeds of which would return to communities to fund prevention counseling and foreclosure mitigation programs. House Bill 9 would require landlords to notfiy current and potential tenants if a property is or will soon be in foreclosure. The final bill, House Bill 323, would limit the amount of time that properties are vacant and deteriorating by requiring that the mortgage holder file for default judgment in a foreclosure proceeding within a set period of time or risk a court ruling that they abandoned their interest in the property. It also establishes penalties to discourage homeowners from vandalizing their foreclosed property.
Greater Ohio, informed by a combination of extensive research and outreach around the state with our local partners, has stressed the need to pass a legislative package of foreclosure protection and corrective action bills most recently in our jointly issued report with the Brookings Institution, Restoring Prosperity: Transforming Ohio's Communities for the Next Economy, and in a paper released last year, Addressing Ohio's Foreclosure Crisis: Taking the Next Steps, commissioned by Greater Ohio and written by national urban affairs expert Alan Mallach.
We encourage you to contact your local representatives of the General Assembly, particularly your Ohio Senate members, throughout the summer and ask them to research these important bills and also urge the Ohio Senate in particular to take action on the legislation when they return in the fall. Unfortunately as statistics such as the ones from the Ohio Supreme Court show, Ohio’s foreclosure problem is getting worse not better and the time for reform is now.
On the GO (The Greater Ohio Newsletter)
Check out the new format of Greater Ohio's Newsletter, On the GO. If you are not signed up to receive these newsletters, please sign up here. Here is the top story from the newsletter: Experts Converge to Provide County Land Bank Training
Greater Ohio Policy Center, in partnership with the newly formed Center for Community Progress, whose goal is to create vibrant communities through reuse of vacant, abandoned properties with offices in both Washington, D.C. and Flint, Michigan, hosted an interactive training session for select counties on Ohio’s current land bank law, which was recently expanded to an additional 41 counties.
Over 60 representatives from 11 counties participated in the daylong event with presentations by Greater Ohio’s Lavea Brachman, the Center for Community Progress’s Dan Kildee and Amy Hovey, as well as Gus Frangos, President of the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation.
Greater Ohio, a key figure in the legislation that enabled additional counties to access this important tool, provided specific information on Ohio’s legislation that addresses county land banks. From Dan Kildee, former Genesse County Treasurer, participants learned about the basic concepts behind a county land bank and how the entity is financially structured. Amy Hovey, a former consultant to the Genesse County Land Bank and integral in its development, discussed various land bank models throughout Michigan and the country to show how this important tool could be customized to meet the needs of individual counties. Finally, Gus Frangos provided first-hand knowledge on how to set up a county land bank in Ohio as well as provided practical advice on the trigger points for different operation and policy decisions and the pitfalls to avoid.
Greater Ohio hopes to continue to edcuate counties on this powerful tool to address the foreclosure and vacant property crisis plaguing our communties, so continue to check our website for additional trainings.