Ranking Transit Access

You may have seen our earlier entry about the importance of walkability and a tool to measure exactly that, walkscore.com.  Recently Walk Score has become multi-modal with the introduction of a new component, Transit Score which also ranks access to public transit.  So far over 40 cities are included in this ranking system, including Cleveland, Ohio.

Transit Score uses transit agency scheduling data to create a new index. This time, it rates how good the public transit service is, taking into account factors like how far you’d have to walk to get to the nearest bus/train stop and how often buses and trains arrive once you get there. The creators of Walk Score, a company called Front Seat, have also partnered with Chicago’s Center for Neighborhood Technology to release an app that calculates exactly how much you spend on transportation, no matter what form you use.

The big question is how much will these new tools affect home-buying and development decisions.  We certainly think these factors are worthy of heavy consideration.

How Transportation Affects the Health of our Communities

A blog entry from the Infrastructurist today provides two sources which both indicate that increased driving leads to less healthy lifestyles.

• A fascinating graphic shows the correlation between how much driving a state’s residents do and the state’s rate of obesity. (Good)

• And a new study says that people who live near public transport live “healthier, longer lives.” (APTA)

These are both interesting sources which confirm the need for multi modal transportation options and communities that are walkable and bikable.  The data are clear; transportation is not just about getting from point A to point B.  It’s an important factor for the health and vitality of our communities.  How does transportation affect your life?  What do you want to see changed here in Ohio?

San Juan Unveils Plan for Car-Free Walkable City

We just came across an interesting article describing San Juan, Puerto Rico's proposal to transform the city's historic district, Isleta, into a car-free "Walkable City".  The ambitious plan was released recently, and it calls for bold approaches to make Isleta more livable and walkable.  Banning automobiles from Old San Juan and adding a light rail system are the first steps, followed by the revitalization of old neighborhoods, an emphasis on public spaces and walkability, and new mixed-use developments.

The motivation for the city re-design is partially due to the city’s massive decrease in population over the years.  By making the old city more appealing, the government of Puerto Rico hopes to reverse this trend.

While Puerto Rico and Ohio face many different challenges and therefore require different approaches, it is always interesting to see what innovative ideas are being discussed and proposed across the globe.  Do you think any of these ideas could work in Ohio?

What Does Smart Growth Mean?

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 47^th in the nation in the share of elementary and secondary education spending that goes to instruction, and 9^th 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 21^st 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.