ABOUT GREATER OHIO POLICY CENTER
An 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
Photo: Shane Wynn
SMALL AND MID-SIZED LEGACY CITIESDEFINITION
More than 20,000 residents in the city
Less than 1,000,000 residents in the surrounding
metropolitan area
Industrial history
Losing population
Not a college town or suburb of a larger city
Most are located in the Midwest and Northeast
WHAT DISTINGUISHES SMALLER LEGACY CITIES?
Similar challenges as larger cities, but less high profile.
Successful strategies for revitalization in large cities may not be transferrable or may need adjustment.
Less financial and human capital resources.
Greater impact of negative land use like vacant properties or brownfields.
Small legacy cities:
Remain significant regional
and statewide economic
drivers
Present opportunities for
innovation
Are emblematic of national
concerns about inequality.
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT SMALL LEGACY
CITIES?
FROM AKRON TO ZANESVILLE:OHIO’S SMALL AND MID-SIZED LEGACY CITIES
Ohio has 20 small and mid-sized
legacy cities.
These cities and their regions
account for nearly a third of the
state’s population and a third of
the state’s GDP.
Long been drivers of the state’s
and regional economies
FROM AKRON TO ZANESVILLE:METHODOLOGY
Collected data on population change, economic health of
residents and housing markets in 2000, 2009, and 2014.
Compiled condition and trend data by city-type to create
averages for large, mid-size, and small legacy cities across the
state, including metro area
Trends in population, employment, income, housing, poverty
FROM AKRON TO ZANESVILLE: FINDINGS
Slow Recovery from the Great Recession
Columbus’ Strength Masks Other Cities’ Challenges
Small Legacy Cities: Workforce and Poverty Challenges
Mid-Sized Cities: Held Back by Housing Markets and
Shrinking Workforces
Large Legacy Cities: Deep Challenges Remain, but
there are Signs of Recovery
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
ColumbusCity
ColumbusMetro
LargeLegacyCities
LargeLegacyMetros
Mid-SizedLegacyCities
Mid-SizedLegacyMetros
SmallLegacyCities
SmallLegacyMetros
StateRe
lati
ve G
row
th o
r D
ecl
ine
(%
)
2000-2009
2009-2014
RELATIVE CHANGE IN HOUSING VALUESPRE- AND POST-2009
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Columbus Large Legacy
Cities
Mid-Sized Cities Small Cities State
POVERTY RATE CHANGE
POVERTY RATES IN OHIO CITIES, 2014
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
ColumbusOnly
Large Legacy(Cincy,
Cleveland)
Mid-SizedLegacy
Small Cities State
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
Columbus Large Legacy
Cities
Mid-Sized Cities Small Cities State
HOUSING VACANCY CHANGE
HOUSING VACANCY RATES, 2014
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
Columbus Large Legacy(Cincy,
Cleveland)
Mid-Sized City Small City State
55
57
59
61
63
65
67
69
71
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014
Columbus City Large Legacy Cities Mid-Sized Legacy Cities Small Legacy Cities State
Mid-Sized Legacy Cities
Small Legacy Cities
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATES OVER TIME
Columbus
Ohio
Large Legacy
GOPC is convening a
working group around
SMLC issues
Next Meeting is in
Marion (late spring)
Vision for the future must be grounded in a realistic assessment of the present.
Cities should consider their “niche” in the global, national, or regional economy.
Sufficient civic capacity to carry out change is critical.
Cities are most likely to be successful by blending a long-term strategic vision and an incremental process of change.
KEY FACTORS IN REPOSITIONING SMALLER LEGACY
CITIES
Photo Credit: Phil Kidd
CREATE A SHARED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
SECTOR VISION
Work across sectors – public, private, non-profit to
create a long-term economic development plan
Lancaster Alliance (PA)
Grand Vision to Action in Grand Rapids (MI)
Hamilton (OH) CORE – Consortium for Ongoing
Reinvestment
Deploy creative “place-making” strategies and use
state policy to support local assets (Revitalize Main
Street)
SUSTAIN STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS
Ensure that cities have the necessary tools to deal
with abandoned and/or nuisance properties
• Property registries with accurate contact information
Allow forfeited land sales to be permissive
Make downtown and traditional neighborhoods
attractive places to work and live
Create state programs to help communities
rehabilitate both housing and commercial properties
SHAPE OHIO’S FUTURE WORKFORCE
Create internships and leadership programs to
improve civic capacity and next generation of public
and private sector leaders
Encourage young Ohioans who have left the state to
return
Tailor workforce development strategies to the needs
of local employers
Provide transportation solutions that reduce the
mismatch between were people live and work
PROMOTE ASSET-BASED DEVELOPMENT
Embrace a quality of life approach that makes Ohio
communities attractive places to live, work, and play
Ensure that economic development policies prioritize
development in existing downtowns and built areas
rather than greenfield development
Use state funding to promote regional cooperation in
economic development
Incentivize the redevelopment of brownfield sites with
flexible programs that meet local needs
INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION
“Fix it first”: Focus on fixing existing infrastructure
before building new
Establish a statewide active transportation policy
Create economic distress-related designations to
guide the allocation of state resources
Ensure that local governments have appropriate
resources to modernize water and sewer
infrastructure and incentivize regionalization
STRENGTHENING OHIO’S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Increase incentives and technical assistance for regional
partnering and consolidation of small water systems
Provide incentives to develop asset management plans
Provide resources to funding agencies to keep affordability within
reasonable bounds
Couple asset management plans with improved statewide data
collection on key utility performance benchmarking statistics.
Enact a public-private partnership (P3) statute for water sector
projects that contains safeguards for accountability,
transparency, and standardized procedures
InitialChanges
Completely self-contained, requires no cooperation or interaction
Examples: Installing meters, changing billing system, implementing an environmental management system, reviewing rate structure and making appropriate changes
Informal Cooperation
Work with other systems, but without contractual obligations
Examples: sharing equipment, sharing bulk supply purchases, mutual aid agreements
Contractual Assistance
Requires a contract but contract is under system's control
Examples: Contracting operation & management, outsourcing engineering services, purchasing water
Creation of a new entity by several systems that continue to exist as independent entities
Examples: sharing system management, sharing operators, sharing source water
Ownership Transfer
Takeover by existing or newly created entity
Example: acquisition and physical interconnection, acquisition and satellite management; ownership transfer to become a larger existing system or new entity
REGIONALISM: RESTRUCTURING OPTIONS
Incre
asin
g t
ran
sfe
r o
f re
sp
on
sib
ilit
y
Joint Powers
Agency
Greater Ohio Policy Center Source: US EPA
Drinking water systems must demonstrate technical,
financial, and managerial competency and iimplement an
asset management program by October 1, 2018.
(a) An inventory and evaluation of all assets;
(b) Operation and maintenance programs;
(c) Emergency preparedness and contingency planning;
(d) Criteria and timelines for infrastructure rehabilitation and
replacement;
(e) Approved capacity projections and capital improvement
planning;
(f) A long-term funding strategy to support AMP
OHIO SENATE BILL 2
Status: In Sen. Energy and Nat. Resources Committee
L E V E L O F S E R V I C E
Meter accuracy
Gal/person/connection
Staff/gal/miles pipe
Emergency/Preventive Maintenance
Cost/millions gal.
Rate % MHI
Energy Audit
M E T R I C S ( E P A )
Fin. Operating Ratio
Cost connection/person
Non-revenue water
System pressure
Repair tasks/yr.
Customer complaints
CIP progress
Utilization/Storage
PROPOSED DRINKING WATER
BENCHMARKING AND METRICS (EXAMPLES)
Source: Ohio EPA
March 7th & 8th, 2017
More information is available at: www.GreaterOhio.wix.com/2017-Summit
The Westin Columbus
310 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Investing in Ohio's Future:
Maximizing Growth in our Cities and Regions
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