An overview of GOPC policy recommendations for consideration by local and state candidates. For more information, please visit: http://greaterohio.org/issues/memo

1. Alison D. Goebel, PhD
Associate Director
Greater Ohio Policy Center
April 14, 2016

2. 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

3. ABOUT GREATER OHIO POLICY CENTER:
SUBJECT AREA EXPERTISE
Urban regeneration
Sustainably revitalize
urban cores and
neighborhoods
Transportation &
infrastructure
modernization
Develop improved &
modern infrastructure
Regional growth
Promote regional economic
development & collaborative
governance structures

5. 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; Cincinna
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

6. OHIO’S METROS ARE THE ECONOMIC DRIVERS OF OUR STATE AND
THE KEY ENGINES TO OUR ECONOMY ARE OUR URBAN CORES
1. Toledo
2. Sandusky
3. Cleveland
Elyria
Lorain
4. Akron
5. Warren
Youngstown
6. Lima
7. Mansfield
8. Canton
9. Steubenville
10. Dayton
Piqua
11. Springfield
12. Columbus
Lancaster
Newark
13. East Liverpool
14. Cincinnati
Hamilton
Middletown
15. Ironton
16. Marietta

8. GOPC’S POLICY PLATFORM
I. 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

9. Maintain and regrow
communities in
which people want
to live and
businesses want to

10. 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

11. 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.

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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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

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

17. 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.

18. GOPC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOLUTIONS
Create 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

19. Alison D. Goebel, PhD
Associate Director
Greater Ohio Policy
Center
agoebel@greaterohio.or
g
@alisongoebelOH
www.greaterohio.org
614-224-0187