Creating a Vibrant, Sustainable and Competitive Northeast Ohio

Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium

• In 2010 an organization of 23 public and private entities convened to develop a regional policy plan for a 12-county region in Northeast Ohio.

• Funded largely by a highly competitive, first of its kind, $4.25M federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Part of the new federal Sustainable Communities Initiative. – interagency collaboration among HUD, the U.S.

Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection.

• Three-year planning program

– 12 county region including Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit, Stark, Trumbull , Wayne

– Received a matching program grant of $500,000 from the Fund for our Economic Future, itself a consortium of Northeast Ohio foundations.

– Consortium members have pledged a total of $2.45 million in funds and in-kind match in the form of staff time and operating expense contributions.

Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium

Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation StudyAkron Metropolitan Housing AuthorityAkron Urban LeagueCity of AkronCity of CantonCity of ClevelandCity of ElyriaCity of YoungstownCleveland Museum of Natural HistoryCleveland State UniversityCuyahoga CountyCuyahoga Metropolitan Housing AuthorityEastgate Regional Council of GovernmentsFund for Our Economic Future

Lorain County Growth PartnershipMahoning CountyNortheast Ohio Areawide Coordinating AgencyNortheast Ohio Four County Regional Planning & Development OrganizationRegional Prosperity InitiativeStark CountyStark County Regional Planning Commission/Stark County Area Transportation StudyStark Metropolitan Housing AuthoritySummit CountySummit County Health DistrictTrumbull County

Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium

Coming together to create a vibrant, sustainable and

competitive Northeast Ohio

Unique Context

• Stable regional population• 60+ year shift away from labor-intensive industrial

production & working class neighborhoods• Exurban low-density “sprawl” development: Post

War American Dream• Regional cultural and natural resources under

stress • Chronic, structural fiscal crisis at all levels of local

and regional government

Work Plan Framework

STRONG ECONOMIC BASE Community-Focused

Economic Development Strategies

COMMUNITIES Equitable Housing Access and Quality

ENVIRONMENTS Built Environment and Natural

Systems

CONNECTIONS Regional Mobility and Transit Options

QUALITY CONNECTED PLACES Place Based

Community Design and Integrated Capital Investment

Strategies

ENGAGEMENT

DATA/GIS

Regional Sustainability PlanSupport Land Use Patterns and Decision-Making Processes that support:

Regionally-accessible employment centers

Region-wide multi-modal transportation alternatives

Reduced Vehicle Miles Travelled

Improved environmental qualityCollaborative regional initiatives

Equitable hosing access and quality

Community-focused economic development

Regional Sustainability PlanIdentify and strengthen the linkages between:

Land Use

Transportation

Natural Environmen

ts

– continued development patterns (with and without population growth)

– compact development patterns (with and without population growth)

Further Develop the Regional Capacity to Plan

• Scenarios: Demonstrate the long-term (10-40 year) land development impacts:

Framework: “Network of Networks” promoting interconnectivity of information and analysis

Collaborative capacity enabling local communities

to develop collaborative solutions to the challenges

they face.

Intellectual capacity enabling NEO universities and

intermediaries to provide better research and a deeper bench of young professional

talent.

Institutional capacity enabling MPOs and

other critical actors to make better decisions.

Community capacity enabling NEO to become

more globally competitive, nationally attractive and

socially equitable.

Outcomes

Collaborative capacity enabling local communities

to develop collaborative solutions to the challenges

they face.

Intellectual capacity enabling NEO universities and

intermediaries to provide better research and a deeper bench of young professional

talent.

Institutional capacity enabling MPOs and

other critical actors to make better decisions.

Community capacity enabling NEO to become

more globally competitive, nationally attractive and

socially equitable.

Outcomes

Collaborative capacity enabling local communities

to develop collaborative solutions to the challenges

they face.

Intellectual capacity enabling NEO universities and

intermediaries to provide better research and a deeper bench of young professional

talent.

Institutional capacity enabling MPOs and

other critical actors to make better decisions.

Community capacity enabling NEO to become

more globally competitive, nationally attractive and

socially equitable.

Outcomes

Collaborative capacity enabling local communities

to develop collaborative solutions to the challenges

they face.

Intellectual capacity enabling NEO universities and

intermediaries to provide better research and a deeper bench of young professional

talent.

Institutional capacity enabling MPOs and

other critical actors to make better decisions.

Community capacity enabling NEO to become

more globally competitive, nationally attractive and

socially equitable.

Outcomes

Collaborative capacity enabling local communities

to develop collaborative solutions to the challenges

they face.

Intellectual capacity enabling NEO universities and

intermediaries to provide better research and a deeper bench of young professional

talent.

Institutional capacity enabling MPOs and

other critical actors to make better decisions.

Community capacity enabling NEO to become

more globally competitive, nationally attractive and

socially equitable.

Outcomes

Coming together to create a vibrant, sustainable and competitive

Northeast Ohio

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