In our work at NEOSCC, we are guided by six Livability Principles from The Partnership for Sustainable Communities (an interagency partnership between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)). One of the principles is to ‘support existing communities’. This principle is said to target federal funding toward existing communities—through strategies like transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling—to increase community revitalization and the efficiency of public works investments and safeguard rural landscapes. The EPA recently released a report examining residential construction trends in America’s metropolitan regions. The report finds that nearly three out of four large metropolitan regions saw an increased share of new housing development in previously developed areas during 2005-2009 compared to 2000-2004. Known as infill housing, this type of development provides economic and public health benefits to metropolitan areas while protecting the local environment. …
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It’s no secret that Northeast Ohio is growing across a number of sectors. Over the past several years, a number of public initiatives like the Third Frontier, area business incubators, and lots of private investment have driven high-tech growth across the region. Cleveland.com reports: The Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor area saw a 9.1 percent increase in high-tech jobs created from 2010 to 2011, according to Engine Advocacy, a San Franciso-based nonprofit organization aimed at helping technology businesses thrive. Nationwide, the average growth rate was 2.6 percent. Ohio ranks seventh nationwide among the top 10 states, with a 4.6 percent average growth rate. The study shows that more jobs are being created in high-tech fields than in the rest of the labor force. Engine Advocacy commissioned the Bay Area Council Economic Institute to analyze Bureau of Labor Statistics data in efforts to identify communities that are experiencing significant job growth in the high-tech sector. …
As the last post of the year, we thought it would be good to focus on a creating a more sustainable holiday. Every year, there is a debate about which is more environmentally friendly: artificial or natural Christmas trees. Regardless of what you chose this year, you can’t leave it up forever. There are a number of ways you can dispose of your natural Christmas tree to reduce the environmental impact. Here is a great infographic from GOOD.is on some of those the ways. Click on the image below to visit the original post.
Over the past week our website, Facebook and Twitter traffic has been steadily increasing. In light of this we thought it would be an opportune time to give a quick overview of our initiative. In terms of history, funding and organization you can visit our About pages. What we want to cover today is more of the soul of the initiative. We all want our communities to be… Vibrant (full of energy, enthusiasm, and vitality.) Sustainable (not wasteful; making smart decisions that help the region thrive.) Resilient (adaptable, tough and able to bounce back from difficulties.) NEOSCC IS OUR REGIONAL ADVOCATE FOR THESE VALUES/GOALS NEOSCC is a regional coalition funded mainly through a HUD Sustainability Communities Grant to NOACA. It is made up of diverse members from across the 12-county area, including local and county governments, businesses, and organizations from the planning, transit, and higher education sectors. VIBRANT NEO 2040…
We are excited to announce that Sasaki Associates has been selected to serve as the lead Planning Consultant for the Vibrant NEO 2040. Vibrant NEO 2040 will be the key product of our work during the coming year and the culmination of the NEOSCC project. The team led by Sasaki Associates will be responsible for three critical tasks: 1) Regional Planning Services and Project Management (Managing and coordinating the efforts of a team of consultants and staff who will create the Vibrant NEO 2040 plan and increasing overall operational capacity.) 2) Scenario Planning (engaging stakeholders throughout the region to develop a “base case” and alternative scenarios that anticipate where there region is heading.) 3) Fiscal Impact Analysis (Assessing the short- and long-term financial impacts of the base case and alternative regional scenarios.) Hunter Morrison, NEOSCC Executive Director, said, “The Board has recommended Sasaki for several reasons: 1. They are a…
The Cincinnati Streetcar is an electric mode of transportation operating in its first phase on a 3.6-mile loop connecting key communities in the city’s urban core. The streetcar will be a vital complement to the city’s existing Metro and other transportation systems. The vision remains to create a streetcar system that spurs development and is part of a larger multimodal transportation system that links areas outside the downtown core and throughout the region. Each streetcar will hold about 165 passengers and will easily accommodate wheelchairs and bicycles. The streetcar is expected to generate 3,700 trips per day, and it will provide residents using the bus system with more accessibility options. By creating denser, mixed-use development with a population that is less reliant on automobiles, the streetcar will reinforce the walkability of the City. Whether travelling to work, school, shopping, restaurants or social activities, all residents will find use for the streetcar. The…
EfficientGovNetwork Awarded $100,000 Grant from the Local Government Innovation Fund About the EfficientGovNetwork The Efficient Government Network is a group of Northeast Ohio stakeholders, primarily from political subdivisions who convene, connect and share ideas and best practices for local government collaboration. Created in the fall of 2010, the Network grew out of the EfficientGovNow contest (supported by the Fund for Our Economic Future and Advance Northeast Ohio). This competition gave birth to innovative ideas – and action – that targeted collaboration and efficiency. About the Award The grant, formally submitted by the Sourcing Office on behalf of the EGNet, will be used to turn the informal network into a sustainable organization that will facilitate and promote the acceleration of shared services and government collaboration in Northeast Ohio. More than a dozen partners from the private and public sectors, including the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce,…
Are you interested in learning more about sustainability and what is going on in Stark County? The Stark County Education Network for Environmental Sustainability (SCENES) “facilitates the sharing of information, and takes advantage of the combination of strengths, and opportunities in effort to raise community awareness and advance sustainable development and a healthy environment.” The project, led by Stark State College, is supported by a consortium of colleges, universities and environmental groups in and around Stark County. Funding for this effort is provided by the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. The SCENES website highlights eight focus areas: Advocacy, Building and Construction, Ecosystems, Energy, Green Business, Green Tips, Transportation, and Waste. It also features ways to get involved and best practices occurring throughout Stark County. Visit the site at http://www.starkscenes.org/ or read their most recent newsletter by clicking here! What Can I Do Today? Act: Participate in the NEOSCC Fair Housing Survey Act: Drive to 500, only 85 to go…Like Vibrant NEO…
The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium is only one of a number of Sustainable Communities grantees. Recently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development published profiles describing some of the work other recipients are doing. “Every now and then you’ve got to ask the hard questions. The one we choose to ask is: How will the Southeast Florida Region evolve over time to ensure that the development of the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century provides opportunity for the inclusive participation of all of the region’s residents?” – Dr. Mark B. Rosenberg, President, Florida International University. Flint, MI is using a HUD Community Challenge grant to complete its first master plan since 1960, charting a new course for the community’s future. The Tomorrow Plan, Des Moines, IA’s three-year planning effort funded by a HUD Regional Planning grant, fulfills Central Iowa’s need for a unifying vision that addresses how future growth will affect the region….
Local Food Systems is a project of the Agroecosystems Management Program of The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and many collaborators in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Site development has been supported by a USDA Specialty Crops Research Initiative Regional Partnerships for Innovation Grant (posted here) as well as a structural change grant from the Fund for Our Economic Future in Northeast Ohio (information here). Local Food Systems strives to promote strong local and regional economies by offering tools that help entrepreneurs build business ecosystems rooted in agriculture. Entrepreneurs can use the tools on the Local Food Systems website to connect their business idea into a supply chain network of locally owned businesses, existing and planned, and together with other entrepreneurs and locally owned businesses find the capital needed to launch their businesses. Food is of particular interest both to entrepreneurs and consumers, hence the name localfoodsystems.org, but other basic needs like energy, equipment, services and materials that are part of agriculture…