Ohio
Toll Road Fiasco in Ohio
Last week, the Ohio Turnpike debuted its E-Z Pass toll system -- with disastrous results, says TollRoadsNews.
TOLLROADSnews
As Auto Industry Stumbles, Renewables Boom in the Midwest
The ailing auto industry has many manufacturers in the Midwest transitioning to the renewable energy market, opening factories to build wind turbine parts and solar panels.
The Christian Science Monitor
Struggling Cities Meet to Brainstorm Survival Strategies
Representatives from a handful of the country's "fastest-dying cities" met recently in Dayton, Ohio to try to figure out how they could revive their economies and reverse the decline that has been slowly strangling them of jobs, money and people.
The Wall Street Journal
The Perils of Bus Bike Racks
Since the Columbus Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) put bike racks on the front of their buses, so many people have forgotten and left their bikes on board that hundreds of bikes are piling up in the lost and found.
The Columbus Dispatch
Midwest Governors Coordinate to Seek High Speed Rail Funding
At the Midwest High Speed Rail Summit today in Chicago, an agreement was struck between eight states to work cooperatively to achieve Recovery Act funding to develop the Chicago Hub High Speed Rail Corridor - also called the Midwest corridor.
Environmental News Service
The Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the U.S.
NeighborhoodScout.com used GIS and FBI data from 17,000 local law enforcement agencies to compile its list of the 25 worst neighborhoods for crime in the country.
Walletpop.com
Agricultural Land, Permanently
25 farmers in Fairfield County, Ohio are attempting to prevent future development by preserving their farmland in permanent agricultural use.
The Columbus Dispatch
Residency Requirements Struck Down
A state supreme court ruling will prevent the city of Cleveland from requiring its employees to live within the city limits. City leaders fear neighborhoods will decline, while some firefighters and other city employees say they'll stick around.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Kid Friendly" Zoning Code
Ashtabula, Ohio, are updating their zoning codes to be more "kid friendly", as more and more residents are submitting applications to convert homes into day care facilities.
Star Beacon
Reviving the Rust Belt
Smart City talks with grass roots and civic leaders about how to revitalize flagging Rust Belt economies.
Smart City Radio
Getting Creative with Blight
Encouraging the creative class to rent and eventually own in foreclosed neighborhoods revives blighted neighborhoods, but the strategy isn't without controversy or setbacks.
The Wall Street Journal
Evolution in Industrial Towns
Amid the recession, industrial towns in the Rust Belt have been forced to evolve as jobs dry up. But this is nothing new for the region, where towns have been re-imagining their economies for decades. NPR reports.
NPR
Commercial Vacancies Hit Tax Rolls Hard
As commercial vacancies increase, cities are feeling the pain of lower tax revenues.
BusinessWeek
1 in 13 Houses in Cleveland Vacant
With roughly 10,000 foreclosures in the last two years, Cleveland has been hit hard by the economic crisis.
The New York Times
Columbus Kills its Mall
20 years after the Columbus City Center opened its doors, the now nearly abandoned mall is slated to be demolished. The redevelopment agency plans to replace it with a park.
The Columbus Dispatch
A Form-Based Code For Cincinnati
Cincinnati City Council has approved $50,000 in funding for the development of neighborhood-based form-based codes. The funding is the first step of 'Smart Code' implementation throughout several Cincinnati neighborhoods.
Building Cincinnati
States Prepare To Raise Gas Taxes
Plummeting gas prices, roads in disrepair, and soaring state deficits have caused some state politicians to, gasp, attempt to raise gas taxes - last raised over 15 years ago in some states.
The New York Times



















