Ohio
Historic Barns Disappearing
A 2007 agricultural census found 33,762 barns in Ohio, but commentator Alan Miller says that those barns are quickly disappearing, ravaged by neglect or picked apart for salvage. Miller says something must be done to save this heritage.
Rough Tracks Ahead For High Speed Rail In Congress
Transportation consultant Ken Orski looks at post-election results in OH, WI, and FL as consistent with Newsweek's Robert J. Samuelson's pre-election column calling for an end to what he sees as wasteful and inappropriate high speed rail investment.
New Republican Midwest Govs Not Of Same Mind On Rail Investments
While new Wisconsin and Ohio Republican governors are not supportive of high speed rail and my try to steer their state's high speed rail awards for road purposes, the new Republican governors of Iowa and Michigan appear to be Amtrak supporters.
Columbus Developers Hope to Move Transit Riders
Business interests on a downtown commercial street complain a transit mall is making the area less attractive for retail.
Republican Gubernatorial Candidates Rail Against Rail
In Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, and California, the Republican gubernatorial candidates are all campaigning on pledges to return the high speed rail stimulus finds that the Obama administration recently awarded.
Blight Camouflage?
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the city has begun covering the broken windows and doors of abandoned homes with plywood painted to look like functioning doors and windows as part of a program to fight blight.
Most Successful Urban Planning - Ever?
Public Servant Blog dares to compile a completely subjective list of the Top 20 Urban Planning Successes of All Time, with selections ranging from the obvious (Amsterdam) to the less so (Marimont, Ohio). See if you agree.
Cleveland Development Could Connect Food Wholesalers With Public
A proposed development on a vacant lot in ailing Cleveland could connect locals with a little-known asset of their community - a cluster of food wholesalers.
City of Columbus Adopts Far-Reaching Downtown Plan
Building on the urban renaissance of the last decade that saw residential population increase for the first time since 1950, the City of Columbus has set a bold vision for the future with the adoption of the 2010 Downtown Columbus Strategic Plan.
Depaving Rural American Roads-Literally
Rather than being part of a car liberation or permeable pavement movement, poorly maintained county roads are having their asphalt ground into gravel as a cost-cutting measure to avoid costly road reconstruction. Lack of funding is the cause.
Sound Walls Made From Grass
The Ohio Department of Transportation is experimenting with "green noise walls" instead of the standard eyesore, using bags of soil sprouting greenery as an alternative to concrete.
Cleveland Deals With "James Drain"
The Urbanophile explains that although Lebron James was never going to turn around Cleveland alone, his departure is indicative of the city's reliance "on a never-ending cycle of “next big things” to reverse decline."
Cleveland: The Garden City?
Cleveland, Ohio has pursued an aggressive policy of greening it vacant and underused land. A program called Garden Boyz employs local youth to tend the gardens, keeping the landscape vital and keeping the kids out of gangs.
Transit Aid: The Operating Vs. Capital Dilemma
Transit advocates are used to battling the 'road lobby', but this article reports on a clash between small and mid-sized transit agencies (who want more flexibility) against the larger ones, as well as the main transit lobbying organization, APTA.
A Blight Fighter in Ohio
Judge Raymond Pianka of Cleveland’s Housing Court has taken a hard line on landowners that let their homes fall into disrepair, blighting suffering neighborhoods. But a higher court may be clipping Pianka's wings.
Looking Forward to the Future in Columbus
Like Daniel Burnham's famous Chicago plan, a bold plan for Columbus, Ohio has been proposed by the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. The plan, developed by consultant MSI Design, hearkens back to turn-of-the-century city plans that went unrealized.
Small Efforts in Fight Against Cincinnati Food Deserts
A major grocer in Ohio is trying to keep some of its smaller stores open in areas that would otherwise be food deserts. But profits are hard to come by, and stores continue to move out of town.
Families and Children Fleeing Cleveland
As Cleveland, Ohio has lost population over the last decade, a disproportionate number of those leaving town are families with children. Today, only 10% of the city's population is nuclear families.
The Sustainable Transportation Divide
Grist's David Roberts attended a national conference on the future of transportation at Ohio State in early May and noticed a divide in the concluding discussion on how panelists approached the issue of sustainability in transportation.
Learning From Cleveland's Healthline BRT
With a plan to distribute $775 million in federal funding for urban bus projects, Next American City's Yonah Freemark suggests using it to fund projects like Cleveland's Healthline BRT.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
