More than 500 Attended Vibrant NEO Open Houses

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

AKRON, Ohio -- More than 500 residents of northeastern Ohio attended workshops in 10 communities across the region July 29 through Aug. 7, including two events in the Mahoning Valley last week, as part of the second phase of the Vibrant NEO 2040 planning process being led by the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium.

“Turnout and participation in these open houses shows that Northeast Ohioans are interested in and passionate about ensuring that our region remains vibrant, resilient and sustainable into the future,” said Hunter Morrison, NEOSCC executive director.

Earlier in the year, NEOSCC organized workshops that focused on the “trend scenario,” which describes what Northeast Ohio may be like in 2040 if the region continues in its current direction. Through the recently concluded open houses and online engagement efforts, NEOSCC is asking northeast Ohioans to explore three alternatives to the trend scenario.

Those alternatives are “Grow the Same” -- if population and job growth matched that of the rest of the country through 2040; “Do Things Differently” -- if policy priorities identified at the last set of Vibrant NEO 2040 workshops, including a focus on reinvestment in existing communities and utilizing existing infrastructure, were pursued; and “Grow Differently” -- if population and jobs grew at the same rate as the rest of the country through 2040 and the different policy priorities were pursued.

Those attending the open houses learned about and compared the trend scenario and the three alternative scenarios and were asked to provide their feedback and identify their preferences for different aspects of each. Although the open houses have concluded, residents can still learn about and compare the four scenarios here. The informational boards from the open houses are available for viewing and download here.

Residents can continue to provide feedback to NEOSCC through Aug. 18.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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