Northeast Ohio's largest regional planning effort in a generation recommends infill development, transit expansion, and land conservation as the essential elements for ensuring the area's future success.
"If Northeast Ohio did three things that sound simple – but are in fact really hard - it could limit sprawl, safeguard natural resources and blaze a path to a smarter, greener and more economically robust future," reports Steven Litt. "That’s the thrust of the latest iteration of “Vibrant NEO 2040,” a long-term vision for the region prepared by the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, the biggest regional planning effort in decades in this part of the world."
A robust outreach effort has found that area residents want to limit sprawl and protect the quality of the region's air and water.
"The sustainability group – a voluntary consortium of cities, counties, planning agencies, universities, foundations and cultural institutions has no power to impose its concepts beyond that of persuasion," notes Litt. "But the sustainability group is hoping that its ideas take root in the region through long-term policies of metropolitan planning organizations, such as the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, which oversees federal spending on transportation in the Cleveland area."
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