Finding: As Northeast Ohio’s population spread out, so did its jobs, creating new centers of jobs further away across the region.
This has created more centers of jobs across the region.
Theme: Spreading Out - NEOSCC Conditions & Trends
The spreading out of Northeast Ohio’s population has had a significant impact on the region
Finding: The uncertainty of what may be found on abandoned industrial and commercial land and the unknown cost of remediating what is found make Northeast Ohio’s brownfield and grayfield locations difficult to develop.
The existence of brownfields and grayfields has effectively reduced the supply of viable sites for development, particularly in urban areas. While data is available about brownfield sites whose cleanup is supported by the Clean Ohio Fund, Northeast Ohio lacks comprehensive data about the locations and conditions of its other brownfield sites.
Finding: The spreading out of Northeast Ohio’s population has affected its housing markets.
In general, Northeast Ohio’s supply of housing exceeds its demand. At the same time, Northeast Ohio has an over-supply of housing that is abandoned and doesn’t have enough housing product to meet the needs of specific populations, such as people with disabilities and elderly residents.
Finding: As the region’s four central cities have lost population, Northeast Ohio’s poorer residents have tended to be left behind because they could not afford to move.
This has often left them isolated in communities with declining tax bases and strained public facilities and social services.
Finding: Many Northeast Ohio households are “overburdened” by their combined housing and transportation costs because their H+T costs exceed this emerging national benchmark.
Households spending 45% or more of their income on housing and transportation (H+T) costs, excluding the cost of gasoline, are considered to be living in “unaffordable” locations and are “overburdened” by their housing and transportation costs, according to the H+T Affordability Index.
Finding: The spreading out of Northeast Ohio’s population and the greater distance between where people work and live have created challenges for providing transit service to Northeast Ohio commuters.
This has contributed to the growth in the number of single-occupancy vehicle trips.
Finding: Greater dependence on cars has placed a greater travel cost burden on many Northeast Ohio residents.
Greater automobile use also contributes to air pollution and increases the wear and tear on Northeast Ohio’s transportation infrastructure.