Senior Portfolio For B.A. University of Akron

Senior Portfolio Caylen Payne The University of Akron B.A. Geography: Planning Track

Table of Contents  Resume ……………………………………………………………  Article Review ……………………………………………………………  Term Paper …………………………………………………………. .  Lab Exercise …………………………………………………………..  Presentations .…………………………………………………………  Map Examples …………………………………………………………

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Caylen Payne cpp5@uakron.edu 587 Greissing Terrace, Akron, Ohio 44311 216.870.8283 OBJECTIVE Seeking a Summer 2011 or Fall 2011 Internship in a Geography or Planning related field.

EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts The University of Akron, Akron OH  Major: Geography; Planning Track  Overall GPA 3.27/4.0, Dean’s list RELATED COURSE WORK  GPS Field Studies  Spatial Analysis  Land Use Planning Methods

August 2011

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Geographic Information Systems Research Methods Political and Economic Geography

SKILLS & ABILITIES Work Related  Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)  Extensive Customer Service Experience School Related  Worked with ESRI Arc/GIS programs and SPSS  Small Area Land Use Planning systems  Extensive Records Management related experience PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS  Student Member, Association of American Geographers  Geography and Planning Student Association, Member  North American Students of Cooperation, (NASCO)

2011-Present 2010-Present 2010-Present

EXPERIENCE Archival Clerk Sep 2009-May 2011 The University of Akron, Archival Services  Handling and destruction of archives  Perform filing and sorting tasks  Data entry Buyer and Cashier July 2006-May 2008 Kent Natural Foods Co-Op, Kent OH  Responsible for maintaining inventory and ordering from multiple vendors  Performed end of night cash count and closing duties  Provide a high level of customer service and maintain an up to date knowledge of products REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Article Review For this section of my portfolio I choose to use the Literature Review section from my LEED Regional Comparisons final project from my Research Methods class. I choose to include this document because it reflects a more inclusive example of my writing skills than a normal journal article review would provide. This literature review combines multiple journal article readings and reviews and combines them in a cohesive manner to expound on and explain my research and impetus for the LEED Regional Comparisons project.

Literature Review for the LEED Regional Comparison Project The history of green-building is an interesting and informative example of architecture trends coupled with market demands and a growing awareness of environmentalism. While most people think of green-building as a relatively new trend, several historical examples actually predate the modern push for environmental housing. Among them is the original Crystal Palace of London’s World Fair, this unique exposition was held in 1851 and was the first major exposition of manufactured products. The Crystal Palace was built to be disassembled and recycled in order to recoup costs. In addition it utilized a passive solar heating system as well as underground air-cooling chambers and roof ventilators to moderate indoor temperature (Cassidy 2003). While this example and others like it are models of what could have been, they still stand alone in history as unique forbearers to our modern way of green-building. In the 19th century many new technologies were being developed in the skyscrapers of the era, including new HVAC systems and other building techniques, but they still didn’t fit in with the green model of building as we’ve come to understand it today. Fast forward to the 1970’s oil crisis and the ensuing OPEC embargo and we find the real impetus for the green-building movement (Briggs 2007). Following this crisis several government committees and groups were formed to study the issue of energy conservation in new and existing building designs. The real turning point in sustainable development occurred in 1993 with the AIA/UIA convention of architects held in Chicago. This convention made many formal definitions and declarations that were adopted to serve as blueprints for new green-building guidelines, including the formation of LEED, or Leadership and Environmental Design (Kibert and Kibert 2008). That same year the USGBC, or U.S. Green Building Council, was founded as a non-profit organization committed to the future of green-building.

It is through the USGBC and its accredited LEED-AP’s, (certified professionals) that buildings actually receive LEED certification. The system utilizes a point based ranking system to determine whether a building receives certified status (30% energy savings) to platinum status, (70% energy savings), (USGBC2010). This is one of the interesting aspects of LEED, in that it allows builders and owners to customize their project according to their specific environmental and usage needs. This customization system is implemented through the use of a point system, whereas different efficiency techniques represent different types and amount of points. These

points can be spent on a variety of building systems depending on the wishes and needs of the project developers. This is why LEED has been described as a market-driven system, the irony being that most of its early and continuing projects include government agencies such as the GSA and the EPA.(Cassidy 2003) One of the biggest questions facing potential LEED developers and interested parties is the question of cost/benefit ratios. While there are examples of green-buildings costing as much as 10-15% more than their conventional counterparts, the majority of studies come to the conclusion that the green premium, or percentage difference in cost between green and conventional buildings, hovers between 0% and +4% (Greg Kats 2010). In addition to the green premium concept, there is the question of direct energy savings which according to data obtained from the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey, hovers around 34% percent.

Overall it has been determined that for most LEED-NC’s, (new construction) there are not only immediate paybacks, found through water and energy savings, but long term net paybacks based on employee productivity and health and safety.

Most of these studies serve to reinforce that LEED is effective in reducing energy consumption and improving other factors associated with building usage.(Cidell 2009) There have been studies done that show a strong correlation between occupancy trends, the effect of a green building on employee absenteeism and productivity, and LEED new and existing construction projects (Greg Kats 2010). Besides these specific case studies there has been further research into the geography of standards, and their shift from firm based standards, (employed by BP, Ford, etc..) to government standards on the local and state level (Greg Kats 2010; Cidell 2009). One of the emerging trends in green-building research focuses on the geographic aspect of LEED. This work is being spearheaded by the USGBC through its research branch and includes an ongoing collaboration with ESRI to provide online data on the spatial distribution of LEED projects (USGBC 2010). In addition the LEED information can be easily combined with other data layers including, real-estate, demographic, and environmental data. The use of GIS in studying LEED is a very new and developing subject that has yet to be fully explored (Pyke 2010). The USGBC itself is in the process of developing neighborhood certification standards and has recognized the need for greater involvement on the regional level. While this project is in its relative infancy, many new neighborhood developments are in the process of being

evaluated with the LEED-ND system, including a Canadian example in Faubourg Boisbriand, Quebec (USGBC 2010).

Works Cited

Carlton, J. (2009). "Builders Zero In on New Goal Of Energy-Neutral Housing." Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition 254(148): A8.

Cassidy, R. (2003). Whitepaper on Sustainability. Building Design and Construction, Building Design and Construction.

Cidell, J. (2009). "Building Green: The Emerging Geography of LEED-Certified Buildings and Professionals." Professional Geographer 61(2): 200.

Cidell, J. (2009). "A political ecology of the built environment: LEED certification for green buildings."

Local Environment 14(7): 621.

Garde, A. (2009). "Sustainable by Design?: Insights From U.S. LEED-ND Pilot Projects." Journal of the American Planning Association 75(4): 424.

Gottfried, D. and H. Malik (2009). "Perspectives on green building." Renewable Energy Focus 10(6): 38.

Greg Kats, p. a. J. B. M. J. (2010). Greening our built world. Washington, DC, Island Press.

Kibert, N. C. and C. J. Kibert (2008). "Sustainable Development and the U.S. Green Building Movement."

Probate & Property 22(2): 20.

Pyke, C., Guma, A. (2010) Green Building and GIS. V1 Magazine Syal, M. G. M., S. Mago, et al. (2007). "Impact of LEED-NC Credits on Contractors." Journal of Architectural Engineering 13(4): 174.

USGBC (2010). "USGBC." from http://www.usgbc.org/.

Caylen Payne Practical Approaches to Planning J. Hadley Term Paper on Guest Speakers 4/16/11

Introduction As things usually are in when you’re young, my introduction to planning and urban studies was a random confluence of events leading to some interesting thoughts and ideas. Ever since I can remember my parents and I drove home on Sunday nights from my grandparents house in Solon to our house in Cleveland Heights. During this drive I had time to think. I remember asking such questions as, why don’t they have sidewalks? Why do we have to take the highway? Why do all these people live out here? It was in these early questions that I find the impetus for many of the ideas and passions I find in my life today. Of course things are a little more advanced, and perhaps a bit more complicated, but the question remains, why do things happen where they happen? This kind of question is at the heart of planning, and I can confidently say that having professional planners come in to speak to us, has helped immensely in de-mystifying the sometimes convoluted planning process.

Body There are as many approaches to planning and economic development as there are colors in the rainbow. This has become painfully evident during the presentation given by the city of Green’s planning director, Wayne Weithe. As it is in life, everyone has their own style and approach when it comes to solving the problems of the day. One important thing to have at your

disposal is a varied array of tools to help you discover the best way to approach a particular issue. This “tool-box” if you will, got a little deeper through this presentation. Mr. Weithe went through perhaps 20 different economic development tools at a planner’s disposal. We talked about enterprise zones, special districts, port authorities, etc… but the one I found most interesting was the Tax Increment Financing tool.

The TIF is used almost as a creative “loan” to a business entity. By providing capital funds upfront, a municipality will hope to recoup this investment from the increase in property taxes from that parcel, as well as hopeful improvements to the surrounding area. The TIF also usually comes with a lease that requires the company to stay in the area for a certain number of years. This one really stuck with me as a creative approach to a problem that usually is hard to solve, i.e. capital improvement, and building funds. Usually banks want to invest in things that they see as long term and stable, however, the business market is usually volatile and everchanging, thus the TIF steps in and provides the funds and receives the security in the form of an agreement that most banks aren’t willing to make, or allowed to. This theme of creative problem solving, and a practical approach to a situation, is a theme that I feel is constantly running through this course, the myriad of tools at the planner’s disposal presented by Mr. Weithe is evidence enough of that.

The one thing that Mr. Weithe talked about that I believe will always stick with me is the idea of a city or municipality marketing itself successfully. Usually as a planner we think our job is done when we leave the office and go home. However Mr. Weithe was able to convincingly explain how important it is for a city to create a positive image of itself, and then go out and market that to; professional organizations, professional publications, trade-shows, web-sites and

social networks, etc… This concept of really marketing and selling a planning area or city is something that I can’t wait to use and implement in my own professional career.

Traditionally when people think of planning, I believe they tend to see an image of highways, streets, cars and buses. This idea of planning as “transportation” planning is a stereotype that I think Jason Segedy, director of the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study, successfully de-bunked. One of the themes I have picked up on throughout the course has been the intricate connection between land-use and transportation. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Jason’s presentation. To better understand how to serve the transportation needs of the region, we must also understand and incorporate the land-use and economic patterns that helps shape people’s habits and life-style choices.

One of the things that Jason brought up that has really stuck with me is the fact that North-East Ohio has experience little to no population growth while at the same time continuing to develop and suburbanize a substantial amount of land. This has created an aging infrastructure in a region that is already strapped for jobs and cash. The question becomes not one of where should we build, but how do we maintain what we have while continuing to serve the transportation needs of the current population. One of the ways AMATS tackles this conundrum is take a multi-modal approach. By creating and providing for a transportation network that address different modes of travel, such as; pedestrian, biking, and public transportation, we can begin to overcome the ill conceived suburbanization of our area. One of the things that I will take away from the AMATS presentation is the idea of planning coordination between municipalities.

This is all too apparent in the Montrose Wal-Mart example going on currently in the Fairlawn area. The unique confluence of several different planning authorities has created a divisive situation that pits citizens against each other and against local government. By providing timely

planning publications, and constantly updating our planning documents, organizations can better work together to serve the people in their planning area.

As I’ve stated before one of the main themes running through this course has been the connection between the different levels of planning, and the coordination required to create and execute an effective comprehensive plan. This seemed to be the theme of the night when Rob Kurtz, the planning director for Stow came to talk to the class. For me, Stow represents the bread and butter of planning in north-east Ohio. An established upper middle class homogenous community, land locked and potentially near or at their growth limit. This growth limit theme is an interesting one in planning. What do you do with an area that is not expecting population growth, while at the same time provide for and accommodate economic development and infrastructure management? By creating a comprehensive master plan that includes public input and participation, and then by updating that plan to take into account new trends, spatial changes, and an aging population. This is what has been done in Stow and in my opinion quite well. By delineating various shopping, civic, residential, and industrial districts, Stow has created a living document that can respond to the changing needs of its population.

One of the new themes, and themes of our class, is the idea of public participation within the planning process. No longer can planners lock themselves in their ivory towers and hand out pretty looking maps as if they mattered. No, planning has become an ongoing dialogue process between the public and its elected representatives. I think Mr. Kurtz really tried to emphasize this aspect of the Stow Comprehensive Plan, however I remained un-convinced. While I will applaud the planning department for their efforts to reach out, I don’t think the results are statistically significant enough to make any real inferences about the values and visions of the community.

When less than 1% of your population is directly involved within a community survey report,

what kind of inferences can you really make. In addition, given their means of attaining that information, online, you are perhaps excluding those who might not be familiar or comfortable with the internet. Also, what do we know about the demographics of the survey sample used? It may be that some neighborhood NIMBY organization came out of the wood work and rallied around an issue or concept that was on the current planning table, thus disproportionally representing the “true” total population. While I will concede that I think the Stow planning department does a great job in maintaining and presenting their planning data, I will take this public participation example with me wherever I go as an example of how positive thinking and minimal progress does not equal best planning practices.

One of the key themes that I’ve been picking up on throughout the course has been the idea of, what is the role of the government in providing essential services to its constituents?

There are well established things such as infrastructure and transportation that people take for granted; however more hot-topic issues such as healthcare are still being debated. Housing is one thing that definitely falls within this debate. On the one side of the coin is the idea that the freemarket responds to housing demand by providing that housing in a competitive and efficient way, however we all know that is not how it works in real life. This debate about housing was started in the 50’s in response to an ever expanding suburbia and its affect on the big-cities; it continues today with the current budget debate and the efficacy of agencies like HUD. No matter what side of the fence you sit on with this issue, I think everyone can admit that the free-market does NOT provide for affordable housing, and that the majority of Americans are not convinced that housing represents an inalienable human right, and one that should be protected and provided for by our government.

Luckily, we still have HUD for now, and people like Mr. Tatum from the city of Akron Housing Department. His presentation on area housing was on the one side illuminating and interesting, and on the other, slightly depressing and frustrating. It’s hard for me to imagine the kind of hard-ship that people go through when adequate housing cannot be obtained. Sure, maybe sometimes it’s the person’s fault through their own personal life decisions; however, usually it’s much more complicated and intertwined within our economic, education, and welfare system. To me, providing housing is one of the main jobs of the modern planner. How can we expect to compete with other super-powers when we cannot even house our poor and underprivileged?

The city of Akron takes an innovative approach by determining different need levels in terms of housing for different areas within the city. Then once this delimitation has been made, a level of need is determined and then comes either rehabilitation, infill development, or the ability of a homeowner to apply for and receive a grant to improve their house on their own. In addition to these approaches Akron uses their CDBG money in a type of revolving-house fund if you will, by building and rehabbing houses and then flipping them in the market for no profit, then using that money to keep the ball rolling, thus allowing them to get some “skin in the game,” as Mr. Tatum is fond of saying. This idea of creatively using funds, and approaching situations with the intent to get the most bang for your buck, is something we’re all going to need to remember when it comes to the planning challenges of this new century.

Conclusion For me planning is about more than just deciding what should go where. For me, planning is a way of connecting people to the land in a way that is equitable and environmentally just. I know this sounds like a bunch of hippy-dippy undergrad nonsense, but if there’s one thing I’ve really learned from all these speakers, is that the successful ones, and the happy ones, stick to their values and to the passion that got them in the field in the first place. I’m not so naïve to believe that I’m going to completely change the world through my work, or even create something completely new and unique, but if I can always remember why I got into this in the first place, perhaps it will be of some comfort and assurance in the challenging times I’m sure I’m likely to find myself in. I will unequivocally disagree with Mr. Tatum that the one thing you need in planning is to be emotionally dead. I understand his stance, that if you let everyone’s story, everyone else’s emotions into your head, you’ll wind up going nuts, because, we all know you can’t make everyone happy, all of the time. However, for me, my passions and emotions are what allow me to overcome the cynicism and pessimism that seems to dominate such much of the planning profession these days. My challenge will be to communicate my passion and vision while allowing for the opinions and ideas of others to be incorporated into a progressive and equitable planning profession.

TITLE

Comparing Means of Socio-economic Variables for the “Two Clevelands”

Researcher

Caylen Payne, The University of Akron, cpp5@uakron.edu

Research Situation

Using the statistical evidence from the last HeadStart study, the senior senator from Ohio has won the funds and decided that the city of Cleveland presents the highest need. In order to better understand how to distribute these funds within Cleveland, further analysis of poverty indicators is needed.

Study Area

The city of Cleveland is often referred to as “two” cities, due to it being bisected by the Cuyahoga river.

In order to decide which side presents the most need for funding, the city of Cleveland has been divided into the east-side, and west side.

Group Statistics

Avg.fam.sz Renter.occ Fhh-w/child

Side E W E W E W

BlockGrps

329 217 329 217 329 217

Data and Areal Unit of Analysis

The data for this study came from the 2000 U.S. Census. Specifically, the averages for household size, renter unit occupancy, and female heads of households were used to compare the two “sides”. This data was aggregated to the block group level, and then to the “two” sides of the city.

Results and Discussion

When it comes to comparing poverty between areas there are several common data-sets that can be used to make the determination. All three variables used in our test are powerful indicators on their own, but when used in conjunction, even more compelling. In order to better understand the difference between the means of these data-sets, a two sample difference of means test was run. The results show that the means for average family size and female heads of household were significantly different between the two areas. When one looks at the average family size, they are seemingly quite similar, with the greater size attributed to the west-side. However, when one looks at the significantly different “east” side numbers, we see a much bigger average number of female households per block group. Since this is a powerful indicator of the existence of poverty within that area, it is this studies recommendation that the funding be distributed to the east-side.

Mean 3.0474 3.1629 189.96 165.33 63.49 38.31

Summary of Presentation Material The following two presentations are the result of a semesters worth of work in the Land Use Planning Methods class at the University of Akron in the spring of 2011. The class centered on the study of various current land use and planning methods as they are employed by cities and planning professionals. In addition to daily reading and various design oriented assignments the overarching goal of the class was to assess and prepare a small area plan for a section of Barberton, Ohio we nicknamed New Portage. The class was divided into groups between transportation, population and economy, environment, and land use of which the latter I was assigned to.

The goal of this project was to break up the study area into various neighborhoods and complete a small area plan for the city and the residents based on the four aspects aforementioned, with an overall focus on livability and sustainability. The project was further divided into stages based on best planning practices involving public participation and the inclusion of local planning professionals, as well as detailed analyses of the four aspects of the small area plan. Beginning with a state of the community report, each group proceeded with a detailed analysis of the current condition each neighborhood within the study area found themselves in. This included census information, original cartographic solutions, detailed land use and zoning analyses in addition to other general information relating to the task at hand and best planning practices.

Once the state of the community report was completed the class was assigned the task of putting the four sections together into a stakeholder’s meeting to be held at the Barberton YMCA in March 2011. Although this process was not as inclusive as the traditional planning charrette, we were still able to have enough attendees to complete a Strengths, Weaknesses, Issues, Needs, and Expectations analysis. With public feedback in the form of our SWINE analysis in hand the class now had the daunting task of turning our findings, in addition to the public feedback, into a complete and consistent planning solution for the city of Barberton and its citizens.

In order to illustrate this multi-stage planning process I have chosen to include the land use section of the stakeholder presentation as well as my contribution to the final project/presentation that was presented to the Barberton City Council and various planning professionals in the late Spring of 2011. In the stakeholder presentation, my colleague Michael Harris and I attempted to provide a brief summary of the various aspects of land use and zoning, as well as the real-estate aspect, of which Michael focused on. My contribution to the stakeholder presentation therefore includes the maps and various graphs that describe and summarize the current land use situation within our study area. As I’ve mentioned before after the stakeholder meeting was finished the class followed popular planning practices by completing other aspects of the small area plan process by creating such elements as the Direction Setting Framework, Goals & Objectives, various detailed plan recommendations, as well as any other pertinent planning documents. The Land Use Final Presentation I’ve chosen to include in this portfolio reflects my original work as the culmination of the Land Use and Planning Methods class, as well as the small area study planning process.

Land Use Systems

Michael Harris & Caylen Payne University of Akron March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

1

Elements of Land Use Existing and planned land uses Zoning and other regulatory overlays

Remote sensing images and data Land ownership, improvements, and taxation/valuation information Real Estate Market data – closed transactions March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

2

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

3

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

4

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

5

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

6

Residential Information All data presented represents study area only.

Data researched from 2000 U.S. Census.

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

7

Market Value Trends Closed Real Estate Transactions for the last 10 years within study area.

*Data made available through Northeastern Ohio Multiple Listing Service.

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

8

Market Value Trends Note: Real Estate Cycles are typically a 10 year cycle.

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

9

Market Value Trends Graph shows market lag starting in the beginning of early 2007.

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

10

Data Analysis Land use dominated by single family detached housing, and medium industrial zoning.

Rockwell site and other possible development areas represent a large proportion of total acreage.

Declining property values forecasted, and below average property values for the region overall.

Overall the physical condition of improved properties is average to good. Some minimal segments are fair, however, properties appear to be maintained.

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

11

Ideas and Possibilities Update existing zoning regulations and develop a smart code style that combines land use with zoning ordinances.

Effective & insightful codes enable future growth to occur in designated areas and with desirable sustainability aspects.

Key areas such as Rockwell, and other underutilized open-space areas will play a large role in future development possibilities.

Continue razing older dwellings beyond their economic life and enticing the market with incentives for quality new construction – possibly combining parcels for multi-family uses.

Continued improvement in school ratings will also increase demand for dwellings and increase property values over time.

March 10, 2011

Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting

12

State of the Community Report The area of Old Portage represents a key area in the future development and prosperity of Barberton. This area encompasses the old Rockwell industrial site, as well as the new middle school, high school and the old Memorial School. In addition to these community amenities the area is also home to a multitude of historic sites as well as plethora of different land uses. In presenting this data to the community we will break up the facts and figures, the SWINE analysis, and also try to integrate these findings into scenarios and visions for action.

To begin with the study area consists of some 287 acres of land to north-west and almost adjacent to downtown Barberton. Of this acreage the dominant zoning types are medium industrial with 114 acres, and single family detached with approx. 84 acres, together these two land uses of industrial and housing represent some 84% of the total acreage. The rest is split up between schools, commercial, other residential and some office. The important figures to note are that Rockwell takes up approx. 35 acres of developable land minus 10-12 that will or should be left for open space/green space. In addition, if all the possible development areas in addition to Rockwell are taken into account, that total amounts to around 95 acres. Of course these numbers are open to interpretation when it comes to actually delimitating what will be done where, but the important thing to remember is that the Old Portage area contains a substantial amount of possible development acreage as well as preservation and open-space opportunities.

At the March 10 Neighborhood stakeholders meeting citizens were given the opportunity to give some of their opinions on the strengths and weakness of the study area. These results are compiled in the Strengths, Weaknesses, Issues, Needs and Expectations, or SWINE analysis. This report revealed some useful information as to the hopes and desires that the citizens feel are pertinent to our area. For our purposes I will try to mention several that stand out in terms of land use. Perhaps the biggest strength in our area is the inclusion of new schools. Not only are these schools new in infrastructure, but they also represent an investment in Barberton by its citizens; reflected in the Excellent ratings they received by the state. It is the opinion of our study group that these new amenities represent a significant boost to the Old Portage area and to Barberton as well. They may be able to be leveraged and marketed in order to attract new people to the area, thus increasing property taxes and creating higher demand for other amenities and ancillary support services such as retail, commercial and office. Another strength expressed in the SWINE report was the presence of the Rockwell site almost centrally located within our study area. As with all economic opportunities, Rockwell must be examined with utmost scrutiny when it comes to proposals that promise jobs and economic development. While the process of determining what exactly should happen with Rockwell, I think everyone can agree that something should happen there, and that something should express high design standards and a commitment to the long term success of Barberton as a whole. In the light of that statement, possible scenarios for development could involve neighborhood level commercial and retail to

serve the new School nexus, as well as some residential development, considering its proximity to an excellent rated school system as well as its accessibility to downtown Barberton and I-76.

In terms of Issues and weakness several reoccurring themes popped out the biggest of which would probably be the lack of job opportunities. While this can be expressed in terms of land use, simply re-zoning districts, and creating special use districts to attract businesses will no longer suffice. Barberton already maintains a more than adequate supply of industrial land and industrial parks within its outlying regions. In addition given the current economic climate it may be necessary to look at the long term picture, instead of trying to hit that “home-run� of economic development that so many cities seek. If other issues such as aging infrastructure, crime rates, and the low sale price of houses are to be addressed, we may be able to identify the current property values and their concurrent taxes as a possible way of approaching the situation. Instead of trying to hit that home run, a more practical approach may be to build on the resources that Old Portage has, such as its schools, and proximity to the historic downtown Barberton area as amenities to attract new people and thus more property taxes to the area. In addition to this new residential development idea, surrounding areas should be addressed in terms of beautification, transportation access and mobility, as well as access to open space and parks, in an attempt to paint a new picture of the Magic City and of the Old Portage neighborhood itself.

In terms of land use and zoning, what can we do to improve the area? By addressing the disconnect between current zoning types and preferred land uses, we may be able to provide a more accurate picture of what is really going on in the neighborhood. In this way we can address the blighted and vacant areas that need attention, as well as delineate areas that could serve as pocket parks, connecting corridors, and other low intensity land uses that strive to add accessibility and livability to the area while not requiring a huge investment in infrastructure and utilities. By approaching the situation of land use with a creative and long term vision, we may be able to address some of the more complex and delicate social and economic issues by creating a clear, comprehensible approach to neighborhood improvement through special use and flex-se districts that allow creative and entrepreneurial uses of the land. As noted previously this could range from pocket parks, urban agriculture and community gardens, all the way to industrial incubators, and the utilization of existing structures for other uses, such as a College satellite campus, a vocational school, or another community outreach or neighborhood organization.

What is clear is that it will take creative and flexible approaches to solve the problem of declining population, property values, and job opportunities. By allowing a flexible and timely response to land use needs and issues the Old Portage area could serve as an example to the rest of Barberton on how to be sensitive to the ever changing economic climate we currently find ourselves in. By allowing mixed-used and special use districts into the area we can provide the template upon which growth and progress can occur.

Direction Setting Framework Goals • To update and create land use patterns and zoning ordinances that reflect the values, objectives, and visions of the community while providing for equitable access, economic opportunity, and environmental stewardship.

• Update the Barberton 2005 Design Guideline, and 364 page Barberton Development codes to: – Make them more accessible by compiling disparate information into more organized, succinct, and concise sections.

– Add more design examples and suggestions as well as updating the development codes and guidelines, into a community pamphlet/pdf that is readable and informative,( more like an introduction and overview, instead of lengthy codes, subsections, and amendments) Objectives • Acquire Rockwell through multiple means.

– i.e. private/public partnerships – community foundation grants – CDGB money if possible

•

Create alternative scenarios of development for the Rockwell site that take into account holding capacity and possible impacts on local infrastructure, housing, and land use; utilizing an incremental “phased” approach

•

Link open spaces with new trails and sidewalks within existing neighborhoods and new development opportunities, in addition provide for street connectivity that promotes an appropriate traffic volume for the corresponding/adjacent land use. In addition allow for a multimodal transportation approach within land use delineations and design suggestions.

•

Co-ordinate and create a comprehensive list of the various Barberton Community Groups/Foundations in order to educate the public/private sector on possible economic development opportunities and home/neighborhood improvement projects.

•

Implement historic and higher design standards for new housing, and multi-unit housing in order to allow new development and improvements to “fit in” with the existing neighborhood and historic downtown Barberton Policies • Provide for the timely dissemination of information regarding land use changes and planning events.

– Address current zoning and land use disconnects by either re-zoning specific areas or updating zoning maps and zoning ordinances to reflect the actual land use – Allow for an open public participation process that reviews current zoning ordinances in order to accommodate new land use ideas, such as pocket parks, community gardens, rain gardens, granny flats, mixed use retail/residential areas • Ensure that new development and infill development occur at densities appropriate to their corresponding Transect Zone; provide design and density examples for each zoning/land use type.

• Utilize the idea of pedestrian sheds to guide further land use changes and zoning changes in order to coordinate more effectively with transportation decisions.

Single Family Detached RS40 & RS50 Two Family RT40

Residential

Multi-Family RM 18 Neighborhood Office O1

Office

Add Additional Commonly Found Land Uses

Schools Openspace

Convenience Commercial C1 Commercial

Comprehensive list of all zoning types

Community Center Commercial C3

Parks

Medium Industrial I2 Industrial

Heavy Industrial I3

Zoning types found within our study area Further Aggregate Into General Land Use Categories

Combine With Special Zoning Districts

Combine All Land Use Types

Mixed Use/Conditional Use • • • •

Residential Retail Office Other as approved by planning board

Flex Use/ Special Use District

Special Assessment Areas

• • • •

• Planning areas that require further study • Possible transition to mixed use / flex space

Light Industrial Studio Office Limited Commercial as part of studio space

An argument for mixed-use and flex space zoning In these hard economic times cities and planning commissions are constantly looking at ways to revitalize and invigorate existing neighborhoods within their jurisdiction. Whether you are aware of it or not, mixed-use has been around for a very long time. One only has to look at “main street” America to get a glimpse of how this can look. In many older American towns and neighborhoods, citizens and business owners have been combining land uses for two centuries. Any time you have a building that combines 2 or more land use types, you have mixed use. While this may have been coincidental in the past, planners and city councils are looking to the past for lessons on the future.

Traditionally when people think of mixed use, they think of the classic Americana version of a two to three story building with a barber shop and corner store on the first level, and then perhaps offices and residential units on the upper floors. While this may serve some purposes, the world we find ourselves in today requires a little more imagination and ingenuity. One of the ways municipalities are tackling this challenge is by creating “flex-use” zones. These areas are basically mixed use areas, however the flex comes in to play when you allow more than 2 land uses, and allow these new uses specifically in an area that has an established motif, or if you are trying to create a new landscape for businesses, artists, and entrepreneurs. By allowing for a combination of land uses on a single parcel, you are adapting your zoning restrictions in order to accommodate a diversity of uses.

Of course these new zoning areas may not always receive a warm welcome. Often areas that seem to be leaning towards the necessity of mixed use, are actually at war with themselves. Often times a new business will move into a predominantly residential neighborhood and perhaps create a nuisance. While city leaders may want to encourage new business, they don’t want to anger existing residents. By utilizing a public participation process, city leaders can identify neighborhoods of transition, or areas they would like to see change, and work from the ground up on creating public support by explaining the benefits of flex zoning, for business reasons, and the viability of the neighborhood as a whole. Instead of industrial/commercial/retail buildings being placed ad hoc throughout a neighborhood, or at its fringe, the city planner can now create a zone of flex use that combines these uses into buildings that represent high design standards and seek to agglomerate these disparate uses into a unique neighborhood section.

Key elements to achieving a successful mixed use zone include: •Incentives and restrictions which encourage and require certain uses at specific locations. These uses may not normally be pursued through market forces, however, their importance is considered vital to the neighborhood and seen as a community asset. This may include incentive bonuses, displacement / replacement mitigations, etc… which support mixed-use.

•Agreements within the neighborhood that ensure a reasonable level of compatibility between different land uses and strive to minimize noise and nuisance complaints.

•Policies which encourage the development of a built environment whose design standards and configurations allow for a certain flexibility and combination of land uses. This may include necessary street improvements and right-of-way requirements including entry points, drop-off zones and appropriate access routes.

Mapping Examples The following two map documents represent some of my best work throughout my time in the Geography Department at the University of Akron. The first map is the result of my final project in Research Methods from the Fall of 2010. The goal of this project was to create an original scientific poster that reflected all the skills and knowledge garnered from the Research Methods class. While the poster and the resulting map may not be perfect, (the map projection is a little off), it still represents an exhaustive research project that took me many, many hours to complete. The second map is an example of the work I’ve done at my internship with the Countryside Conservancy. This non-profit focuses on issues related to food access and farming within North East Ohio. This document was created using data obtained from conference attendee lists, then geo-coded and overlaid with county specific thematic information.

Regional Trends in Certified LEED Projects in the Contiguous United States Caylen Payne Department of Geography and Planning The University of Akron 11/30/10

Problem Statement

Results

In recent years building trends in the U.S. and around the world have become increasingly concentrated around the idea of sustainable development and green-building. One of the major establishments in the development of sustainable architecture has been the development of the LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program. What spatial trends exist in the distribution of these projects, and what trends exist in project types and certification levels are just some of the questions that arise in examining LEED.

Data Sources The USGBC, or U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit organization that’s responsible for maintaining an ongoing database of all registered and certified LEED projects was used to determine LEED spatial data. In addition to the USGBC database, the U.S. Census and its corresponding TIGER/Line boundary data were used as the base map files.

Methodology In order to better understand the impetus for such projects a spatial analysis focused on regionalism may be undertaken in order to determine whether market trends favor certain areas. In addition, certification levels and project types were graphed to illustrate trends within the LEED system itself. Using the USGBC’s online database I was able to determine the zip codes of registered projects. Included in the LEED data were all LEED project types that corresponded to an existing 4 or 5 digit zip code that was fully contained within the county level. This data was then aggregated to the county level and then using Zelinsky’s vernacular region data a national thematic map was created to determine what regionalism exists in LEED projects.

Conclusion The results of the thematic map tend to show that a strong positive correlation exists between LEED projects and Metropolitan areas. The exceptions are large institutions situated in relatively low population density areas. In addition, a population per LEED building analysis of the vernacular regions indicated a somewhat static result except for the Middle West and Western areas. These areas exhibited a much smaller ratio than the national average perhaps due to the large distances between population areas. In terms of certification, the Gold level exhibited the highest usage perhaps due to its cost/reward ratio compared to the Platinum level. The bronze level was almost negligible due to its overlapping specifications of other levels. Of all building types new construction was the most dominate perhaps due to the ease of addressing all LEED specifications at once.

The 2011 Farm to School Regional Feasibility Study The inaugural Ohio Farm to School Conference was held in Cleveland Ohio on March 31, 2011. The purpose of the map to the right and this study was to determine the feasibility of holding an annual state-wide conference or smaller, regional workshops throughout the state.

The Farm to School Conference was planned as a way of educating school districts, farmers, and other advocacy groups on the various ways to create programs to bring better nutrition and farming curriculum into our state’s schools. Other states have achieved success with this endeavor, while Ohio’s activities have been sporadic and few. This was the first state-wide conference held in Ohio to bring the necessary parties together.

The Farm to School Conference not only addressed the nutritional needs of our youngsters, but as a by-product of the regional cooperation between farms and schools, also tackled the environmental issues created by transporting huge amounts of food across the United States, and discussed ways to bring farmers into the classroom.

With the spirit of the conference in mind the Farm to School Attendees per County map was created to asses whether or not it would make sense to hold smaller, regional workshops across the state, or perhaps another conference in either Columbus, or Cincinnati. As you can see from the map it appears as though there is a significant cluster of people that traveled from the Columbus area and some surrounding counties to the North-East of Franklin County 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

77

Top 15 Counties

by Farm to School Attendees 20

14 13

8

7

6

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

While it may be impossible to accurately gauge future attendance at different conference locations, one could infer from this map that it would make sense to host the second state-wide conference in Columbus, thus drawing more attendance from the surrounding counties of Union, Madison, and Pickaway counties.

As far as regional workshops are concerned, the majority of the conference participants are looking forward to regional workshops. In addition, 77.5% of participants surveyed want to engage directly with the farmers. This proves that regional workshops would be well attended. Finally, these regional workshops could go a long way in bridging the gap into the outlying regions that are not connected through the state’s interstate highway system.