At the 2014 American Planning Association (APA) Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana conference in early October, planning NEXT’s Michael Curtis, Sarah Bongiorno, and Kyle May each presented on timely and pressing planning issues facing the midwest.
Michael presented What’s Going On Here? Confronting the Viability and Competitiveness of Aging Suburban Office Districts along with Claudia Husak from the City of Dublin, OH, and Jeremy Rowan from the City of Independence, OH. Michael and his co-presenters focused on two Ohio communities—Dublin and Independence—that were once highly-regarded suburban office districts and are now facing challenges due to their age and changing market conditions. They argued that understanding and addressing the health and viability of these office districts is critical to these communities’ long-term fiscal health.
Kyle presented Starting with a Vision: Strategic Direction for Implementation in Indiana along with Nathan Hadley from the Jefferson Co. Industrial Development Commission and Virginia Nilles from the Muncie Public Library. Sarah joined the panel to share the work for City of Valparaiso, the visioning process known as ValpoNEXT. She highlighted the visioning process, which has found significant traction in the state of Indiana as a first step in developing more strategic investment, redevelopment, and community improvement plans.
