September, 1998

THE NATION'S TOP THIRTEEN WORST SPRAWLING LARGE CITIES*

1. Atlanta, GA

2. St. Louis, MO

3. Washington, DC

4. CINCINNATI, OH

5. Kansas City, MO

6. Denver, CO

7. Seattle, WA

8. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

9. Ft. Lauderdale FL

10. Chicago, IL

11. Detroit, MI

12. Baltimore, MD

13. CLEVELAND, OH
    

THE NATION'S TOP FIVE WORST SPRAWLING MEDIUM CITIES*

1. Orlando, FL

2. Austin, TX

3. Las Vegas, NV

4. West Palm Beach, FL

5. AKRON, OH

*How report was compiled Sierra Club ranked US cities based on trends in population and land-area growth for the urbanized area as well as traffic congestion and open-space indicators. Other criteria such as loss of important habitat and historical importance were also taken into account.

SMART GROWTH SOLUTIONS FOR OHIO
Farmland preservation legislation is still pending in the General Assembly. In the meantime, more farmland is converted to non-farm uses due in large part to irresponsible transportation planning and spending by ODOT. Connecting all major cities by passenger rail, starting light rail in the major cities, and not widening highways like I-71 is the best way for Ohio to encourage smart growth without requiring new legislation, raising taxes, or taking away home rule.

Other Smart Growth Solutions

• Conservation easements
• Agricultural zoning
• Establishing greenbelts around urban cores
• Buying open space for preservation
• Regional tax-base sharing

CONSEQUENCES OF SPRAWL

• Traffic congestion
• Longer commutes that steal time from family and work
• Worsening air and water pollution
• Loss of farmland, open fields, forests, and wetland
• Increased flooding
• Raised taxes to pay for services (police and fire departments) and infrastructure (new schools, roads, water, and sewer).

SPRAWL ON THE OUTER FRINGES OF POPULATED AREAS HURTS OHIO'S CITIES

• Erodes the city tax base as people flock to the suburbs, forcing cities to raise taxes on remaining taxpayers to pay for city services
• Destroys downtown communities by pulling shoppers from once-thriving locally owned stores and restaurants to large regional malls
• Increases unemployment and concentrates poverty in urban centers
• Undercuts property values and investment opportunities
• Robs cities of character as abandoned factories, boarded-up homes and decaying retail centers dominate the landscape.

OHIO SPRAWL FACTS

• Between 1990 and 1996, Cincinnati's land area grew by 12% but its population only grew by 2%. Sprawl is also a threat to Hamilton County's vibrant agricultural economy which generates $6 billion a year of Ohio's $50 million agricultural economy.
• In Cincinnati, the amount of time drivers spent in gridlock increased 200 percent between 1982 and 1994, the second biggest increase in the country.
• In Cleveland the population density dropped 24 percent from 1990 to 1996, the sixth highest figure in the country. Time wasted in traffic increased 260 percent, by far the highest increase in the county.
• The Columbus area grew the fastest, increasing from 142 to 344 square miles, a 141 percent changes from 1960 to 1990.
• The most dramatic decrease in population density occurred in Dayton which dropped from 4,000 to 2,200 persons per square mile a 44% decline.
• Between 1974 and 1995, 90,000 acres were taken out of agricultural production in the five county Akron/Canton area because of rapid development.
• Between 1990 and 1996 population only rose by 3.5 percent while the land occupied by metropolitan Akron increased 65 percent.
• Ohio lost 4.3 million acres of farms between 1959 and 1972 , a rate of more than 10,000 acres a month.
• ODOT reports that "the largest increase in Medina County's population (37%) and largest decrease in Cuyahoga County's population (13%) occurred in the ten-year period following the opening of I-71."

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