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Valuing Urban Landscapes – The Ravines of Clintonville
The scenic and biodiversity-rich Olentangy River extends north for 97 miles from its confluence with the Scioto River in downtown Columbus. It was the third scenic river designated in Ohio, including 22 miles south from the City of Delaware to just south of I-270. Northern reaches of its watershed are predominately agricultural with many villages and a few towns. The southern third of the river is heavily suburban and urban. In Columbus’ Clintonville neighborhood, just north of Ohio State University, several small tributaries extend short distances east, with steep ravine topography. The beauty and solitude of these ravines were recognized by developers and preservationists since at least the 1920s. Closely linked to the main stem Olentangy, these ravines are home to many interesting and rare plant and animal species, and are key parts of the Olentangy River ecosystem. Attend and learn more about these amazing and important urban landscapes, who is helping protect and restore them, then join a walking tour (via short bus ride) to see, smell, and feel these unusual-for-urban-Ohio places. The Environmental Professionals Network hosts a monthly breakfast series with compelling speakers on important innovative topics at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on Ohio State’s campus - open to all. For complete information and registration for the breakfast session, click here. The walking tour is sold out.Posted In: Ag & Natural Resources, Environmental Quality, Environmental Quality and Sustainability
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Did you know that more than half of Ohio residents live in 10 of the 88 counties? Ohio has six cities with populations of more than 100,000. Ohio is also home to more than 75,000 farms across nearly 14 million acres. Strengthening connections along the urban-rural continuum, strengthens Ohio. With a presence in all Ohio communities, OSU Extension continues to advance engagement with rural, suburban, and urban Ohioans. Shifts in demographic characteristics and community conditions require unique strategies to bring people and ideas together.
Visit the Extension in the City website to learn how Extension's programs in Ohio's 10 most populous counties are relevant locally, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally.
Click here for the two-page, printable 2016 Extension in the City Highlights report.
Vacant lots, many contaminated, have become a community health issue for cities throughout Ohio. More than 20 cities with populations over 20,000 have seen significant declines in population over the last 30 years, making them “shrinking” or “legacy” cities (Greater Ohio Policy Center, 2016). In 2010, in response to this issue, the Ohio legislature made the formation of county land reutilization corporations (land banks) possible for 44 of Ohio’s most populous counties. As of 2016, 40 of the 44 have formed land banks and are beginning to acquire, plan for and dispose of vacant lots.
The Knowlton School has developed the Ohio Land Exchange (OH/LEX) program, a collaborative process designed to assist communities in engaging a broad range of stakeholders to plan and implement reuse strategies for vacant and abandoned land. The process was developed over the past 2 years and has been successfully implemented as a pilot program in Lima, OH. They have been awarded a Connect and Collaborate grant to extend the program to counties throughout Ohio by partnering Extension with local land banks.
A one-day workshop is being held at the Knowlton School on May 25 to train Extension and Land Bank professionals about how to use the program. The workshop consists of 1) an overview, 2) simulation exercise, 3) environmental and regulatory process and 4) logistics and online tools. Complete information, including agenda, directions and registration link, can be found on the flier. To register for this free workshop, follow the link here or visit http://cargocollective.com/LEX.
For more information, contact:
Tijs Van Maasakkers
Assistant Professor
Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture
City and Regional Planning Section
614-292-0949
Vanmaasakkers.1@osu.edu
Nancy Bowen-Ellzey
Associate Professor
OSU Extension Community Development
419-203-4148
bowen-ellzey.1@osu.eduThe June 2017 issue of the Journal of Human Sciences and Extension is now available online (Volume 5, Number 2). To access it, visit http://www.jhseonline.com and select the Current Issue tab. Dr. Julie Fox was the guest editor of this JHSE issue which focuses on urban Extension. Articles build upon the National Urban Extension Framework, published in 2015 by the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL), and decades of applicable insight. The invited authors address the distinct aspects of Extension in urban settings through meaningful examples of research, practice, and theory related to Extension positioning, programs, personnel, and partnerships. Printed copies of the issue will be available to attendees at the National Urban Extension Conference.