Recent Blog Posts

Since the Industrial Revolution, the U.S. (along with much of the rest of the world) has urbanized. Currently almost 80% of the entire country’s population lives in cities.

However country-wide statistics can mask variations between regions. This graphic maps the share of urban population by state, per latest estimates from the Census Bureau. According to them, an urban area must “encompass at least 2,000 housing units or have a population of at least 5,000 people.” Learn More.

Sourced from Visual Capitalist

Register and join the Ohio State Office of Outreach and Engagement for the Engaged Scholarship Symposium! On November 1, this event will highlight faculty, staff, graduate students, and community partners who are co-creating scholarship. Through panel discussions and poster presentations, participants will learn more about the innovative and impactful work of community-engaged scholarship at Ohio State. Learn more.

The Ohio State University Extension (Cuyahoga County) seeks an educator to work collaboratively with county, area, and state teams of OSU professionals and with local agency leaders and volunteers. The educator will be responsible for a broad range of basic to complex duties that could include but are not limited to: Providing guidance and/or leadership for Agriculture and Natural Resources and Community Development, targeted to local and area needs, focusing on urban audiences. Utilize appropriate methods, both formal and informal, of community assessment to identify educational needs and opportunities of local community. Design, implement and teach educational programming, based on these needs, to groups and individuals comprised of adults and/or youth. May also convene and facilitate community coalitions focused on those needs. The Educator may be required to replicate and adhere to existing programs that meet the needs of their local community. The educator will develop promotional material, work with and/or lead committees and volunteers, and establish and maintain partnerships within the community that support the achievement of the program goals. The educator evaluates educational programs and dissemination methods, as well as, utilizes existing evaluation instruments to evaluate the teaching effectiveness, program quality and results of local programs. Participate in discussions with county representatives concerning program funding and may be responsible for the management of the county budget. May also be responsible for securing external funds to support local programming. Participate as a member of county, multi-county, and/or state Extension teams to further the overall mission, vision and values of both Ohio State University Extension and Agriculture and Natural Resources and Community Development.

The educator will focus on urban agriculture operations, implementing trainings, advancing resource utilization, and providing general support to local growers and agribusiness owners. This educator’s work will be a collaborative effort with the Farm Service Agency's Cleveland Urban County Committee and USDA's Urban Service Center, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other community-based organizations. The educator will focus on improving the sustainability and long-term viability of urban agriculture operations, will facilitate outreach and engagement, online resource access, research and technical assistance, and urban stakeholder data and mapping.

This educator position is located in Cleveland and reports to Ohio State's statewide Urban Agriculture Specialist, with additional support and guidance from Cuyahoga County's Extension leader. This educator will pilot new programs, leverage existing resources, and support statewide urban ag team communications, events, networks, and other emerging developments. To boost and foster the connection to Ohio's urban agriculture community, this educator will help transfer knowledge gained in Cleveland to benefit Ohio's other metropolitan areas that reflects local contexts and priorities.

Learn more. Job # R111248

Capturing a clear picture of Americans’ financial lives involves looking at not only financial metrics but also the circumstances that shape people’s everyday lives, such as access to health care and affordable child care.

But creating this holistic understanding can be difficult. Researchers, policymakers, and local officials must navigate a fragmented data landscape, which makes it challenging to understand people’s financial lives, much less develop solutions to improve them.

For example, to determine how many households have at least three months of living expenses in savings, you could consult the Financial Health Pulse (PDF). To figure out how many people recently went without medical care because they couldn’t afford it, you could look at the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (PDF). The Survey of Consumer Finances is considered the go-to source for comprehensive data about households’ balance sheets, and the American Community Survey allows researchers to explore local-level findings. Learn more.

Sourced from Urban Institute