Dayton MostMetro - Dayton Topics

Share the Road . . . With Sharrows!

2008-04-24T16:03:19-04:00

I've been giving some thought to bicycling in urban traffic. I just completed the excellent StreetSmarts Road One course offered by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), and it gave me a different perspective on the various options being discussed in urban planning and bicycling circles. In addition to expanding the terrific web of recreational trails we have in this area, there is serious discussion about adding bike lanes downtown as well as considering the installation of "Complete Streets" throughout the urban core. It's good that this discussion is finally taking place in earnest, but we need to be careful what we wish for. Bike lanes, for example, if not properly engineered could be more dangerous than not having them at all. Complete Streets can be expensive and may not be appropriate in all circumstances. Another alternative, less costly and more in tune with treating bikers as vehicle drivers and not as pedestrians, is the concept of "sharrows."

Sharrows are a cousin of bike lanes, only they aren't exclusively for bicycles. They are put down to clearly indicate where bicycles and cars have to share the road. The concept is simple - in areas where it is impossible to have bike lanes, for whatever reason, sharrows provide a clear bicycle pathway on the road - indicating that the lane is one that bicycles and cars have to share with one another. (Get it? "Shared-road arrows," "Share-rows," "Sharrows"...)

In 2004, the City of San Francisco, California began experimenting with the shared lane marking and developed a revised symbol consisting of a bicycle symbol with two sets of chevron markings above the bicycle. Based on the San Francisco experimental data, in August 2004 the California Traffic Control Devices Committee (CTCDC) approved the use of this marking in the State of California. Several cities are now participating in Federally-approved experiments with this marking at this time, including Portland, Oregon, Flagstaff, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Of course ideally, bikes and cars should always share the road with one another, follow the same traffic rules, and be respectful of each others' right to be on the road. Unfortunately, however, this is not always the case. Both bicyclists and motorists are sometimes guilty of not knowing all of the rules of the road. Sometimes, this can lead to people acting as if their commute is really a competition, and in the worst of instances, it can lead to unsafe driving and riding practices, unnecessarily aggressive behavior, and even severe injury or death.

Sharrows have a variety of safety benefits that have been documented in large safety studies. FIrst, they tend to keep bicyclists from riding too close to parked vehicles--which can sometimes lead do being "doored," an unpleasant experience for both the bicyclist and the person parking their car. Second, with sharrows on the road, cars tend to give more space to any bicycle that they pass. Third, they reduce wrong-way riding by bicyclists. Fourth, they decrease aggressive bicycle-car interactions. Lastly, they reduce the amount of pedestrian-hazardous sidewalk bicycling.

In addition to their value on safety grounds, sharrows also have merit in that they would fill in the gaps that exist in the Dayton region's bicycle pathway network. Thus the trails network which Dayton is becoming known for would become even more comprehensive and more complete.

Creative Catalysts have a name and website: DaytonCREATE.org!

2008-03-27T21:53:54-04:00

DaytonCREATE

Creating Regional Excitement, Action, Talent and Enthusiasm

A few weeks into the Creative Region Initiative and my fellow catalysts and I are busy getting organized and growing our teams (busy enough that I've been a bit quiet on this blog lately!). Our communication team has really been impressive right out of the gate... They have recruited an online pro (hi Brooke!) who has been busy creating a new website for the group: www.DaytonCREATE.org

This new site is the place to keep up with each team's progress updates. And don't worry, we'll continue to do stories about the initiative here on DMM from time to time and our new DMM Forum will continue to serve as the official communication forum for both catalysts and non-catalysts alike. You are ALL welcome to sign up there and get involved with the conversations. And if you are interested in getting involved with one of the team initiatives then contact the appropriate person (more info at the DaytonCreate.org site).

Btw - I am on the Dayton Creative Incubator team and we are currently researching arts incubators. As many of you know, Dayton has one helluva arts scene. An arts incubator would provide our independent artists with affordable (free?) space and services in a true community setting. And with the exciting things happening in the newly formed Oregon Arts District, now is the time to capitalize on our region's strong arts community by helping them grow.

The following is the first DaytonCREATE press release - check it out and then go check out the new website. And of course your comments are welcome here on DMM. What do you think?

PRESS RELEASE
March 27, 2008

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Stephanie Yenn
Communications Chair
DaytonCREATE

(937) 226-8256

DaytonCREATE launches website

Dayton, OH - 3/27/08 - www.DaytonCREATE.org is the umbrella organization for initiatives created by 32 community Catalysts, after participating in a two-day research, training and brainstorming seminar facilitated by the Florida Creativity Group. The website will be used to issue weekly updates on the progress of the initiatives, seek input and guidance from the community and share information on how to get involved in revitalizing the region's economic prosperity.

The five initiatives, originally introduced at the conclusion of this seminar on March 6th, address what social theorist Richard Florida refers to as the "Four T's": talent (also known as the workforce), technology (also referred to as innovation), tolerance (otherwise known as diversity and inclusion) and territory assets (the things that make the Dayton region great). Through his research, Florida shows that these four basic aspects must be addressed to build sustainable communities.

Listed below are the five initiatives and a brief description of their scope:

1. Dayton Creative Incubator - a project to bring life back to one or several of our vacant downtown spaces by working with building owners to allow local artists to use the spaces for creating and displaying art- as well as providing community spaces where artists, musicians and other creatives can hang out, network and simply exchange creative ideas.

2. Dayton Pride- will highlight the region's many unique assets and diverse population through billboards, kiosks, bus signage, and window signage throughout the region. By rebuilding community pride, residents will become ambassadors promoting the area's strengths- thus making the region attractive to non-residents and employers considering relocating.

3. Film Dayton - establish an endowment that will fund grants to local filmmakers who are making films in the region, and to host an annual film festival- beginning in 2009- eventually featuring films funded by Film Dayton.

4. Innovation Collaborative- to integrate the area's rich concentration of artists, engineers and skilled workers into synergistic relationships to stimulate a stronger economy and promote job creation through innovative collaboration. Each year they will issue a challenge to teams of artists, engineers and skilled workers. This challenge will culminate in a celebration open to the community where these teams will unveil their innovative solutions.

5. Young Creatives Summit- bring together diverse young talent, business leaders, non-profits, universities and elected officials, to address the flight of young talent from the region. The Summit will air the concerns of young people, engage them in the region's decision making process, and help build a shared vision of how the Miami Valley can be improved.

In a recent interview with Soapbox Cincinnati, Richard Florida shared his thoughts on his Dayton visit, "We were working with 30 community catalysts in greater Dayton a couple weeks ago and I was blown away by what's happened in downtown Dayton. It's a more interesting and exciting place, filled with arts and restaurants and renovated houses and buildings. But too how these thirty catalysts, black, white, young, old, Hispanic, Latino, how much they cared about making their city better. And I think that's the kind of thing you see in parts of Ohio and Illinois, there's this incredible sense that people care, and I think unleashing that energy in people is really key."

In 2007 The Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) assembled the Creative Class Taskforce of 20 community groups, that funded Dr. Florida's "Creative Communities Leadership Project" in the greater Dayton area. The 32 catalysts have launched these five initiatives and are now expanding the movement to include the residents of our great region. Together we strive to pull together the ideas and talents of all parts of the community in building creative environments for broad regional prosperity.

Downtown's Latest Housing Project

2008-03-11T21:36:48-04:00

It looks like the housing development at the corner of First & Patterson is steps away from becoming reality, and it will be different than anything done in the region so far...

The plan is to build 36 townhomes on what is now a big parking lot on the southwest corner of Patterson and First. These will apparently be modular construction and will also be LEED certified (between Silver and Gold level). LiteHouse Development Group (Rogero Buckman are the architects) are a couple weeks away from getting all of their ducks in a row with the city, financing, etc. and they plan to build a single townhome as a model on the corner of Ice Ave and Patterson - possibly in time for Urban Nights in May.

They will be three-story townhomes similar in scale to the Cooper Place Townhomes. One of the things I found interesting was that the streets that go through the development will be private property and they are planning to do them with brick paver-type surfaces as opposed to asphalt in order to give it a village feel. All materials will be long-lasting, environmentally friendly and come from manufacturers that have strong recycling/environmental processes in place (like Shaw that recycle all used carpet into new). Windows will be placed in a way to maximize light and roofs will include rain-capturing devices that will recycle rain water to irrigate all landscaping. There was also talk of solar panels.

They must pre-sell at least 40% of a "row" (6-8 or so) in order to complete the whole row of townhomes - there were like 5 or 6 rows on the plan. So as long as the market is there for these things, they're talking anywhere from 3-6 years for total completion. Price points will be from $170k for the smallest units (1000sqft) to $230k for the biggest (1800sqft) - depending on how many options the buyer gets. The buyer will also have the opportunity to upgrade the environmental aspects of the unit.

The other two parcels of land that were originally part of the overall development (adjacent to WorkflowOne garage and adjacent to Lincoln Storage on the other corners of First & Patterson) are not included in this plan but are not off the table - depending on how these sell those other parcels will be revisited.

See pics below (click each to enlarge) and let us know what you think...

4/11/2007 - New Pics:

Download Site Plan

More talk on Vacant Properties in Ohio

2008-03-11T11:17:28-04:00

A few weeks ago the group Rebuild Ohio released their report $60 million and counting: The cost of vacant and abandoned properties to eight Ohio cities. They focused on cities of all sizes in Ohio; one city was Dayton. The numbers are not very surprising for those of us who have followed this issue and the effect it has had on Dayton and its budget: 3,821 vacant buildings, 1,996 vacant lots resulting in a loss of $12.4 million to the city of Dayton.
On Rebuild Ohio’s website is a 22 page report of Dayton specifically, the full report and the executive summary for the state of Ohio. In some areas, such as assessing the properties and their situation, Dayton is ahead of many of its counterparts. The study recognizes the limitations municipalities have dealing with this issue as sprawl increases and the foreclosure crisis decays our urban areas.
In addition to the study Rebuild Ohio has a three page Policy Action Memorandum calling for the Ohio legislature and administration to take more action on this crisis. Specifically, the memorandum calls for “expanded powers for city and county land banks t accept, hold and manage vacant and foreclosed homes, including providing tools to receive donated and tax delinquent property to hold for future reuse.” Te other policy recommendations are useful. The overarching theme of the report puts more light on this issue that is so important to Dayton and other cities in Ohio. Take a look.

What Kind of Retail for Ballpark Village?

2008-03-06T09:00:32-05:00

Well, it appears planning for Ballpark Village continues. See this morning's DDN article. Another study is in the works, and the question now is what kind of retail should go into the two waterfront development sites: Ballpark Village and the former Parkside home sites?

The city seems to have already ruled out "fashion retail" since most of that is located at the regional malls. According to Shelley Dickstein, assistant city manager for strategic development, "Fashion apparel is not the target. We're looking at places for people to go and be entertained." According to the DDN, that could include an upper tier fitness facility; a venue like Dave and Busters with arcade games and food; restaurants, housing and green space. Hmmm, no mention about a movie theater or a grocery.

I have a couple questions. Why another study using taxpayer dollars? Shouldn't Mandalay and Bear Creek be focusing on this aspect of the development? Also, why is the city determining what kind of retail should or should not go into these two sites with no mention of obtaining feedback from the locals? Could this be a possible initiative for the Creative Region Initiative? What say you?

A Level Playing Field

2008-03-02T17:56:01-05:00

What if federal, state and county governments were to end the cycle of sprawl by coming up with a system that is more fair... one that charges appropriate impact fees to developers who choose to tear down trees and build new housing developments that require more roads and infrastructure. Perhaps some of those fees could go to rewarding developers who choose to undertake the often more expensive and challenging task of rehabbing current building stock in older and more established urban (and closer-in suburb) neighborhoods and districts that already have existing infrastructure in place. This might provide a more level playing field between struggling city neighborhoods and the endless sprawl that continues to suck life out of our urban core.

The following is an article from the Boston Globe that we found on Richard Florida's blog (who found it on The Economist's View blog).

What do you think?

A level playing field for cities
By Edward L. Glaeser
The Boston Globe
February 29, 2008

FROM ATHENIAN philosophers to Florentine painters to Chicago architects, cities have long been wellsprings of collaborative invention. In the past, urban creativity was an interesting sideshow, not the main economic event, but today, the rebirth of Boston and New York and London has been built on the increasingly important urban edge in connecting innovative people. The same economic forces that did so much to harm industrial cities in the 1970s - globalization and technological progress - also increased the returns to being smart and you become smart by being around other smart people. We are in a great urban age, because urban connections forge human capital and create innovation.

Does the special role that cities play in the economy and society mean that cities need special treatment from state and national governments? No. Cities are strong. Give them a level playing field and they can compete robustly. However, cities shouldn't have to face a policy deck stacked against urban living. Urban firms and residents shouldn't have to pay a disproportionate share of the taxes needed to care for disadvantaged Americans. Suburbanites shouldn't get a free pass on the environmental damage created by a car-based lifestyle.

How are city residents unfairly taxed? For centuries, cities have disproportionately attracted the poor. In the 2000 Census, 19.9 percent of city residents were poor; only 7.5 percent of suburban residents lived in poverty.

Urban poverty does not reflect urban failure, but rather the enduring appeal of cities to the less fortunate. Poor people come to cities because urban areas offer economic opportunity, better social services, and the chance to get by without an automobile. Yet the sheer numbers of urban poor make it more costly to provide basic city services, like education and safety, and those costs are borne by the city's more prosperous residents. Taking care of America's poor should be the responsibility of all Americans. When we ask urban residents to pick up the tab for educating the urban poor, then we are imposing an unfair tax on those residents. That tax artificially restricts the growth of our dynamic cities.

Cities also face an uneven playing field because suburban residents do not pay for the full environmental costs of low-density living. Henry David Thoreau was right about caring for our environment, but wrong about how to achieve that end. People who live surrounded by green space often do much more harm to that green space than people who live in dense cities. In 1844, Thoreau's outdoor lifestyle was itself responsible for destroying 300 acres of Concord woods, which caught fire as a result of the great naturalist's attempt to cook chowder outdoors.

Next week, a conference jointly sponsored by the Harvard Center for the Environment, Rappaport Institute, and Mayor Thomas Menino's office will explore the phenomenon of green cities. As we face the prospect of climate change encouraged by vast quantities of man-made greenhouse gases, we should rethink those decisions that lead to more energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Is it wise for American development to be so concentrated in low-density, car-oriented, energy-intensive suburbs?

According to the National Household Travel Survey, suburban households in Greater Boston buy 85 percent more gas at the pump than households living within 5 miles of downtown. That amounts to about 6 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Suburban households in Greater Boston also consume about 20 percent more electricity than city dwellers. This is responsible for an extra 2 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per household per year.

While we should be encouraging development in dense, urban areas that use less energy, many of our policies work exactly in the wrong direction. Our land use restrictions push development away from dense areas, with plenty of NIMBY-ist neighbors, toward empty spaces with fewer noisy abutters. Our transportation policies fail to charge people for the full social costs of driving long distances on crowded highways. Our localized school system encourages prosperous parents to flee urban poverty. Just think of how the 1974 Supreme Court decision that limited busing to within city boundaries encouraged mass suburbanization to get beyond those city borders.

No region should receive special favors from the federal government; no city should get special treatment from Beacon Hill. But our cities deserve a level playing field. A level playing field requires that urbanites should not bear an undue burden of caring for the poor and that suburbanites should pay for the environmental costs of energy-intensive lifestyles.

Creative Region Initiative Officially Kicks Off

2008-02-29T12:21:44-05:00

Last night the Creative Region Initiative was officially kicked off as the organizers of the project and the 32 chosen catalysts met one another at the Westcott House in Springfield. There was quite an energy in the room - we have some great people in the group and it is possibly the most diverse group of people I've ever been involved with in my life. There is also the sense that this ambitious and unique effort is very different from any other community-based project ever executed in the past. I believe there is a ton of potential to do some projects that have a huge impact on our community and will hopefully inspire even more spin-off projects in the future and beyond.

Coalition aims to stir interest in creative class
Dayton Daily News
2/29/2008

Efforts to grow a "creative class" in the Miami Valley took shape Thursday, Feb. 28, when the Creative Region Initiative announced which emerging leaders it selected to be catalysts for kick-starting the movement.

After evaluating 132 applications, a task force representing 20 community groups selected 32 people who represent a cross section of ages, counties, occupations, ethnicity and experience, the group said.

The Creative Region Initiative is the moniker given to yearlong effort started by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education for growing a creative class with the help of urban theorist Richard Florida and his Toronto-based company, the Creative Class Group....

Here is the list of catalysts:

Miami Valley's Creative Class catalysts

Age 20-29

Sarah Ammar, communications specialist, Avetec Inc.

Kate Ervin, planner, City of Dayton

Drew Fuller, attorney for government contracts and litigation, Sebaly, Shillito and Dyer

Scott Murphy, aerospace engineer, Air Force Research Lab

Josh Rauch, student at University of Dayton and intern at the Mathile Family Foundation

Ryan Sharpiro, research coordinator, Wright State Physicians

Age 30-39

Tokz Awoshakin, executive director, Civic Life International Inc.

Catherine Crosby, assistant director, Human Relations Council, City of Dayton

Matthew Joseph, commissioner, City of Dayton

Ojustwin Naik, corporate senior product manager, Teradata

Bill Pote, president, ResConnex Inc.

Stephanie Yenn, training and development manager, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce

Age 40-49

Susan Byrnes, director of ArtStreet, University of Dayton

Theresa Gasper, president, Full Circle Development

Lisa Grigsby, executive director, Miami Valley Restaurant Association

Patrick Martin, vice president of finance, MCM Electronics

Anne Rasmussen, contractor, Dayton Early College Academy

Ron Rollins, managing editor of content, Dayton Daily News/Cox Ohio Publishing

Dave Seyer, vice president of development, Culture Works

Sally Struthers, dean of liberal arts, communication and social sciences, Sinclair Community College

Debra Wilburn, assistant director of Career Services, Wright State University

Art Williams, manager of business services, Woolpert Inc.

Age 50-59

Linda Burrs, president and principal consultant, Step-up-to-Success Diversity Education

Dusty Hall, program development manager, Miami Conservancy District

Larry Jenkins, ASC Engineering directorate, U.S. Air Force

Marilyn Klaben, education director, The Human Race Theatre Company

Bob Parks, owner and president, The Marketing Formula

Andy Snow, photographer, Andy Snow Photography

Sharon Williamson, director of strategic communications, WorkflowOne

Age 60-69

Carol Sampson, director of community development, Wright Dunbar Inc.

Thomas Thickel, president, Levin Porter Associates Inc.

Age 70+

Bing Davis, artist, educator and community activist, Willis Bing Davis Art Studio

Become a "Street Smart" Urban Cyclist!

2008-02-21T10:30:56-05:00

You may not be thinking of cycling just yet, but Spring will be here before you know it. For those of you who enjoy bicycling in the urban environment as well as on the trails, the following course might be of interest to you. This is a course on urban bike riding offered by two "League of American Bicyclists"-certified instructors to be held at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, 16 S. Williams St., on two Saturdays, April 5 and 12.

February 18, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Be a Street-Smart cyclist and get ready for TOSRV, GOBA or XOBA!

DAYTON, OH - StreetSmarts Cycling is a great practical class to learn the craft and sport of cycling in a short span, you will have more fun and more confidence on any of Ohio's famous rides and the rest of the summer riding season!

Instructors Chuck Smith and Dan Carrigan are League of American Bicyclists certified instructors with years of experience commuting and touring.

The class is scheduled for Saturday, April 5 and April 12 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center conference room, 16 South Williams Street, Dayton, OH. (The brochure you can access at http://tinyurl.com/yo7l3j says "30 S. Williams," which is actually the Wright Bicycle Shop next to the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center.)

Key features of the class include:

- Essential bicycle driver education class for adults and driving-age teens.
- Safely operate a bicycle in a variety of situations, including several hours of on-bike practice.
- Gain confidence knowing you are riding legally and safely.
- Recommended for adults and children ages 16 and up (13 up if accompanied by parent/guardian and approved in advance by instructor)

A brochure (pdf) with information about class structure, prerequisites, instructor bios and a registration form can be found online at .

For more information or questions about the "StreetSmarts Cycling" class, contact Dan Carrigan, dcarrigan@gmail.com or Chuck Smith, chuck.smith@juno.com

Tour Of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV), 10-11 May 2008 Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) 14-21 Jun 2008
The Across Ohio Bike Adventure (XOBA), 19-26 Jul 2008

Lori Turner Pulls Out of Dayton's Branding Campaign

2008-02-19T15:44:20-05:00

Very interesting turn of events reported by the DDN today. Lori Turner has written to the DDC that her firm will pull out of the Dayton branding campaign because it has "caused a distraction" to the work of promoting Dayton and bringing jobs here. Apparently, Turner Effect hasn't been paid (yet). According to Turner, her professional services have come thus far to $80,000. The other question is what impact will this have on "Get Midwest?" I doubt if DDC will go back to the drawing board, but will another marketing firm be hired to implement a program that isn't theirs and which seems to be pretty unpopular.

Dayton City's Updated Website

2008-02-19T10:46:51-05:00

Looks like everyone is updating their websites. In addition to the Downtown Dayton Partnership's new and improved site, City Hall has updated theirs as well. Check it out.