The unique neighborhoods that dot Cincinnati have long been part of what gives the city its distinct flavor. But neighborhood pride can devolve into territorial turf wars that keep the region from progressing economically.
That won't work in a global economy, where Cincinnati's chief competition comes not from West Chester or Mason, but rather from China and India. That's why hundreds of high-powered volunteers, led by the
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, developed
Agenda 360, publicly revealed last week. This regional action plan sets a clear, targeted and - perhaps most importantly - regional vision for a healthy future for Greater Cincinnati.
At the plan's core are three ambitious goals set for the near future. Under the self-described rallying cry, "To transform the region by the year 2020, into a leading metropolitan region for talent, jobs and economic opportunity for all who call our region home," Agenda 360 seeks to facilitate:
- The addition of 150,000 20 to 34-year-olds in the region's workforce, a 50 percent increase over today
- A net addition of 200,000 new jobs
- A minimum income for all households of 250 percent above the poverty line, incorporating a United Way goal
Meeting those benchmarks won't be easy and will take all of Greater Cincinnati's resources - business, government, civic and cultural - pulling together to do so. And that's one aspect of Agenda 360 that separates it from plans of the past, supporters say.
The plan is a culmination of more than two years of work, the foundation of which was laid out in a broad and inclusive way. It involved input from more than 7,000 people through regional meetings and an online survey.
"This will not just be a think piece or a typical regional visioning exercise," Kevin Ghassomian, an attorney with Greenebaum Doll & McDonald and Agenda 360 co-chair, said at the unveiling. "We want to embrace our unique neighborhoods, but work together and consider ourselves the Southwest Ohio region."
The Agenda 360 work committee involved leaders from Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont Counties. It also was aligned with Northern Kentucky's
Vision 2015 plan and the United Way's
State of the Community Report.
"It's important for the whole area. One of the obstacles (of cooperation) is the political obstacle that I have to answer to my constituents," said Advocacy Team committee member and Butler County Commissioner, Greg Jolivette. "Now is the time we need to step aside and ask the question, what if we collaborate? What would our region look like?"
These regional meetings, or Community Dialogues, took place across the four counties from Blue Ash and Price Hill to Middletown and Lebanon. Those involved included contributors from labor unions, business groups, community residents, college students, public officials and more.
"This is different from previous plans because of the diverse group of stakeholders, meetings and community engagements," said Dr. Myrtis Powell, Agenda 360 co-chair and Miami University Vice President Emerita.
These meetings led to six key initiatives aimed at moving the region toward its larger goals by 2020. The initiatives include:
- Quality Place: Creating strong, attractive and functional places in which to live, work, journey and play
- Business Growth: Using the region's strengths to retain, attract and create businesses and jobs
- Qualified Workforce: Providing young people and workers with the skills necessary to get good jobs now and in the future
- Transportation: Expanding options for moving people and freight across the region
- Inclusion: Working to create a welcoming community in which all people are embraced and their differences are the foundation for the community's success
- Government Collaboration: Helping the region's many cities, counties and townships work together toward common goals
Key to the success of these initiatives is accountability and setting clear goals, committee members said. In moving forward, members also aren't starting from scratch, but often will build upon existing work. This allows the process to move more quickly.
For example, the Quality Place initiative includes expanding current placed-based investments, or as the report describes, "creating quality places of a certain size and scale in certain locations."
These types of investments are envisioned as being dense, mixed-use and walkable. An example can be seen in Middletown along Interstate 75 with the new Atrium Medical Center. Other examples include efforts of the Uptown Consortium and the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, or 3CDC.
Additional components of creating a quality place include: better connecting the region's arts and culture venues, protecting the environment, preserving open space, and directing development in existing communities.
Business growth is another area where Agenda 360 will build on existing resources. Job growth will center on eight economic clusters that have been identified as regional strengths. Established clusters include: aerospace, automotive, chemistry and plastics, and financial services. Emerging clusters comprise: advanced energy, consumer products and creative services, information technology, and life sciences.
In growing businesses, Agenda 360 strives to connect related businesses to foster growth and collaboration, look for opportunities to spin off smaller start-ups from larger businesses, and engage leaders in those economic clusters to recruit other companies to Cincinnati.
Now that the plan is finished, the work to make it a reality is just beginning. The new Office of Agenda 360, which will be housed within the Chamber, has been created to move the agenda forward. Myrita Craig, a Chamber vice president, will now lead it as full-time executive director. In addition, Council 360 will continue to serve in an advisory role, and a report to the community on the annual progress is also planned. Two volunteer co-chairs - one business leader and one civic leader - will be put in charge of each of the six priority areas.
"I think the key is to make sure we identify the appropriate organizations responsible for moving key initiatives forward and also coordinating implementation of the agenda,” said Chip Wood, co-chair of the Competitive Economy team and Duke Energy vice president. “The office of Agenda 360 will to be able to coordinate with the various organizations that will carry out the work, and offers some clear accountability for areas of focus.”
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Feoshia Henderson is a former Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky daily news reporter. She now runs her own freelance writing business and blogs about the Cincinnati suburbs at www.cincyburb.blogspot.com.
Photography by Scott Beseler
Agenda 360 presentation at The Museum Center
A peak inside the action plan
Kevin Ghassomian
Attendees reviewing Agenda 360
Macys and LPK