Legacy cities such as Cleveland, Youngstown and Akron, (Ohio), Buffalo (New York), Leipzig (Germany) and Manchester (UK) face major challenges in the 21st century economy, including loss of economic base, aging infrastructure, social polarization and continued sprawl despite population stabilization. Ohio’s legacy cities have many highly-sought features such as dense, walkable centers, abundant and affordable housing and infrastructure, and closely-knit communities and skilled workers from their industrial past and immigration history. How can legacy cities leverage these assets to restore their economic vitality while promoting a socially just and sustainable communities?
Moderated by Harvey Miller
Tune into the webinar to hear perspectives of our panelists!
Our panelists include:
Ian Beniston AICP, HDFP - Executive Director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC)
Ian Beniston is the Executive Director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) and has been a part of the organization since the idea of YNDC was conceived in 2008. He is responsible for YNDC’s consistent achievement of its mission and day to day operations.
Ian was born and raised on the north side of Youngstown. He has fifteen years of neighborhood planning, development, and finance experience in the private, non-profit, and public sectors.
Ian holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Youngstown State University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a National Development Council Housing Development Finance Professional. He was a 40 under 40 award recipient in 2009, 25 under 35 award recipient in 2013 and 2017, a Next City Vanguard in 2014, and OCDCA CDC Staff Member of the Year in 2015. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Community Corrections Association, Ohio Poverty Law Center, and ACTION. Ian lives in the City of Youngstown with his wife, Krista and retired racing Greyhound, Bird.
Anthony (Tony) Richardson - Executive Director of The Nord Family Foundation
Tony joined the Nord Family Foundation in January 2015 as a Program Officer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and African-American Studies from Oberlin College, and a Juris Doctorate’s degree from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law. Tony has professional experience in law, government, and education.
Alison Goebel - Executive Director of Greater Ohio Policy Center
Alison Goebel is Executive Director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) and has been with GOPC since 2010. Goebel is responsible for charting GOPC's strategic direction, directing the research, advocacy, and outreach teams, and securing resources for this work. She is the author of a number of research reports and policy briefs related to the revitalization of weak-market, legacy cities, transportation funding, and local governance structures in Ohio. Goebel is a graduate and board member of Leadership Ohio and was elected by her class for the 2014 "Leader Among Leaders" award. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and received her B.A. from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).
Jason Segedy - Director of Planning and Urban Development City of Akron
Jason Segedy is the director of planning and urban development for the City of Akron, Ohio. Segedy has worked in the urban planning field for the past 25 years, and is an avid writer on urban planning and development issues, blogging at Notes from the Underground. He is also currently serving as the inaugural Legacy Cities Fellow with the Economic Innovation Group, where writes about challenges and opportunities in the older industrial cities of the Great Lakes region.
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