How does Central Ohio measure up? Central Ohio has long enjoyed economic success as compared with Ohio’s industrial counterparts. Is Cleveland really Central Ohio’s benchmark? 21^st Century cities are being held accountable to increasingly complex performance benchmarks. Competition around metrics like workforce readiness, emission reductions, mobility indices, quality of life, public health, and geopolitical risk are driving economic development in the international marketplace. A quick look at the metro metrics from Vancouver, Canada illustrates substantial economic and urban success for a 21^st Century City. Central Ohio needs to continue to measure our success not by our Ohio neighbors but by the global cities we compete with for 21^st Century jobs.

Key Questions:

1) Demographic Growth: Demographics will drive unprecedented demand for housing, jobs and public services. How will Central Ohio’s demographics change in a global economy?

2) Competitiveness: Seventy percent of U.S. economic output is located in metro regions. What should our community be doing to nurture economic clusters and embrace innovation? Can we really just count on Ohio State University, state government, retail, banking and insurance companies to carry our economic prosperity into the future ?

3) Social Inclusion: What is necessary to care, train, and invest in citizens? How do social inclusion goals produce land use strategies?

4) The 2050 Good Life: How do shifting consumer preferences influence real estate products, mix of neighborhood uses and investment patterns? How do we promote quality development “up” and not just further out from the urban center ? How do we help turn our suburban communities into successful 21^st Century urban centers?