AKRON, Ohio — Akron wants to add residents, in part by branding and promoting neighborhoods based on unique history or culture.
“Historic branding can be a really great tool,” Segedy said. “I don’t think we’ve done nearly as much as we could have in the past.”
The Planning to Grow Akron report brainstorms how to combat the city’s shrinking population and tax base by boosting marketable housing to attract people with middle-to-high incomes.
Previous coverage: Akron wants to grow from 198,000 residents to 250,000 by 2050
Here are some strategies:
- Add signage and art that honors Akron’s history in neighborhoods like Firestone Park and Goodyear Heights, which housed early rubber workers.
- Create historic districts to help residents get funding to improve their properties and raise their home values. Guidelines would be flexible enough that residents could realistically make the improvements, Segedy said.
- Brand what’s unique in each small business district. For example, Temple Square in North Hill, like other districts in the city, was a key destination on the street car line.
The city wants to encourage businesses to invest in the neighborhoods surrounding them.
Related coverage: Where’s High Hampton? Check out the map — plus median home value & income — of Akron’s 24 neighborhoods
Officials also want developers to build new homes on in-fill lots, where abandoned houses have been torn down.
To that end, the tool topping the list in the city’s report is its city-wide residential property tax abatement program.
Previous coverage: Akron plans to offer residential tax abatements for new houses
What do you think? What makes your neighborhood unique?
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