Urban Solutions for the 21st Century: UC Applied Research Seeks to Aid Wilmington, Ohio

In looking ahead into the next five to ten years, leaders in Clinton County (home to the town of Wilmington, Ohio) have turned to University of Cincinnati planning students for answers.

Five graduate and doctoral planning students from UC’s top-ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) are now working on research and proposals to aid the community of Wilmington, Ohio, and Clinton County as a whole. That region is preparing for a future with a reduced presence by major employer DHL Express, which is ending its domestic air freight business. About 10,000 are expected to lose their jobs. It’s estimated that one in three Wilmington residents could be affected.

The UC students began working on their Wilmington-focused project on Jan. 1, 2009, and will turn in their final analysis and recommendation on March 27. They are working in partnership with

• Michael Romanos, UC professor of planning.

• Pete Mallow, staff consultant with the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission.

• Chris Schock, executive director of the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission.
  

Said

Mallow

, “The students are making a difference. They are scouring the quantitative economic and demographic data related to the county and also proposing long-term rebuilding solutions based on that data. It’s an unbiased perspective on what the data is saying. They’re also researching what communities in similar situations have done both nationally and internationally. It’s work the county needs to have done but doesn’t have the ability to hire out right now.”

The UC students working on the project are

• Elena Bass
• Jessica Base
• Sudeshna Ghosh
• Antony Seppi
• Brooke Tedesse
  

CASE STUDIES FROM NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES

As painful as the current situation is for Clinton County, it’s not unique, according to UC graduate planning student

Antony Seppi

, 32, of West Chester. In fact, past military-base closings parallel what is happening in Wilmington to some degree. “If we look at military-base closings over the past 10 to 15 years, we find the same numbers in terms of job losses as well as the same remaining community assets on the ground: acres of land, runways, hangars and more. Orlando, Fla., and other locales have faced the same challenge,” observed Seppi.

In fact, Wilmington’s situation is actually better than that of communities that have experienced military-base closings. According to

Schock

, “When a base closes over several years, there’s no workforce left in the region. While DHL is closing domestic air-freight operations, it may very well retain international operations in the air park. ABX will still have airframe maintenance and repair at the air park. That means we’ll have an active work force that will be attractive to employers.”

READING THE DATA

In examining economic and demographic data, the UC students are establishing

• How widespread the current economic effects will likely be.

• How proposed redevelopment uses for the air park will affect these economic and demographic figures.

• Other industries providing good jobs in the regions, industries the county may want to leverage for future growth.

The students’ findings indicate that the impact from DHL’s decision to close its domestic operations will be felt in Clinton, Warren, Highland and Fayette counties. These three latter counties – Warren, Highland and Fayette – will feel the effects almost as much as Clinton County.

“That’s because a lot of employees drive into Clinton County to work. They’re driving in from Warren, Highland and Fayette counties. That means Clinton County’s payroll taxes are affected by the job losses suffered by these employees; however, their home counties will be affected in terms of retail buying power and more. What we’ve found from the students’ economic data is that these employees who travel into Clinton County don’t tend to spend in Clinton but rather in their home counties,” stated Mallow.

And as for Wilmington and Clinton County itself, other industries are providing good jobs or solid financial support for the region, according to UC student

Sudeshna Ghosh

, 26, of Northern Kentucky.

She said, “While it doesn’t produce numerous jobs, the agricultural sector in the county provides very stable, solid sales revenue for the county. Importantly, that’s money brought into the community from outside of the region. In addition, health-care and education – for instance, Wilmington College – also provide good jobs.”

PROPOSALS FOR A BETTER FUTURE

The combined strengths of the region, its location and infrastructure could make for a future even better than its past, according to the UC students. Importantly, it should be a future that has a broad economic base – not one dependent upon a single major employer.

Their redevelopment proposals include

• An agricultural enterprise zone to capitalize on Clinton County’s already strong and prosperous agricultural sector. Such a zone might include agri-tourism, getting visitors off the highways and onto the county’s byways for sight-seeing and interactive agricultural experiences.

• Recreating Wilmington as Ohio’s key site for green industry in the state. The air park could become the state’s premier site for implementing a green-energy sector.

• Reuse of the air park as an entertainment development, specifically a theme park. This has been accomplished in other locales where military bases have closed.

• Creation of an industrial enterprise zone out of the air park. This would include expanded service as a transportation hub for both trucks and planes. The region already serves as an important “dry port” for national trucking companies.

• Proudly Cincinnati: UC’s leads in creating urban solutions for the 21st century.

• Read more about UC’s top-ranked School of Planning.

• Apply to UC’s undergraduate or graduate program in planning.

• Get the latest news from UC.