Ohio is still growing slowly, but it grew faster the past decade than at any time since the 1990s, and before that, the 1960s.

It also exceeded its 2020 census estimate by 115,000, which may bode well for some of its cities exceeding their 2020 estimates, as well h/t @JosephRMolnar

Cincinnati will likely reverse its population loss, and its possible that Akron could, too, or at least almost break-even.

Ohio has grown very slowly since 1970 - for my entire lifetime. The economic and social trends that have contributed to the state's lack of dynamism have been with us for a long, long time. They aren't recent. They also won't last forever.

The state came extremely close to *not* losing a Congressional district, and we've been losing Congressional seats every census since 1960.

We had 24 then. We now have 15. https://twitter.com/greggiroux/status/1386771549038985218?s=20

Ohio won't flounder around economically forever. To think otherwise is just knee-jerk fatalism.

But it also won't flourish without a shared vision and leadership that leverages its still-considerable geographic strengths and the considerable talent of its people.

Its geographic strengths are considerable - a location that is near-perfect for transportation and logistics, abundant fresh water, fertile soil, mineral resources, a diverse array of larger & mid-sized cities, few natural disasters, and (even) a climate that is looking better.

I don't have a ten-point plan for rebuilding Ohio's economy. It's a complicated topic. But rebuilding its economy and improving day-to-day life for people here is the key to making the state competitive again.

People make far too much of weather. Yes, all things being equal, people like to live where it is warmer. But all things aren't equal. Minnesota has/had managed to flourish with far worse weather. The most dynamic parts of Europe are not the ones with best weather.

Blaming the weather for the state's woes is a lame excuse. It's what people do when they don't have anything interesting or illuminating to say. People move to and/or stay in places that they feel are nice to live in, and weather is just one factor among many.

The number-one thing that Ohio should do to become more competitive is to focus on rebuilding and reinvigorating its urban core areas (cities and inner suburbs).

I don't say that in a self-serving "just give them money" way. I mean an intentional, methodical, well thought-out, strategic partnership between the states and the cities that requires that both of them (not just one or the other) to step up and work together.

The strategic partnership needs to focus on improving the physical condition of the cities. It needs to focus on the economic and social well-being of the residents. It needs to produce tangible and visible improvements in the lives of normal, everyday people.

Why do I say cities are so important? Yes, I love cities and live in one.

But that's not why I care. I care because, for five decades, Ohio's cities have been the state's weakest link.

Why this is the case gets into ideological debates that I am not interested in right now.

Ohio's outer suburban areas are generally comparable to those found in any other state. For anyone who wants to live in those places, there is little substantive difference or divergence from anywhere else in the country.

But that isn't the case in the cities.

It is in the cities that where there is wide divergence from much of the rest of the country, in terms of poverty, disinvestment, economic opportunity, transportation options, and housing quality.

These are the things that need to be addressed and improved.

If they are not addressed and improved, we will be unable to attract and retain residents who are looking for a better urban experience.

And that is *ipso facto* exactly what has happened over the past five decades.

So, instead of offering a ten-point plan, I can offer a one-point plan:

1) Stop doing what we have been doing for the past five decades.

And the number-one thing that we should stop doing is to stop pretending like it doesn't matter if the cities are successful or not.

It does matter. It matters a lot. It matters, first and foremost, to the people who live in the cities.

But it also matters to the entire state.

The state government needs to start making the well-being and the economic success of the cities a top-priority.

The cities, in turn, need to (and some do it far better than others) look at every decision that is made in terms of "will this help us retain and attract residents".

I think we have an opportunity in Ohio right now, as the pandemic begins coming to an end, and as people across the country are reassessing where and how they want to live, to leverage our strengths and rebuild and reinvigorate our cities. We should take advantage of it. [end]

Apologies for the many typos. Not fully caffeinated yet.

[Coda]:

To solve these problems, we must transcend our ideological priors.

Yes, the state is often overtly hostile to cities and undermines them.

Yes, the cities have often sabotaged themselves with poor leadership and decision-making.

Both are true. Both must change.

This perfectly illustrates what I'm talking about in this thread.

States like Ohio encouraged and enabled this destruction of their cities through public policy.

And many of the cities voluntarily did this to themselves.

Both must change. https://twitter.com/JoshLipnik/status/1386144534950780935?s=20

People move to places for opportunity. Right now, the city that I am sitting in is, somewhat improbably, home to thousands of people who relocated here from the Himalayas. They didn't come to Akron for the weather. They came for the opportunity to make a better life here.