Planning process influences on sustainability in Ohio township plans

Abstract

This study examines planning process influences on plan sustainability scores for 46 township plans in Central Ohio, in the Midwestern Region of the United States. Townships face many similar development challenges as exurban communities along with cultures and economies which straddle urban and rural perspectives. The empirical analysis shows that participation breadth is positively related to sustainability scores, while the use of the sustainability concept in the planning process is negatively related to sustainability scores. Based on the findings, we suggest that communities preparing a comprehensive plan should encourage participation by a variety of groups in the planning process. Future research should examine the manner in which the sustainability concept is incorporated into the planning process to better assess its influence.

Keywords:

• sustainability; planning process; comprehensive planning; exurban; plan quality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In Ohio, townships are unincorporated areas which once formed the base level of all local government. In many areas, they have been subsumed by incorporated municipalities of cities or villages. A village in Ohio is an incorporated area of less than 5,000 persons, while a city is an incorporated area of greater than 5,000 persons according to the Ohio Revised Code. Townships, as unincorporated areas vary in size with some choosing to incorporate as a village or city. Townships are governed by a board of trustees and have been given the right under the Ohio Revised Code §519.02 to regulate the ‘location, size and use of buildings and lands in unincorporated territory’.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis at the Ohio State University.