Youngstown
2010 plan gets national recognition
December 9, 2006
By JOE GORMAN Tribune Chronicle
YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s 2010 planning process is getting national attention.
On Sunday, the plan will be mentioned in the New York Times while the daily
newspaper USA Today also talked to Chief Planner Anthony Kobak earlier this
week.
Kobak said he spoke to the Times for a short time and that they also talked
to Mayor Jay Williams.
He said the questioning from reporters for both papers tended to veer toward
one of the main mantras of the plan: That the city accepts it is smaller
than in its heyday and that the era of heavy industry is over.
The national publicity is helpful on a number of fronts, Kobak said. While
having the city’s efforts recognized is ‘‘flattering,’’ it also helps
validate the city’s message that Youngstown is a good place to live or start
a new business, he said.
This is not the first time the plan has garnered national exposure.
It was mentioned in a national planning journal and a government magazine,
and is also mentioned in Old House Journal and the affordable housing the
city has in its historical districts.
Kobak said he is not surprised at the national recognition because some of
the things the plan talked about are beginning to occur on a national level.
The plan, which began with help from Youngstown State University, was
compiled after public meetings were held throughout the summer of 2004 in 11
city neighborhoods.
The initial planning sessions stated that planners must work under the
following assumptions: Youngstown is a midsized city; its image and quality
of life must be improved; and that residents and officials need to act.
Organizers hope some of the recommendations can be achieved by 2010.
jgorman@tribune-chronicle.com |