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The Jack Ford Urban Affairs Center

Publications

Recent UAC Publications

The Economic Value of the Toledo Public School System

Dr. Neil Reid, UAC Director, and Dr. Oleg Smirnov, Dept. of Economics, have completed an analysis of the Return on Investment and economic value of the Toledo Public School System. TPS, the largest school district in Lucas County and the fifth-largest district on Ohio, has an annual budget in excess of $400 million. It is one of the most valuable public enterprises in Lucas County with a economic footprint that spreads beyond the city limits in the wider local economy. From the Executive Summary:

Altogether, for every dollar of locally-funded public education, the economy receives between $4 and %5.60.

Read the full report here.

Trending Now ...

by Neil Reid, UAC Director

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Trending Now, a publication of The Urban Affairs Center at the University of Toledo. Three to four times a year, we will bring you what we consider to be cutting edge developments in the area of economic development and growth. Each issue will have a thematic focus and will cover an industry or an economic trend that we believe is new, exciting, and trending. Whatever the topic Trending Now will cover it from a variety of perspectives — national, regional, and local.

The focus of this first issue is America’s burgeoning craft beer industry. Commercial production of craft beer in one of America’s fastest growing industries.

>> Read the first issue of Trending Now

UAC Policy Points

Date Related Study
January 2012 A State Of Inequity In Ohio: "Funding and Service Disparities between Municipalities and Townships in Two Ohio Counties".
 

UAC Newsletters

— 2011 Year in Review
— Fall 08 Newsletter | Spring 08 Newsletter
— Fall 07 Newsletter | Spring 07 Newsletter
— Fall 06 Newsletter

Toledo-Lucas County Public Library: Economic Value and Return on Investment

TLCPL ROI The UAC and Toledo-Lucas County Public Library (TLCPL) jointly initiated a study to determine the economic impact and the return on investment (ROI) of the Libary on northwest Ohio. According to the Executive Summary from the study, TLCPL provides 2.86 Return on Investment (i.e., for every $1 spent, the Library returns $2.86), and the economic value of public services provided by TLCPL in 2011 is placed in the range of $118M to $136M per year.

Read the full report and the appendix.

“A State of Inequity in Ohio”

Funding and Service Disparities between Municipalities and Townships in Montgomery County, Ohio

The Greater Dayton Mayors and Managers Association asked UAC to examine the issue of service and tax equity in Montgomery County. How is it that Montgomery County townships are able to provide services without taxing the incomes of their residents? The study considered the following questions:

  • Are the County's incorporated areas (cities and villages) paying for the costs of County services delivered to the unincorporated areas (townships) and then paying again for the same services for their own residents?
  • Are current policies and practices, as historically developed, serving as a vehicle for the reallocation of public resources, economic opportunity, wealth, and population from cities to unincorporated areas?
  • Are there hidden subsidies for people and businesses locating in unincorporated areas?
  • Is there a financial penalty for living in a City or Village?

This study was discussed on Saturday, December 10, 2011 by the Dayton Daily News.

»» Click here to read the entire study.

For comparison, UAC completed a similar analysis of the fiscal impact of public service delivery practices in Lucas County in 2002. UAC is currently updating this study with new data.

Ohio's Food Systems — Farms At the Heart of It All

UAC commissioned a study of Ohio's food system by Ken Meter of Crossroads Resource Center, a non-profit organization that works with communities and their allies to foster democracy and local self-determination. From the study's Options for Action:

This study has found that the prevailing food system in Ohio has failed to build health, wealth, connection and capacity in Ohio communities to the extent that Ohioans deserve. Indeed, the food system often frustrates these purposes.

In response, residents are actively building community-based networks that include clusters of food businesses, with supportive social connections, popular organizations, and policy inititives, that strive toward a better future for Ohio.

» Click here to read the study's full report «
» Click here to read the study's Executive Summary «

[This study was funded by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.]

Potential Participation in an On-Campus Local Foods Buying Club

In recent years, the interest in purchasing locally grown foods has been on the rise, and Toledo has been no exception to this trend. The idea of buying local, on the surface, is one that is easy to support. In an era where the majority of food products are produced on large scale farms, sent to centralized processors, packagers, and distributors, and sold at large chain retailers, some consumers are daunted by the real or perceived increases in cost and decreases in convenience. We conducted a survey of UT faculty and staff to learn more about the potential for a buying club on campus that would allow participants to purchase local foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and eggs, directly from producers and have them delivered to their workplace. Read the survey's final report.

UAC Publications Archive

The table that follows lists publications of the Urban Affairs Center. The table is initially sorted by publication title, but can also be sorted by author(s) or publication year by clicking on the header of the column desired. To view a publication, click word "Link" next to it's information.

All the documents in this table are copyrighted by The University of Toledo Urban Affairs Center.

Title Author(s) Year Link
A Comparison of Growth Rates of Firms With and Without Tax Abatements Randall, Martin 1999 Link
A Consideration of the Costs vs. Benefits of Distributing Water to Fulton County LeSage, Conin 1996 Link
A Descriptive Study of Information Technology Needs in Toledo Area Businesses and Professions Fritz, McGuire 2005 Link
An Assessment of the Former Libbey High School Neighborhood: Jobs, Education and Recreation Eckert 2012 Link
An Evaluation of "Ohio Works First" as Implemented in Lucas County, Ohio Cluse-Tolar, Jennings, Twitchell 2003 Link
A spatial examination of Ohio's economic growth LeSage, Randall 2000 Link
Analysis of the Fiscal Impact of Public Service Delivery Practices in Lucas County, Ohio Hinton, Beazley 2002 Link
Arrowhead Park: An Update LeSage 1998 Link
Brownfield Redevelopment: A Resource Guide for Toledo and Other Ohio Governments, Developers, and Communities McCarthy 2001 Link
Business Tax Revenue in the Toledo Area Kozlowski 2005 Link
City of Toledo Payroll Tax Revenue Kozlowski, McGuire 2000 Link
City of Toledo Payroll Tax Revenue Update Kozlowski, McGuire 2001 Link
City of Toledo Total Tax Revenue Forecast for 2001 Kozlowski 2001 Link
Economic and Employment Analysis of Toledo MSA UAC 1998 Link
Economic Consequences of Structural Changes in the Financial Industry in Northwest Ohio Kozlowski 2003 Link
Enterprise Toledo (HTML and PowerPoint) Wuest 2001 Link
Futurology as Further Ideology: Reflections on Pryor's Millennial Survey of Economists McGuire 2000 Link
Growth, Movement, and Decline of Central-City and Suburban Manufacturing Firms Randall, Martin 1997 Link
Impact of Economic Development Programs: Lessons from Six Ohio Cities Bachelor 1996 Link
The Impact of The "New" University of Toledo on Ohio's Economy Carroll, Reid, Wuest 2006 Link
Industrial Retention & Expansion Survey Reid, Boezi, Wuest, Allen, Bielen 1997 Link
The Information Technology Industry in the State of Ohio and its Regions: 1989-2000 UUP 2000 Link
Neighborhood Commercial Development UAC 1998 Link
The Ohio Economy (a joint publication of the UAC and the College of Business) UAC, COB 1999-2001 Link
Test of the Urbanization Lag of China and Its Cost in Employment Chang 2001 Link
Toledo's Example: Mini-Muni Options McGuire 2000 Link
Toledo-Lucas County Merchant Study Ajilore 2004 Link
Toledo Income Tax Revenue: Forecast 2002 Kozlowski, McGuire 2002 Link
Toledo Income Tax Revenue: March 2002 Update Kozlowski 2002 Link
Toledo Income Tax Revenue: Forecast 2003 Kozlowski, McGuire 2003 Link
Toledo Income Tax Revenue: Forecast 2003 Update Kozlowski 2003 Link
Toledo Income Tax Revenue: Forecast 2004 Kozlowski, McGuire 2004 Link
Toledo Income Tax Revenue: Forecast 2005 Kozlowski, McGuire 2005 Link
Toledo Income Tax Revenue: Forecast 2006 Kozlowski 2005 Link
Using Cluster-Based Economic Development to Enhance the Economic Competitiveness of Northwest Ohio's Greenhouse Industry Carroll, Reid 2006 Link
Using Matrix Exponentials to Explore Spatial Structure in Regression Relationships LeSage, Pace 2000 Link
Using Public Policy Making to Lock-in an Industry Structure: Social Construction of the Electric Utility Industry McGuire, Granovetter 2000 Link
Where Will the Next Jobs Be?; A Study of the Context of Occupations in Northwest Ohio Dwyer, Boden 2002 Link
Wind Energy Electrical Power Generation: The Life Cycle of a Radical Innovation Dismukes, Miller, Jagani, Bers, Dubrovenski, Jennings 2006 Link
A Census of Public Computing in Toledo Ohio Alkalimat, Williams 2002 Link
A Status Report on Educational Attainment of People of Color in Two Ohio Cities Wilson, Erkins 2005 Link
Assessing Charter School Success Opp, Hamer, Beltyukova 2001 Link
Brain Drain in Ohio; Observations and Summaries Johnston, McGuire, Saevig 2006 Link
Center City, Center of Learning and Earning? Katsinas, McGuire 2001 Link
Center City, Center of Learning and Earning? (Contents) Katsinas, McGuire 2001 Link
City Schools and Natural Areas: A Case Study of Teachers using Natural Areas on School Grounds ... Rop 2004 Link
Close to Home; A Review of the Literature on Learning in schoolyards and nearby natural settings, 1980 to the present Rop 2004 Link
The Education of Hispanic/Latino Students in Toledo Edwards, McGuire, Morales 2002 Link
High School Graduation and Brain Drain; Survey Results and Insights from the Toledo Metropolitan Area McGuire, Besch, Lippert, Montor, Mosley, Hardy-Johnson 2007 Link
Learning Relationships: Improving Achievement in Public High School Veh, Johnston 2003 Link
Race, Income, And Test Scores: A Structural Model of the Determinants of Test Scores in Toledo Elementary Schools Wilson, Martin 1997 Link
Student Perceptions of Classroom Environment and Attitudes Toward Teaching and Learning in East Toledo Junior High Beltyukova, Fox, Zhang 2006 Link
TAPESTRIES: A Successful Elementary Science Curriculum in Metropolitan Toledo Czerniak, Beltyukova 2003 Link
UT University College Student Recruitment Survey McGuire, Fox, Ogawa 2002 Link
Market Survey of University of Toledo Faculty and Staff Regarding Potential Participation in an On-Campus Local Foods Buying Club Boardley, Eckert, Ross, Hallsy 2010 Link
An Analysis of Projected Financial Impacts of a Possible Sylvania Township—City of Sylvania Merger Hinton, Bachelor 2007 Link
Are We Making A Change?: The Data and Research Needs of Toledo Area Non-Profit Organizations Stoecker 2004 Link
CDBG Study - City of Toledo: Executive Summary Austin, Johnston, Wuest 2003 Link
CDBG Study - City of Toledo: Full Report Austin, Johnston, Wuest 2003 Link
Community Based Restructuring Indegaard 1996 Link
Cost-Effectiveness of Selected PRC Programs of the Lucas County Department of Job and Family Services Stoecker 2002 Link
Crossing the Development-Organizing Divide: A Report on the Toledo Community Organizing Training ... Stoecker 2001 Link
The Development of CATNeT Stuber 1997 Link
Domestic Violence: Court Case Conviction and Recidivism in Toledo Davis, Ventura 2004 Link
Effect of CCA Treated Utility Poles on the Urban Environment In Toledo Ohio Abraham, Jarden 2004 Link
The Ford Plan 2002 UAC 2002 Link
The Greater Findlay Community Plan Partners for Innovation, UAC 2006 Link
The Impact of Using Market-Value to Replacement-Cost Ratios on Housing Insurance in Toledo Neighborhoods Martin, Randall 1999 Link
Implementation of On-Site Enhanced Wastewater Treatment Systems in Toledo Kim 2004 Link
Limited Access: The Information Superhighway And Ohio's Neighborhood-Based Organizations Stoecker, Stuber 1997 Link
Local Smart Growth Study Preliminary Results UAC 2001 Link
Lucas County Community Satisfaction Survey Haase, Mirzoyants, Rice, Wuest 2009 Link
Lumpy Stew - Toledo's Ethnic Neighborhoods UAC 2002 Link
Managing Change UAC 2001 Link
Old West End Renascence Community Planning Charrette: Vision 1 UAC 2002 Link
Old West End Renascence Community Planning Charrette: Vision 2 UAC 2002 Link
Old West End Renascence Community Planning Charrette: Vision 3 UAC 2002 Link
Patterns in Accessibility to Hospital Services in Ohio Lindquist, Muraco, Edwards 2000 Link
Preliminary Results of the local Smart Growth Survey UAC 2001 Link
Reflections on Collaborative Responses to Domestic Violence Heberle 2000 Link
Remembering the Good Old Days Can Improve the Quality of Life of Senior Adults Tatchell, Jordan 2004 Link
Richfield Township UAC 2001 Link
Smart Growth Survey of Residents of NW Ohio and SE Michigan Coventry, Johnston, Wuest 2002 Link
Social Capital and Cyberpower in the African American Community Alkalimat 2000 Link
Social Cyberpower in the Everyday Life of an African American Community Alkalimat, Williams 2004 Link
The State of Hispanics/Latino/as in Lucas County and its Surrounds Stoecker, Wuest, Rice 2006 Link
Access to Recourse: An Exploratory Study Seeking to Understand the Workings of the Lucas County Court System and Barriers to its Use Davis, Fox, McGuire 2004 Link
Transportation Information Study UAC 2001 Link
UUP Health Care Study (Text) Lindquist, Edwards 2000 Link
UUP Health Care Study (Figures) Lindquist, Edwards 2000 Link
Local Government Reform and Collaboration Mirzoyants, Rice, Reid, Ross, Wuest 2009 Link

Authors of UAC reports can follow these suggestions for formatting reports to be published by UAC, or they can download and use the UAC report template.

(Note: web links and email addresses in the above publications may not be valid depending on the age of the document.)

Publications Related to UAC & Its Work

The documents below were produced by other agencies or institutions, some in conjunction with UAC or with UAC support. Each document will open in a new window; each is a PDF document.

UUP Publications

Publications With UAC Involvement

UAC Hardcopy Publications

Printed copies of Urban Affairs Center reports can be requested by contacting the UAC via email to uac@utnet.utoledo.edu. When requesting a report, please indicate the year the report was published, its author, and its title.

Last Updated: 6/27/22