INTRODUCTION

The exurban change project provides analysis of economic, social, agricultural, and land use changes of Ohio's regions and localities with a focus on exurban areas of the state.  The overall goal of the project is to perform applied research on these topics and to disseminate data and research results to local officials, professionals, and interested citizens to support their planning and decision making.

RESEARCH

The primary research goal of the project is to analyze the population and land use changes that have occurred across the rural-urban continuum in Ohio, and across the Nation, and to identify the social, economic, and environmental implications of these changes for exurban and rural communities.  

Specific research objectives are to: (1) establish a definition of exurbia using Ohio as a laboratory; (2) develop a typology of exurban and rural communities based on their key differences and commonalities; (3) analyze the transitions that communities undergo in their evolution from rural to exurban and exurban to suburban and the factors that drive these changes and use this analysis to trace the likely future growth and change trajectories of rural and exurban communities; (4) understand the impacts that these changes have on communities’ quality of life, including the economic viability of traditional industries, competition between traditional and new businesses, local public services, sense of place, social relationships, and environmental quality; and (5) draw implications of these changes for local and regional policies relating to growth management, community and economic development, historical preservation, and environmental protection.

OUTREACH

The primary outreach goal of the project is to provide critical data, information, and analysis related to demographic & land use change in Ohio that will aid local communities in their planning and decision making.  Specific outreach components include the online "Township Tool," which provides data and information on population and other variables for each township in Ohio and downloadable reports on population and land use trends within Ohio.

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Questions or Comments concerning The Exurban Change Project or the web site can be forwarded to exurban@osu.edu