State of the Region

The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) is pleased to announce the release of the State of the Region 2005. This report examines key attributes about the Miami Valley Region and compares them to the State and other major MSAs in Ohio. It is a vessel for showing, from a regional perspective, key data about the Miami Valley, and as a starting point for possible future studies. The report is not a regional comprehensive plan and makes no recommendations.

MVRPC Board of Directors endorses Regional Land Use Planning Proposal

In January 2007, MVRPC Board of Directors endorsed the Regional Land Use Planning Proposal developed by members of the Land Use Committee and staff (See Powerpoint presentation). This proposal outlines an overall approach to a region-based land use planning process that includes major tasks and work elements that are essential for a successful and meaningful outcome.

The proposal outlines the process in three phases:

  • Phase I – Existing Condition Assessment: Physical and Non-Physical Condition Evaluation (Estimated time: 18 months)
  • Phase II – Future Landscape Exploration: Future Land Use Scenario Development and Assessment (Estimated time: 2 years)
  • Phase III – Building a Clear and Shared Regional Land Use Framework
    (Estimated time: 6 months)

For additional information about the Regional Land Use Planning Proposal, contact Martin Kim, MVRPC's Director of Regional Planning at (937) 223-6323 or mkim@mvrpc.org.

Open Space Assessment Study

MVRPC conducted the Miami Valley Open Space Assessment Study to develop a 2005 Open Space GIS database and examine the status of open space in the Region. The study identifies open spaces throughout the Region by facility types and provides regional and county level statistics. Further, the 2005 statistics are compared to the 1993 statistics to assess how the Region has changed over the last 12 years.

Miami Valley Open Spaces: A Shared Vision Map

MVRPC developed a generalized conceptual map that represents a collective vision of the future open space in the Miami Valley Region. The map was developed as a result of the one-day workshop in February 2006 hosted by MVRPC and Five Rivers MetroParks. Representatives from local jurisdictions and organizations shared local level open space preservation efforts, and discussed and identified general areas of interest for future preservation at the regional level.

Economic Base Assessment Study

In November 2005 MVRPC conducted a more in-depth review of the economic attributes of the Region and Regional Economic Base Analysis as an update to the State of the Region report.

State of the Region 2005

The State of the Region 2005 report measures the Miami Valley Region using various levels of statistical significance for report purposes. For report purposes, the definition of the Miami Valley Region is the geographic area covering Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Warren Counties. Throughout the report, reference is made to the urban city and the urban county, which are the city of Dayton and Montgomery County.

The report is broken into 8 sections:

  • The Introduction explains the purpose of the document, and summarizes the key findings.
  • The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Region are pointed out in a bullet-point formatted section following the Introduction.
  • The Super Region section shows how the Miami Valley Region fits into the Midwest United States.
  • The Demographics section shows key population and housing data relative to the Region and compares it to other levels of statistical reference.
  • The Regional Stewardship section shows some key attributes about the Region that measure how well the individual communities are working together to make the Region stronger.
  • Vibrant Communities describe education, health and safety issues in our Region and shows how we compare to other areas in Ohio.
  • Vigorous Economy examines the economy in general, how personal and household income has evolved over time, and the gap between the rich and the poor in the Region. It also looks at housing afford ability in the Region.
  • The Healthy Environment section points out water and air quality issues.
  • The cover and Table of Contents are also available as a separate download.

A variety of statistics are included in the report. Overall, the 8-County Miami Valley Region is growing. The population has grown faster than the state average over the last 50 years, and is projected to grow faster over the next 25. However, the urban city is declining in population. It has decreased in population 32% since 1950. Also, the Miami Valley Region has a higher median household income than the State. But, the urban city has a much lower median household income. These statistics and many more are available throughout the report. You're encouraged to take time to examine the wealth of information presented in the report and use it as a reference guide.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact MVRPC at (937) 223-6323/Martin Kim or you can click to order printed copies .