Revitalizing Neighborhoods Takes Courage and Leadership
- The Dayton Weekly News
- Apr 11
- 3 min read
Every candidate for elected office claims to care about neighborhoods. But it takes courage and bold leadership to enact real, meaningful change. For example, the Downtown Dayton Partnership removes trash, debris, and litter from Downtown Dayton.[1] However, Dayton neighborhoods are often left to fend for themselves.[2]
What would it take to change this seemingly simple issue? For one, it would take a fresh perspective at City Hall. It would require a leader to propose that the City of Dayton establish a new litter removal division in the Department of Public Works focusing exclusively on neighborhood cleanup. It would require devoted city staff visiting neighborhoods on a daily basis and working to remove trash, debris, and litter. It would take more enforcement and stricter penalties to ensure that dumping sites in our neighborhoods and alleyways are eliminated.[3] As a community, we must ask why a coordinated effort by the City has not been initiated since the 1960s when Dayton was last named America’s cleanest city.[4]
Litter removal is not the only simple issue to resolve. A recent report found that Dayton’s tree canopy covers less than 25 percent of the city.[5] That revelation is worrisome because tree canopy is a predictor of overall community health due to the benefits that trees provide.[6] However, Dayton only planted 960 trees from 2017 through 2023—not nearly enough. As a community, we must demand that Dayton plant 500 or more trees per year to get our tree canopy back to normal levels. Our children’s health and wellness depend upon it.
Revitalizing neighborhoods also requires more substantive responses such as amending the zoning code. We must make it easier for residents and prospective residents to build alternative forms of housing in Dayton. Other communities are beginning to promote the idea of barndominiums and tiny home developments.[7] The benefits are simple: they are cheaper and easier to build and maintain.[8] By increasing access to alternative forms of housing and promoting inclusionary zoning, we can stabilize struggling neighborhoods while also making homeownership more affordable.
Our city should also join Cedar Rapids, Iowa and others in adopting a 15-minute city concept where every neighborhood resident must be within a 15-minute walk or bike ride to a grocery store, park or recreation center, health facility, school, and other amenities. The 15-minute city concept reduces car dependence, eliminates food deserts, improves quality of life, and increases social equity.[9]
Finally, a bold revitalization plan is not complete without new land use policies and grant programs supporting the beautification, development, and sustainability of neighborhoods. The City has spent ARPA funds to demolish abandoned structures, but unfortunately, empty, or underutilized lots often sit dormant for years.[10] The same can be said for houses destroyed by fires where rubble remains far too long as our children walk or ride by it on their way to school.[11] We can and must do better.
Change will require courage and common-sense leadership to promote sound, stable policies that benefit neighborhoods and residents. It is beyond time for a fresh perspective at City Hall.
[2] https://www.daytonohio.gov/1051/Community-Cleanups “The City provides services and support for neighborhood to organize and complete their very own neighborhood clean-up events.” The city does not employ full-time city staff to organize and actually clean up neighborhoods on a regular basis nor does every neighborhood have the ability and infrastructure to organize its “very own” neighborhood clean-up event.
[3] https://www.daytonohio.gov/233/Illegal-Dumping The penalty for illegal dumping is merely up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail.
[4] https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/did-you-know-dayton-was-pronounced-the-cleanest-town-america-years-ago/5tLoi93R92ac6jWbqSHO0H/
[5] https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/trees-cover-less-than-a-quarter-of-dayton-the-city-hopes-to-change-that/PUXPDN26QFBYRFA7P27DVR34KM/ [This cite also covers the 3rd sentence of the litter paragraph].
[7] https://13wham.com/news/local/tiny-home-movement-takes-big-steps-in-rochester and https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/realestate/barndominium-home-design.html
[8] https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/how-much-does-a-tiny-house-cost and https://buildmax.com/is-a-barndominium-cheaper-to-build-than-a-traditional-house/?srsltid=AfmBOopyfWyyaFiTNld2_HIy4NvLADAjko99W6omcH8S0dv4MG-_YOZW
[9] https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2023/07/28/hierarchy-centers-15-minute-city and https://www.nlc.org/article/2023/06/13/exploring-the-15-minute-city-concept-and-its-potential-for-communities-of-all-sizes/
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