Displaying items by tag: population

Akron's new planning director has a goal of increasing the city's population to a number close to when the population was at its peak in the 1960s. Jason Segedy says he hopes to see Akron's population grow to 250,000 by 2050.

The latest numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that number stands at just under 198,000 (197,859).

It's an ambitious goal, but Segedy believes it's possible.

"Do you get job here, first, or do you make the city a better place to live?" said Segedy. "I think the answer to that is 'both.' We need to do both at the same time."

Segedy said it's also not necessarily all about recruiting people to Akron -- but it start with the millions of people who are already in Northeast Ohio.

"There are a lot of people in Northeast Ohio that might choose to make the city of Akron their home if we can make it a compelling place to live, so I want to start with that."

Segedy said increasing the population begins with building new housing, rehabilitating existing buildings, and encouraging entrepreneurship and commercial redevelopment.

Click here to read more from Jason Segedy's blog.