Projects and Initiatives

First Suburbs Consortium of Southwest Ohio

First Suburbs Consortium of Southwest Ohio (FSC-SW) is an association of elected and appointed officials representing older suburban communities in Hamilton County, Ohio. FSC incorporated as an Ohio 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. A seven-member executive committee directs the organization's work and Hamilton County staff provides administrative support.

Our member communities are diverse, with varying economic and demographic characteristics. What they all share is a desire to coordinate with and learn from one another how to address their challenges and opportunities.

First Suburbs Consortium member communities represent over 200,000 Hamilton County Residents.

Click here to go to the First Suburbs Consortium of Southwest Ohio website.  

What is a "First Suburb"?

First Suburbs are older communities adjacent to the urban core in Hamilton County. They once attracted growth and population but in many cases are now bypassed in favor of outlying communities. These areas, according to the Brookings Institution, are caught in a "policy blind spot" -- social and economic problems typical of large cities impact First Suburbs, but they lack cultural, financial, and government resources that cities use to address similar challenges.

Planning Partnership

What is Planning Partnership?

The Planning Partnership is a collaborative initiative of the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission. The Partnership - open to all political jurisdictions in the county and to affiliate members in the public, private and civic sectors - is an advisory board that works to harness the collective energy and vision of its members to effectively plan for the future of our county. Rather than engaging in the Planning Commission's short-range functions such as zoning reviews, the Planning Partnership takes a long-range, comprehensive approach to planning, working to build a community that works for families, for businesses and for the region. The Partnership firmly believes that collaboration is the key to a positive, competitive and successful future for Hamilton County.

By-Laws  

Mission

To bring together public, private and civic sector organization engaged in community planning in Hamilton County so that mutual goals related to physical, economic and social issues can be planned for comprehensively and achieved collaboratively.

Vision

All governments and planning commissions in Hamilton County:

  • Work together effectively (in and adjacent to Hamilton County) to resolve issues related to growth management, land use, green space, transportation, housing, public services, utilities and other cross-jurisdictional issues
  • Effectively communicate between planning commissions and planning officials at all levels and forms of government and between public, private and civic sector stakeholders
  • Build consensus on a unified, comprehensive community vision for Hamilton County
  • Create and implement local and countywide plans through continuous and collaborative planning relationship with planning partners in the public, private and civic sectors
  • Plan for and achieve efficient use of our physical (i.e. natural and built), economic and social resources and assets
  • Determine, achieve and sustain local goals and plans within a regional framework
  • Use local authority, and government closest to the people to create and implement community based solutions to local problems
  • Make informed decisions through consideration of local and countywide comprehensive plans
  • Use a countywide database (information system) to support the comprehensive planning needs of local and county government
  • Leverage collaborative power to improve funding and policy change at all levels of government

The Resolution of Cooperation

The "Resolution of Cooperation" approved in 2000 by political jurisdictions and planning commissions in Hamilton County reestablished and modified the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission and established the Planning Partnership.

This agreement, among other things, improves the Regional Planning Commission structure to enable greater focus on long range planning responsibilities as well as effective stakeholder involvement while sustaining its current or short range planning services in subdivision, zoning, address assignment and other development review services.

The Resolution of Cooperation  

Local Planning Initiatives

There are many local governments and organizations currently involved in planning related research and activities in Hamilton County and Greater Cincinnati.