Smart Region Task Force Completes Its Work

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Smart Region Task Force, which formed in 2018, has wrapped up its work with the completion of products focused on the potential benefits and unintended consequences of smart infrastructure.

The task force was created as numerous smart mobility efforts began unfolding throughout Central Ohio and it became increasingly clear that technological advancements will dramatically disrupt the status quo of current planning and funding efforts for local governments.

The task force, comprised of local officials and other innovation thought leaders, was chaired by Dublin City Manager Dana McDaniel, with New Albany City Manager Joe Stefanov serving as vice chair.

The group developed three forward-thinking deliverables over the course of its work:

• The Smart Streets Policy will guide MORPC-funded projects to consider the installation of digital infrastructure when constructing transportation projects in the region. The policy is modeled after MORPC’s Complete Streets Policy, which helps to ensure that roadways are designed to safely and comfortably accommodate everyone who uses them. It includes recommendations for communities to adopt their own Smart Street Policy.

• The Smart Region Resource Guide will provide best practices and resources for local governments. The finalized online resource will be available on MORPC’s website and accessible any time for local officials. 

• The Smart Region Playbook will guide the internal work of MORPC staff members and committees as a guideline that allows the work of the task force to permeate all that MORPC does. It is where the region defines its interpretation of “smart,” and it includes various, corresponding goals.

The products developed by the task force will be available in their finalized form in the coming weeks at morpc.org/smartregion.