How Your Housing Ideas
Become Action
In Akron’s very first Civic Assembly, residents from across the city help turn good ideas into real change.
Ideas come from everywhere
From other cities, think tanks, people across the country, and most importantly from people in Akron.
Residents share what they see, what they’re struggling with, and what they hope could make housing better. There are no wrong ideas, no special rules, no “experts only.” If you’ve got a thought, it belongs. Even the half-formed one you came up with in line at Acme.
All those ideas get untangled
Once all the ideas are in, a Research Team gets to work. This group is made up of Unify Akron volunteers and staff, students from the University of Akron, advisors from the Greater Ohio Policy Center, and others. They read through every single idea.
Seriously. Every one.
They look for themes, patterns, and the “Hey, three people said the same thing in different ways” moments. They turn hundreds of ideas submitted into a clear picture of the universe of potential solutions.
Ideas get tested and sharpened
Next, a Solutions Team of people who work on housing every day in Akron review every solution in the organized list. These folks represent a huge range of perspectives on housing, from commercial builders and tenant rights advocates to landlords, city planners, and more. They live and breathe housing in Akron, from many angles.
This Team scores and deliberates the universe of solution ideas and proposes drafts to the Assembly of residents for decision-making.
Context is added
Then the Research Team steps back in and adds short explainers, examples, and facts to each idea.
Nothing fancy… just enough info so Assembly Delegates can make smart choices without needing a PhD, an Akron zoning textbook, or a decoder ring.
The Assembly digs in (this is the Big One)
Here’s where the magic happens. The demographically and politically representative Assembly of randomly selected Akron residents meets for 10 weeks to deliberate through the ideas. They look at benefits, trade-offs, and how each idea might play out in real life.
Their job is to determine which solutions Akron should pursue (and which not) and to guide the work of implementation.
The City of Akron is committed to reviewing the Assembly’s recommendations and responding to them at a public event.
Ideas become action (no dusty shelves)
Does it end there? With a final report that gets politely accepted and then filed away in a municipal basement? That would be a bummer, and that’s why we have The Impact Team.
This group includes Assembly Delegates, community members, city staff, and local partners. They turn the Assembly’s guidance into real action by forming working groups and building plans. If a particular strategy turns out to be undoable — or undoable in the near future — residents on the Impact Team are part of that decision-making process.
The City of Akron, in its signed Memorandum of Understanding with Unify Akron, will report on the community’s progress in implementing the accepted recommendations every six months for two and a half years.