Washington, D.C. – Today, the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) announced that Jason Segedy, Director of Planning and Urban Development for the City of Akron, Ohio, will serve as the organization’s first Legacy Cities Fellow. Segedy will lead EIG’s new Legacy Cities Series, a collection of research and commentary on America’s older industrial cities.
“Jason is one of the country’s most insightful and authentic voices on American cities, especially the ones found throughout the Midwest region he calls home,” said EIG President and CEO John Lettieri. “We are fortunate to have him as our inaugural Legacy Cities Fellow and look forward to drawing upon his expertise at this time of great change and upheaval.”
“I am thrilled and honored to serve as EIG’s first Legacy Cities Fellow,” said Segedy. “I have long-admired the high-quality public policy work that EIG performs, and I am excited to be working with a great team that is helping identify creative ways to bring more investment and economic growth to the wonderful (and sometimes overlooked) cities of America’s heartland.”
Large coastal cities have long dominated the national conversation about the U.S. economy, often obscuring the challenges and opportunities facing communities in the industrial heartland. The Legacy Cities Fellowship is a part of EIG’s commitment to elevating voices that can shape a clearer and deeper understanding of both the immense potential and the pressing needs of American communities.
In the first installment of the Legacy Cities Series, Segedy traces the history of the Rust Belt through his own hometown: Akron, Ohio. Segedy has worked in the urban planning field for the past 22 years and is an avid writer on urban development issues, blogging at Notes from the Underground. Utilizing an experienced, on-the-ground perspective, the Legacy Cities Series will investigate a wide variety of social and economic issues facing America’s legacy cities, including housing, jobs, neighborhoods, urban redevelopment, the real estate market, and governance.
About the Economic Innovation Group (EIG)
The Economic Innovation Group (EIG) is an ideas laboratory and advocacy organization whose mission is to advance solutions that empower entrepreneurs and investors to forge a more dynamic American economy. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. and led by an experienced, bipartisan team, EIG convenes leading experts from the public and private sectors, develops original policy research, and works to advance creative legislative proposals that will bring new jobs, investment, and economic growth to communities across the nation. For more information, visit eig.org.
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