Preserving Firestone Plant 1 goes beyond architecture. It is about identity, economy and sustainability. It is also a test of whether Akron can align its planning practices with the equitable values it promotes.

Akron has publicly committed to healing the wounds of past urban renewal from the highways and redevelopment schemes that divided neighborhoods and displaced communities. The city took an important step by securing a U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities grant aimed at repairing those harms and rebuilding links in historically impacted communities, particularly the Black neighborhoods that were disproportionately affected by the midcentury highway construction led by urban renewal policies.

Through that initiative, the city invested in consultants, held co

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