Civics Archives - The Confluence Cast

Addressing Growth with MORPC

by Tim Fulton | Nov 13, 2024 | Civics, Development, Episode, Non-Profit, Transit | 0 |

The future of Central Ohio is coming at us fast. But not too fast to manage. In this week’s episode, Columbus Underground co-founder and editor Walker Evans sat down with Jessica Kuenzli, the Chief Regional Planning Officer at MORPC, to explore how her team is tackling the region’s explosive growth, sustainability needs, and the big picture of community development. Jessica shares insights into new federal funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, the importance of data mapping, and the challenges of uniting over 15 counties under one regional vision.

Transit Update with MORPC

by Tim Fulton | Oct 22, 2024 | Civics, Development, Episode, Transit | 0 |

We’re diving into the transit transformations shaping our city’s future. In this week’s episode, Columbus Underground co-founder and editor Walker Evans sat down with Parag Agrawal, the Chief Mobility and Infrastructure Officer and Senior Director of Programming at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. With a rich background in planning, land use, and transportation, Parag has returned to Columbus to help shape the future of our region.

City Data Breach

by Tim Fulton | Oct 9, 2024 | Civics, Episode, People, Politics, Technology | 0 |

In July, the City of Columbus experienced a massive data breach; what officials at the time referred to as “some type of incident.” Months later, the scope, damage, and cost of the incident are still coming into focus. I sat down with Connor Goodwolf, a cybersecurity engineer, to discuss the data breach and his role in the ongoing efforts to understand what happened and how to recover from it.

Downtown with Michael Brown

by Tim Fulton | Mar 19, 2024 | Arts & Entertainment, Civics, Development, Episode, Neighborhoods, Transit | 0 |

We’re exploring the evolution of Downtown with Michael Brown, who has been a cornerstone in the city’s development planning and worked both in and outside city government to cheer on its growth. Columbus Underground Co-Founder Walker Evans and Brown delve into the city’s challenges and triumphs, the synergy between projects, the balance between iconic and neighborhood-level public art investments, and the concerted efforts to address systemic issues like homelessness and affordable housing. Through anecdotes and insights, they highlight Columbus’ young, creative energy and the dynamic urban policies that continue to drive its growth.

The Ohio Midterm Election

by Tim Fulton | Nov 3, 2022 | Civics, Episode, Journalism, Politics | 0 |

At the risk of sounding like a broken record that you’ve heard before: Voting is important. On the occasion of next week’s midterm election, David DeWitt, the editor-in-chief of the Ohio Capital Journal sat down with the Confluence Cast this week to discuss how the political landscape has changed in the last two years, the Ohio Supreme Court races and the issues that will be decided as a result of them, the Ohio governor’s race, of course, the US senate race, and why it is so important to vote.

Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley

by Tim Fulton | Oct 17, 2022 | Civics, Education, Episode, People, Politics | 0 |

The role of our elected officials is largely known to us. That is less true for our county commissioners. Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley joins the Confluence Cast this week to discuss what the commissioners’ office does, her background, and how she translates advocacy into her role on the board for the largest county in the state.

Housing

by Tim Fulton | Jul 1, 2022 | Civics, Development, Episode, Neighborhoods, Non-Profit, People | 0 |

As the Assistant Director of Housing Strategies for the City of Columbus, Erin Prosser wakes up every day thinking about housing in the city. In today’s episode, we discuss strategies for combatting NIMBYism, the importance of non-commercial partners when we think about housing, why housing should be thought of as infrastructure, and how we can right-size our systems in order to align them to our priorities.

As a bonus this week, we have an additional conversation with entrepreneur David Hunegnaw about one possible micro solution to density: Lease the Lawn.

Council President Shannon Hardin

by Tim Fulton | Jun 9, 2022 | Civics, Development, Episode, Neighborhoods, People, Politics | 0 |

As a growing city, we have growing city problems. No one knows that better than Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin. With the influx of new residents and new jobs, President Hardin discusses transit as an equity issue, the importance of continuing conversations around race and policing, why we have to do big things now, and the big changes coming to how the city council will be elected, starting next year.

Department of Development

by Tim Fulton | May 2, 2022 | Civics, Development, Episode, Neighborhoods, People | 0 |

At a time when the city seems close to a boom in terms of economic development, it also faces challenges with that growth. This week, Columbus’s Director of Development Michael Stevens discusses the portfolio of the Department of Development, how the department works to improve the lives of Columbus residents, evaluating investments at a neighborhood level, and how tax abatements happen in the city.

Alternative Transit

by Tim Fulton | Apr 5, 2022 | Business, Civics, Episode, Journalism, Transit | 0 |

How should eScooters, ride-hailing apps, and car-share services be considered in the conversation about alternative transportation? Can we think of them as a public good when they are for-profit entities? This week, Columbus Underground reporter Brent Warren discusses the options for last-mile transit that exist in Columbus, how they came to be, and the motivations and incentives for the companies that get us from point A to point B.

The Future of Transit

by Tim Fulton | Mar 17, 2022 | Civics, Development, Episode, People, Transit | 0 |

Columbus is the largest city in the country without any form of rail service. That might not be changing anytime soon but plans are coming together for an alternative by way of the LinkUS Columbus initiative: Bus Rapid Transit. In today’s episode, Josh Lapp of Transit Columbus talks about the plan, how to convince people that we need transit, and what Amtrak service in Columbus may look like.

Upper Arlington

by Tim Fulton | Nov 29, 2021 | Civics, Development, Episode, Neighborhoods, People, Politics | 0 |

Communities around Central Ohio are facing rapid change. That’s apparent in Upper Arlington where Steve Schoeny serves as City Manager. In this week’s episode, we discussed the role of a city manager, his time as Development Director for the City of Columbus, addressing diversity in communities, and the new development coming to UA.

Category: Civics

Addressing Growth with MORPC

Transit Update with MORPC

City Data Breach

Downtown with Michael Brown

The Ohio Midterm Election

Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley

Housing

Council President Shannon Hardin

Department of Development

Alternative Transit

The Future of Transit

Upper Arlington

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