Access to transportation is not just about the journey but the opportunities it creates.
This week, Columbus Underground Co-Founder Walker Evans sat down with the staff at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission to discuss the plan for LinkUS, Central Ohio’s strategic transportation initiative.
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Five years after approving a restructuring of Columbus City Council, voters this fall will see an expanded council where members reside in geographic districts but one that remains largely the same in terms of who sits in the chamber. This week, Columbus Underground Co-Founder Walker Evans discusses the change, the lack of participation in the races, and a new resource for columbusites to explore their respective districts.
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In the land surrounding the North Market, there are bodies. “Any time you stick a shovel in the ground out there, you’re gonna find somebody,” says one expert. As developers prepare to erect the 31-story Merchant Building, Columbus Underground reporter Jesse Bethea has been covering the removal of remains from what was once the North Graveyard, a site that pre-dates Columbus. Today, we discuss what is happening at the site, the work that should have been done 150 years ago, and the opportunity that Columbus has to look back at its history.
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Downtown Columbus has continued to evolve over the last 20 years. That evolution has been more prescriptive than some might know. The Columbus Downtown Development Corporation was created in 2002 to implement the city’s strategic plan for Downtown and it has continued to iterate on the policies and projects that allow the neighborhood to reach its potential. On the occasion of its next strategic plan initiative, the organization’s president, Amy Taylor, discusses the organization’s history, tactics, and why they are pivoting to focus more on people.
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Eastland Mall, once a thriving hub of retail activity in Columbus, has closed its doors for good. Historian Doug Motz takes a look back at the history of the mall and examines its impact on the local community, the retail industry, and the city as a whole. We also discuss the political fights that have always followed developments in Columbus and the need to look at the plan for the neighborhood now that Eastland is gone.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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54,000 households in Central Ohio pay 50% of their income for housing. Homeport, along with other Columbus-based organizations, are working to fix that. This week, Homeport President and CEO Bruce Luecke discusses their work, the growing need for affordable housing in Columbus, and the contributing factors that hamper Columbus’s housing market.
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As we navigate change, how can we create actionable plans for the future? Futurist Rebecca Ryan has a few ideas. Based in Madison, Wisconson, her past work in Columbus led to the advent of the city’s young professional initiatives. We discussed the work of a futurist, the tangible things that can be done to improve the social fabric of communities, and if it’s important to be back in the office.
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