Development
What's getting built, argued over, and reshaped — neighborhoods, transit, and the changing shape of the city.
48 episodes
Where Data Meets Decision Making in Central Ohio
Most people experience regional planning only after decisions have already been made. When a new development breaks ground, a transit project is announced, or new housing pops up in our neighborhood.…
What Columbus Paid Attention to in 2025
We’re doing our unofficial year-in-review. Not the “best of” list, not the most important stories necessarily, just the ones people clicked on, shared, complained about, and wouldn’t stop talking…
How MORPC Shapes the Future of Our Region
When we talk about regional planning, it’s easy to picture dusty binders, endless meetings, or vague talk about “growth.” But for William Murdock, executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning…
The Columbus Music Commission’s Big Gig
How do we take a music community and turn it into a music economy?
A Different Lens on Economic Development
When you think about economic development, you might picture a groundbreaking, a ribbon-cutting, or a shiny new district. But more often, it looks like slow, steady puzzle-building.
The Politics and Promise of a Growing Region
Regional planning isn’t just about roads and rails. It’s about building the future of a place, one decision, one partnership, and one policy at a time. In this week’s episode, we sat down with Joe…
An Off the Rails Roundup
Sometimes, the things that stir the most debate aren’t sweeping policy changes, but whether or not you have to pay a dollar to park near Brassica.
Empowering Communities with MORPC
Disparate problems can sometimes be addressed with common solutions. Like affordable housing and climate change. In this week’s episode, Columbus Underground co-founder and editor Walker Evans sat…
Addressing Growth with MORPC
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…
Transit Update with MORPC
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…
Summer News Roundup
We are diving into the most read stories shaping the landscape of the city. These are the top stories that have captured the attention of our community—not necessarily the most important or…
A Roundup of Renderings
With spring upon us in the capital city, we’re all about change. There’s a vibrancy in the air and that’s apparent in our latest roundup of the biggest stories on Columbus Underground. Co-founder and…
COTA Bus Transfer
The city’s transit system is going through a transformation. At least that’s the intention. On the occasion of an impending transfer of power and a sales tax issue on the ballot this fall to bulk up…
Downtown with Michael Brown
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.…
Grave Matters: Unearthing the North Graveyard
There is often a complex interplay between preservation and progress. A year into his exploration, Columbus Underground reporter Jesse Bethea continues to sift through the story of how the removal of…
Year in Review
As 2023 draws to a close and we stand on the brink of a new year filled with its own stories and surprises, it’s a time for reflection. In our latest podcast episode, we delve into a retrospective…
Taking Out the Trash with SWACO
Just in time for the holidays, we’re taking out the trash. Columbus Underground Co-Founder Walker Evans sat down with Joe Lombardi, the executive director of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio…
LinkUS Columbus
Access to transportation is not just about the journey but the opportunities it creates.
Franklinton’s Past, Present and Future
Shared experience enhances our sense of space.
Columbus City Council Residential Districts
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…
North (Market) Graveyard
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…
Columbus Downtown Development Corporation
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…
Eastland Mall
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…
Making Columbus Festivals
It has been said that festivals are one of the best things about our community. By extension, the folks who conceive and orchestrate them are making the city measurably better. This week, on the…
Housing
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…
Council President Shannon Hardin
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…
Department of Development
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…
Alternative Transit
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…
Multidisciplinary Artist Lisa Mclymont
Art and artists have the power to change perceptions. In this week’s episode, multidisciplinary artist, graphic designer, & social justice advocate Lisa Mclymont discusses her background, work, her…
The Future of Transit
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…
Upper Arlington
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…
Homeport
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…
Futurist Rebecca Ryan
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…
Architecture & Design Firm JBAD
The work of architects has an impact on our lives every day. But how does that work get done? This week, we’re talking architecture and development with the principal of architecture and design firm…
The History of 400 Square
There’s a rich history in Franklinton. This week, we dive into the origins of 400 West Rich and the larger 400 Square with the curator of their 400 History Show and Mini-Museum, Zach Henkel. We…
Development in the City of Worthington
When it comes to development, the City of Worthington, like many cities with their size and limitations, has to play a balancing act on navigating varying interests. Reporter Brent Warren sat down…
Cleve Ricksecker
With the threat of protests and the coronavirus raging, what’s going to happen to Downtown Columbus? On the occasion of his recent retirement, we spoke with the former executive director of the two…
Matter News
What makes news in Columbus? From gentrification to policing to protests, Matter News is approaching issues with an approach meant to build trust while avoiding bias. In this week’s episode, Matter…
Behind the Hyperloop Hype
When is Columbus getting a hyperloop?! Reporter Brent Warren spoke with MORPC’s Director of Transportation & Infrastructure Development, Thea Ewing, to discuss where things stand with plans for the…
Real Estate at Ohio State
Much like the rest of our city, the land controlled by and surrounding The Ohio State University is continually evolving. Reporter Brent Warren spoke with Ohio State’s Vice President of Planning,…
Development in Reynoldsburg
The City of Reynoldsburg is in for some big changes in the coming years. How they go about that change and get buy-in from their residents is key to their success. Reporter Brent Warren sat down with…
MORPC’s William Murdock
Is Columbus ever going to get light rail? Is that what Columbus really needs? Reporter Brent Warren sat down with Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission Executive Director William Murdock to discuss…
The City of Whitehall
Columbus’s suburbs will play a big role in how we’re able to grow in the future. Reporter Brent Warren sat down with Whitehall’s mayor Kim Maggard and Economic Development Director Zach Woodruff to…
Former Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx
How is Columbus going to deal with its anticipated growth? Former United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, who was in town for MORPC’s State of the Region meeting sat down with…
Crawford Hoying
The test of an organization is how it responds to adversity. Such was true for development organization Crawford Hoying during the recession. With multiple developments built and thriving since then,…
COTA’s Joanna Pinkerton
With nearly a year into her role as president and CEO of COTA, Joanna Pinkerton sat down with Columbus Underground reporter Brent Warren to talk about how she came into her role, the interdependence…
Kaufman Development
How do commercial real-estate developers create community? I sat down with Brian Suiter, Director of Real Estate Development for Kaufman Development to talk about the future of development in…
Carless in Columbus
People like the idea of living without a car. Why don’t they?
