ULI Columbus hosted the “Plan it. Build it.: Delivering the New Community” breakout event for the Columbus 2050 initiative on July 22^nd at The City in 2050 exhibit space in Easton Town Center. Throughout the event, local experts discussed and identified priorities for community development in Central Ohio.  The following input gathered during the event will be used to inform a long-term strategic vision for Central Ohio and a publication that will be used to guide regional decision-making.

The event began with presentations by local experts in community development and master planning. Presenters included Vince Papsidero of the City of Columbus Department of Development, Keith Myers of MSI Design, and Ralph Ireland of Steiner & Associates. Highlights from these presentations are shown in the following video:

After the presentations, participants engaged in roundtable discussions and generated the following responses:

What do we hope to accomplish with our communities by 2050?

(Note: for this discussion, participants wrote down their responses on notecards that were voted on later by the entire group.  The number of votes is listed beside each response.)

• Multigenerational integration into our communities through physical change (6 votes)
• Improved alternative transportation networks that are economically sustainable: bike paths, central buses, light rail (3 votes)
• Pride in community identity from within and recognition from outside the region (3 votes)
• Establish community-level integration of uses: retail, residential, office, municipal services (2 votes)
• Build to human scale (2 votes)
• Community designed so that a car is not required for full participation (2 votes)
• Regional sustainability approach to development (2 votes)
• Mixed-income housing in every neighborhood (2 votes)
• Eliminate economic poaching: eliminate incentives to move businesses back and forth across municipal borders (2 votes)
• Regional cooperation and fix the schools (2 votes)
• More infill and less greenfield development (1 vote)
• Build salons and coffee houses to connect people and ideas (1 vote)
• Robust internet access for all (1 vote)
• Culture of investing in home-grown talent – specifically in the business community (1 vote)
• Use parks as an interim use for economically marginal areas such as W. Broad.  Reuse defunct retail sites for recreation/athletic fields. (1 vote)
• Make them economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable (1 vote)
• Fix schools with “unischool” system regionally (1 vote)
• Use our automobiles less; Reduce our carbon footprint; Integrate uses effectively – retail, office, residential
• Green space as economic drivers (development catalyst)
• Regional cooperation for: schools, taxes, incentives (or disincentives)
• Attractive for residents and outsiders (reputation)
• Prioritize environmentally sustainable practices
• Develop globally competitive human talent
• Build public gathering places
• Equal access to housing, education, skills, technology
• Build a virtual creativity center and develop a culture of learning
• Valuing the intelligence and expertise of all people

What are potential impediments to reaching those goals?

• Lack of current comprehensive planning and ability to execute
• Perception that sustainability is a “cost”
• Narrow-mindedness and entrenched thinking
• Unwillingness to take risks
• Fear of failure
• Funding
• An economic environment that does not allow us to dream
• Blindness to resources (material and human) at hand
• Lack of coordination/collaboration
• Lack of regional cooperation
• Social bias (racism and classism)
• Uninspired leadership
• Entrenched bureaucracy
• Lack of a sense of urgency
• Regional low self-esteem
• Fragmentation of local governments (interests not aligned)
• Competing public and private interests
• Apathy
• Short-term thinking
• Lack of an economic reserve to fund sustainable, balanced development

What specifically must we do over the next 39 years to reach our goals?

• Create comprehensive plans to define community visions and make them achievable/sustainable/enforceable
• Incentivize sustainable practices and development
• Look around Central Ohio for needed resources (material and human)
• To incentivize multigenerational housing in and around our colleges and universities
• When planning, go where people naturally gather as an engagement strategy
• Identify and nurture leadership at many levels
• Talk to people to learn from them
• Encourage risk and don’t punish failure
• Big public relations campaign for regional pride and sustainable development
• Sub/Ex/Urban Darwinism: Allow it to work or fail (allowing declining areas to depopulate before redeveloping)
• Change how Ohio draws legislative districts (get rid of gerrymandering)
• Regional/state-wide land use planning enabled by state law
• Publicize/promote “centers of excellence” as best practices for the region (schools, transportation, and other basic community life components)
• Don’t celebrate mediocrity
• Get out of day-to-day mindset and into big picture thinking
• Economic choices for sustainable development: funding mechanisms, focused investments (schools, transportation networks, job training, parks), allocation of scarce resources, incentives and disincentives.

What is your big idea for communities in the Central Ohio of 2050?

• Entrepreneurship incubators that support local talent
• Mixed income housing, accessibility, and desirable amenities in every neighborhood
• Create walkable communities and cities
• An economic reserve to fund sustainable, balanced development
• Invest in water expertise: Complete green streets (regulatory); Front yard rain gardens with native plants; Support small businesses that protect watersheds
• Every household and individual has the same ability to communicate.  Make Columbus region the most “connected” region in the world with fiber, wireless, and technology.
• Create successful regional public transportation system
• Remove low head dams on Olentangy and Scioto rivers
• Build “sustainable families” (education is the key)
• Popular television show that glamorizes sustainable families (as opposed to teen pregnancy)
• Graduate beyond our Midwestern modesty and lack of belief in ourselves as a community

We want your input!

Please leave a comment with your responses to the questions above.