Elements of Urbanism: Columbus, Ohio
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Metro Jacksonville visits a peer community with a vibrant downtown in Central Ohio: Columbus
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-jul-elements-of-urbanism-columbus-ohio
great timing...I'm on my way to Cincy, Columbus, and Louisville this weekend
Columbus totally surprised me. I was on a 2 week road trip that took me though Atlanta, Knoxville, Lexington & Cincy with a final destination of Pittsburgh and Columbus just happened to be on the way. I had never bothered to look up any stats on the city so when I saw its skyline pop over the horizon after I came around a curve on I-71 I was literally taken a back.
I had always assumed it was a small college town similar to Gainesville, not a city larger than Jax. I only had 24 hours to spend there but I spent most of my time in the short north and downtown driving around taking pictures of the architecture. I'd visit more often if it were closer, it appeared to have a lot going on.
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 31, 2012, 08:48:19 AM
great timing...I'm on my way to Cincy, Columbus, and Louisville this weekend
Sounds like a pretty cool trip.
^ yeah...and I heard from a certain someone that flying in and out of Dayton is the way to go ;)
QuoteThe Short North is heavily populated with art galleries, specialty shops, pubs, nightclubs, and coffee houses. Most of its tightly packed brick buildings date from at least the early 20th century, with traditional storefronts along High Street (often with brightly painted murals on their side walls), and old apartment buildings and rowhouses and newer condominium developments in the surrounding blocks.
This is why you don't tear down a building just because it is distressed or vacant or in need of renovation. I would bet this same area was distressed also, not that long ago. You could not possible 'build new' to replicate the same environment either, even if it made economic sense to do so (which in most cases it would not).
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Would this type of signage even be allowed in our town?
QuoteBuilding signage is one of the major visual and physical differences between downtown Columbus and downtown Jacksonville. The unique combination of signage and using buildings as advertising creates a flair of life that doesn't exist in Jacksonville's Northbank.
QuoteChief of police Vinzant is determined that the streets of the city shall not be obstructed by signs that may mar the beauty of Jacksonville. Already there have been arrests of merchants who refused to take the signs down and the chief is adamant in stating that if the merchants do not comply with the law, more arrests will follow.
Jacksonville, Florida Times-Union, Nov 13, 1909
Karma?
Getting me homesick. My hometown is about an hour east, but I have spent a good deal of time in C-bus and have lots of friends and family there. I think Ohio State has a big influence on the community. It's actually in the city, and it brings a ton of business. There's also a steady stream of skilled workers to work for all these companies. Couple that with all the state government and you have a really stable base to build on.
There's one other thing Columbus does that I wish they would do here: railroad overpasses. Instead of blocking up these major streets in town with railroad crossings, a lot of the trains go over traffic on little bridges. Is there a reason they can't do this here besides cost?
So how did COLUMBUS become a metro larger and arguably more vibrant then Jacksonville? Here's an Ockphoto essay...
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Columbus Interurban Terminal
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Ohio and Indiana Interurban Electric Railways
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Emblem of the high speed Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railway, who's lightweight cars often moved at speeds approaching 100 mph.
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Columbus Interurban Terminal. Note the two C&LE RY lightweight cars on the left of the Columbus, Delaware and Marion heavyweight car.
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Columbus Interurban Terminal, track plan
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Columbus Interurban Terminal, Passenger Station
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Columbus Interurban Freight Station
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A well maintained Ohio and Southern Traction Company car, smallest of the local interurbans
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Columbus, Buckeye Lake and Newkirk RY., at Canton
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Rare color shots of Columbus, Delaware and Marion Railway
A History Lesson on the Columbus Interurban System
By: Walker
The Ohio Historical Society unveiled a new historical marker yesterday to honor the recently restored interurban depot in Canal Winchester. The Dispatch has a great article running today (“Depot’s day, 80 years later“) that features a bit of history about this electric fixed-rail system that served the region in a similar manner to a light-rail network. The interurban was a popular, inexpensive and highly utilized system that carried passengers at up to 60mph from Columbus to Chillicothe, Zanesville, Marion, Dayton and all points in between. Unfortunately, the automaker lobbyists killed the system in the 1930s and it only lives on through historical markers.
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Depot's day, 80 years later
Siblings recall Canal Winchester rail stop as it gets historical marker
80 years ago, George and Dorothy Boving came home from school and were told by their father to go straight to the depot.
"We didn't hesitate to do what our dad told us to do," Mr. Boving said yesterday. "We really just sat there on the train, but I think our dad kind of realized it was historic."
What their father realized - and they didn't - was that it was the last ride on the Scioto Valley Traction Line for the interurban, an electric passenger railroad that was the light-rail system of its time.
The seats were comfortable and the carriage wasn't noisy, Mr. Boving said.
Waiting at the end of the line in Lancaster was their mother and baby brother, and several hundred people who then saw off the car as it headed back toward Columbus.
They stepped off the train and posed with other passengers for a photo.
Yesterday, an enlarged copy of that picture was on display at the dedication of a historic marker at the Canal Winchester Interurban Depot.
In it, Dorothy, 10, is looking off to the side, holding 8-year-old George's hand.
Mr. Boving, now 87, and his sister, Dorothy Boving Hockman, 89, attended the ceremony at the depot in Canal Winchester.
Mr. Boving even donned a white cap, shorts and high socks similar to those he's wearing in the photo as a child.
The station opened in 1904, but the rise of the automobile eventually drove the interurban into obsolescence, rail historian Alex Campbell said.
When the last car traveled in 1930, Columbus' population, now more than 1 million people in the metropolitan area, had grown to a whopping 290,564 people.
The interurban, with cars that could top 60 mph, brought Columbus closer to outlying farm towns, Campbell said.
The Scioto track started Downtown, wound through German Village and out to Obetz. There, it spilt into two lines, with one bound for Lancaster and the other for Chillicothe.
Hockman said she remembers riding it to a little red schoolhouse every day in the first grade.
One rainy morning, she showed up at the station and the tall girl who normally pulled the handle to signal the car to stop for them wasn't there. She couldn't reach high enough, and the interurban passed by. Just as she began to cry, the train stopped and backed up.
Another girl had told the conductor that he had to go back for Dorothy.
When the interurban stopped running, the old Canal Winchester depot, behind 20 S. High St., was transformed into offices for a power company.
But the village bought the building in 2002, deciding to restore the depot to its original gray brick with a red tile roof and bright-white trim. Canal Winchester has spent $123,000 on the project, although some of that has come from donations and grants, Mayor Michael Ebert said.
"It's our intention to bring back some of the feel of a day gone by," he said.
Quote from: Ocklawaha on July 31, 2012, 11:01:35 PM
So how did COLUMBUS become a metro larger and arguably more vibrant then Jacksonville? Here's an Ockphoto essay...
two other reasons
1. state capitol
2. O-H-I-O (they do have 56,000 students)
Quote from: stephendare on July 31, 2012, 11:38:28 PM
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 31, 2012, 11:03:53 PM
Quote from: Ocklawaha on July 31, 2012, 11:01:35 PM
So how did COLUMBUS become a metro larger and arguably more vibrant then Jacksonville? Here's an Ockphoto essay...
two other reasons
1. state capitol
2. O-H-I-O (they do have 56,000 students)
we have twice as many students here in jacksonville, tufsu.
That's 56k at "the" OSU alone. If you're counting community colleges (which I think is safe to guess that you are, given the 80k enrollment of FSCJ), their number is around 100k.
Quote from: stephendare on July 31, 2012, 11:38:28 PM
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 31, 2012, 11:03:53 PM
Quote from: Ocklawaha on July 31, 2012, 11:01:35 PM
So how did COLUMBUS become a metro larger and arguably more vibrant then Jacksonville? Here's an Ockphoto essay...
two other reasons
1. state capitol
2. O-H-I-O (they do have 56,000 students)
we have twice as many students here in jacksonville, tufsu.
Its not about numbers. There's no real "campus life" here. FSCJ is a gussied up community college & UNF is in a suburban strip mall. Whereas Ohio State is a place where students live & breathe the actual college lifestyle, centered in the Columbus urban core. Plus, its a much older institution.
They're not even remotely the same things.
Jax should try to get an art school. The one is Savannah has done more for their urban core than just about anything, except the tourists.
I though Ohio State was north of the core
Quote from: vicupstate on August 01, 2012, 06:40:42 AM
Jax should try to get an art school. The one is Savannah has done more for their urban core than just about anything, except the tourists.
We have one. The Jax Art Institute and the Florida Coastal School of Law are both tucked away in the old AT&T/Citibank buildings off Baymeadows.
Jacksonville--before needs lots of work
Coluubus--after shows the result of lots of work
I see that their courthouse was at least affordable.
Quote from: fsquid on August 01, 2012, 08:22:10 AM
I though Ohio State was north of the core
It's a little over two miles north of downtown Columbus. However, there's a vibrant walkable neighborhood in between. It would sort of be like having Riverside where LaVilla once was and UNF's main campus where the farmer's market is located.
Quote from: peestandingup on August 01, 2012, 02:43:16 AM
Quote from: stephendare on July 31, 2012, 11:38:28 PM
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 31, 2012, 11:03:53 PM
Quote from: Ocklawaha on July 31, 2012, 11:01:35 PM
So how did COLUMBUS become a metro larger and arguably more vibrant then Jacksonville? Here's an Ockphoto essay...
two other reasons
1. state capitol
2. O-H-I-O (they do have 56,000 students)
we have twice as many students here in jacksonville, tufsu.
Its not about numbers. There's no real "campus life" here. FSCJ is a gussied up community college & UNF is in a suburban strip mall. Whereas Ohio State is a place where students live & breathe the actual college lifestyle, centered in the Columbus urban core. Plus, its a much older institution.
They're not even remotely the same things.
exactly.
umm..I was agreeing with psu who was noting that isn't just about the numbersd alone....so here are two reasons:
1. the presence of a major reserach university has a huge effect on the entire metro area...Columbus has that and we don't
2. the presence of that university (with its massive full-time enrollment) near the urban core is huge...sure we have FSCJ, but only one of their campuses is downtown....their FTE numbers are way lower than OSU...and its a commuter school
My little brother went to OSU, and I have a ton of friends who did (I'm actually a OU Bobcat alum). Those students spend a lot of time in Columbus's urban neighborhoods. High Street runs right up to OSU, and a lot of those vibrant neighborhoods like the Short North and Arena District sit right between downtown and the campus. Also, don't forget that OSU sports draw huge crowds, and those bars and restaurants along High Street are packed for every game. The Horseshoe by itself holds 100,000. And besides OSU, you've got Franklin University and Columbus State that have 40,000 by themselves. Then there's a good number of schools in the suburbs like Capital and Otterbein, and a lot of those kids are spending time downtown. Many students are actually living off campus in some of these urban neighbors actually. It really isn't very comparable to Jax. OSU is much more akin to UF than UNF.
can't trust those meddling kids.
Having been born and raised in Columbus but now living in Jax, a few comments:
1. As many have commented OSU has a huge influence on downtown. It is relatively close, provides 2 additional arenas for entertainment and sports, medical school and hospital, research centers, etc. The influence is from downtown to Clintonville along North High Street. A large area, but it is a large school.
2. State Capitol - The capitol and State office tower are downtown. This draws state employees, visitors, tourists, lobbyists, etc. As my dad worked in Capitol, I can attest that this provides much foot traffic downtown.
3. Geography - Although the Short North and German Town are nice, beyond that and the OSU party district there is not much more. There are few if any Five Points,San Marco, Avondale, Riverside, Atlantic/Neptune Beach, Jax Beach entertainment areas.
Imagine what Jax would be if it were the Capitol, had UF and all entertainment we had were moved to one location.
Except for Charlotte(Bank of America) and San Diego ( weather/conventions) most of cities described before have state capitol or large university near downtown.
I do believe the city gov. here makes very poor decisions. Great example is to not sell small part of shipyards for brewery. That small move could be catalyst to have a "Brewery District" in Jax.
Quote from: jaxjags on August 01, 2012, 11:55:29 AM
Imagine what Jax would be if it were the Capitol, had UF and all entertainment we had were moved to one location.
That's a really good characterization.
^Tallahassee....
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Did someone mention OSU? ...Okay, I couldn't resist this.
Found myself in Columbus for the day yesterday in a meeting. First time in the city, and was shocked by how much more vibrant their urban core is than ours. So much historic urban building stock still intact. New high-rise residential popping out of the ground. Lots of street front activation. We're seeing a lot of positive momentum, but every time I travel to a mid-sized metro that isn't necessarily thought of as being metropolitan, I'm kind of shocked at how big the gap is, and how much catching up we've got to do.
For most of these cities, you walk through them, and they kind of make sense. Like some planning was involved to create a cohesive pedestrian experience.
More convinced than ever that this will only be accomplished by developing a master plan that spans multiple administrations. The city only has so much money it can invest from the general fund, the DIA only has so much money in the TIF, and we're going to be subsidizing projects forever if we don't concentrate that investment into tight clusters of private & public development that complement each other and create walkable, vibrant, dense spaces and figure out how those clusters combine into a vibrant urban core. DIA's new leadership recognizes the importance of Laura Street and the northbank core, but I still don't think that's specific enough. We're still making plans and investments in Gateway Jax, and JWJ Park, and Riverfront Plaza Phase 2, and Ford on Bay, and the Emerald Trail, and marinas in a vacuum as singular projects without taking the 10,000 foot view of how they all work together. Starting with the end in mind will get us there so much quicker than piecemealing millions in completion grants at random isolated projects. We've got some INCREDIBLE building blocks coming together along the riverfront, down at the Pearl District, on Laura Street, and with the Emerald Trail. Just need to figure out how to tie it all together and prioritize investment, block-by-block.
Columbus is impressive and underrated. Smart and coordinated development moves have been a thing there for decades. I really love the connectivity between downtown and adjacent neighborhoods to the north and south. Its a good example for how to fill in the gaps between our core and neighborhoods like Springfield, Eastside, Riverside/Brooklyn and San Marco.
Maybe the author could make a return trip and replicate pictures (location, angle) from the earlier trip?
Hahaha! The author was actually there a year or two ago. I can't remember if I ran an updated article or not. Here are some photos from my most recent visit in July 2023.
Basically what KenFSU said. Very impressive, really clean and manicured downtown. One can definitely tell that preservation, adapative reuse, complimentary urban infill, etc. from a pedestrian centric focus has been a priority for a good while now. Its all pretty coordinated and various public investments like the arena and convention center have been positioned into spots that encourage walkability, while attracting additional nearby investment. Its clear someone had a vision, a plan or whatever we want to call it......but more importantly......followed it into the implementation stage.
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Heh! Thanks! Although, I was thinking more of a side-by-side (or sequential) Then and Now photo essay.
A question about one of the pictures.
In the picture just before the Convention Center: It looks like some sort of netting across the top of the image - is it an art installation, or construction netting for a nearby project?