Columbus

Skyline of Columbus, Ohio with bridge and river.

Columbus City Council Proposes Actions to Stem Housing Crisis

Central Ohio needs roughly 14,000 new housing units every year to keep up with demand.

November 21, 2023 - ABC 6

Columbus

Central Ohio Housing Production Struggles to Keep up With Demand

The region’s population growth is outstripping the pace of housing construction.

October 16, 2023 - The Columbus Dispatch

Looking up at Columbus, Ohio city hall building

Columbus Zoning Changes Aimed at Increasing Housing Supply, Affordability

The Columbus city council approved 17 zoning changes that could result in over 800 new housing units.

September 18, 2023 - The Columbus Dispatch

Aerial view of Columbus, Ohio skyline with river in foreground

Columbus Set to Reform Zoning Code

City officials want to streamline the permitting process for developers looking to build housing.

September 7, 2023 - The Columbus Dispatch

CoGo bike share station with black bikes in front of Columbus City Hall, Ohio

Columbus Launches E-Bike Rebate Program

The Ohio capital will offer rebates for residents purchasing e-bikes as part of its goals to reduce carbon emissions and encourage active transportation.

May 16, 2023 - Axios

North High Street

Columbus Rewriting its Zoning Code

Planners in Ohio’s capital city hope a new zoning code will help reverse some of the damage done by the city’s previous zoning codes.

April 20, 2023 - Axios Columbus

Broad street in downtown Columbus, Ohio with two pedestrians in crosswalk

Columbus Could Lower Downtown Speed Limits

The city council will vote on a proposal to lower speed limits to 25 miles per hour to improve safety and make downtown more walkable and welcoming to pedestrians.

January 31, 2023 - The Columbus Dispatch

Nighttime view of downtown Columbus, Ohio over freeways with fast-moving traffic

Visualizing Columbus Before Freeways

A new project uses historical records to reconstruct what Columbus neighborhoods looked like before freeways displaced them.

October 19, 2022 - The Columbus Dispatch

Amtrak Connects US

Political Support for Amtrak’s All Aboard Ohio Plans Follows Federal Infrastructure Funding

Gov. Mike DeWine’s sudden interest in working with Amtrak might have something to do with $66 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding recently announced by the Federal Railroad Administration.

May 18, 2022 - Cleveland.com

Columbus

Columbus Weighs Revisions to Outdated, Inequitable Zoning Code

The city is seeking ways to boost affordable housing development and encourage mixed-use, transit-oriented development.

April 5, 2022 - WOSU

Hospital Signs

State Hospitalization Record Breaks as Omicron Surges

Infections from the Omicron variant, which early studies suggest cause less severe illness than the Delta variant, may be contributing to a record number of hospitalizations in Ohio, the highest since the start of the pandemic.

January 4, 2022 - WSYX

COTA Bus

Lessons from the Smart Columbus Pilot Program

The former program manager for Smart Columbus discusses the successes, challenges, and unexpected opportunities encountered by the city as it worked to integrate technology into city services and programs.

October 19, 2021 - Smart Cities Dive

I-71 I-70 Columbus OH

The Most Unsafe Road in Ohio: A Five-Mile Stretch of Interstate in Columbus

Traffic safety analysis inspires debate about the culprit (drivers or engineers?) on the least safe stretch of road in the Buckeye State.

September 29, 2021 - The Columbus Dispatch

Bikeshare and murals

Five Years Later, 'Smart Cities Challenge' Promise Unfulfilled

The "Smart Cities Challenge" paid Columbus, Ohio $50 million to kick start a revolution of urban technology. The revolution never arrived, according to a recent assessment by Wired writer Aarian Marshall.

July 7, 2021 - Wired

Boston Subway T

Boston to Pilot Free Transit Passes for Workers in Commercial Districts

The city of Boston will undertake an experiment about how to center public transit as an economic recovery tool.

April 1, 2021 - Smart Cities Dive

Ohio

Ohio Approves New Tax Credit and Crowdfunding to Boost Downtown Development

Two pieces of legislation signed by Gov. DeWine promote investment in "legacy" cities.

January 5, 2021 - Cincinnati Business Courier

Senior Woman Washing Vegetables

Age-Friendly Columbus Offers Solutions for Aging Cities

Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County, a program of The Ohio State University College of Social Work, celebrated five years of community engagement and advocacy aimed at improving quality of life for older adults.

December 16, 2020 - NextCity

Central Ohio Transit Authority

Free Transit Pass Program Extended in Columbus

According to Columbus officials, transit ridership to and from downtown doubled in the years since the city implemented a free transit pass program.

November 19, 2020 - Intelligent Transport

Solar Houses

Clean Energy Scores Big Wins on Election Day

State and local voters picked a side on Tuesday: clean, renewable energy.

November 6, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

BABS bikes in a socking station

Bike Share Lessons From the Pandemic

Bike share data from six U.S. cities offer insight into how Americans have changed travel patterns during the pandemic.

July 24, 2020 - Citymetric

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.