Inside the plan to revitalize downtown Columbus - Axios ColumbusLog InLog InAxios Columbus is an Axios company.

Inside the plan to revitalize downtown

Data: ; Map: Jacque Schrag/Axios Columbus has ambitious plans to develop a greener, more livable and vibrant downtown over the coming decades. Why it matters: Success would help solve the worsening housing crisis, elevate Columbus as a prime destination for tourists and improve the quality of life in an area facing occupancy shortages. What's happening: City leaders and the private Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (CDDC) have spent the last year seeking public input on .Initial presentations and broader visions of how downtown should look by 2040 and beyond. What they're saying: Asked how they would best improve downtown, residents' top answer was reducing the dependency on cars through alternative transportation options. Residents also want to see safer pedestrian and bike travel, more restaurants and new park spaces. State of play: Downtown population peaked at 30,000 residents in the mid-20th century, around the time city planners shifted their focus from our urban core toward outward expansion and accommodating car travel.Columbus built an array of surface parking lots and constructed urban highways overtop city neighborhoods. , this led many residents to move elsewhere.The downtown population plummeted to around 3,500 by 1980 and has since grown to a little over 11,000 people. Meanwhile, exponentially more people work downtown than live there. The area makes up a relatively small portion of Franklin County, but holds 10% of all the county's jobs. Yes, but: The pandemic sent most of these workers home. Columbus is grappling with how to convince them to come back. Nearly 20% of all downtown office space is currently vacant, according to CDDC. Planners believe an improved transit system and built-in amenities near work spaces — such as parks and shops — will entice people to ditch their home offices and come back downtown for work. What's next: Planners will share a draft presentation to City Council members this fall. Some specific goals planners have in mind: ‍‍‍ Residential population: Grow to 40,000 people by 2040. Jobs: Increase the number of downtown workers to 120,000 by 2040, a 33% increase from today. Sustainability: Set a downtown and Mobility: Redesign major thoroughfares, like Broad and Fourth streets, to be more friendly to bicycles and buses.Replace surface parking lots with higher-density garages.Build pedestrian bridges connecting the Arena District with other sides of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers. Support the . . Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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