Remaking a Columbus suburb for the creative class.
Dublin, Ohio, the affluent suburban city northwest of Columbus, has studied a radical remaking of its built environment aimed to attract young professionals and empty-nesters. Kaid Benfield examines plans for Dublin’s Bridge Street Corridor: mixed-use buildings, walkable streets, and light rail in place of typical suburban sprawl. What suburban neighborhoods in Cincinnati could, and should, be taking similar approaches? More from Switchboard:
From talking to residents, businesses and community leaders, Goody, Clancy found that Dublin is facing increased competition from downtown Columbus, other suburbs, and other parts of the country for the young talent needed to supply the diverse, skilled workforce sought by modern employers…and recognized that it will be important to build in a way that creates and strengthens neighborhoods, not just adds to them; that development should strengthen, not diminish, the town’s historic district and character; that transportation choices and more complete streets would be required; that the community’s greenway and open space network can grow.
The firm believes that the Bridge Street Corridor is an appropriate place to focus, with significant redevelopment opportunity due to the presence of several large parcels of land under single ownership (including commercial properties well past their prime), and several property owners seeking higher-value uses for their land. Focusing on the corridor would also present opportunities for increasing connectivity and transportation access, while avoiding impacts on the community’s single-family neighborhoods, which mostly lie outside the study area.
