Pablo wrote >>
Columbusite wrote >>
Looking at what OSU did by "ghettofying" surrounding neighborhoods and miscalculations in their attempt to rebuild High with the Gateway, would we really want them to have much sway Downtown? Good urbanism and OSU have been mutually exclusive, but at the same time I'd hear out what they would plan on doing.
I'm not sure how much OSU had to do with the original "ghettofying" of off campus neighborhoods. OSU would rather have torn down everything. There was a tremendous need for student housing after WWII (GI Bill). Neighborhoods east of campus were mostly single family and the City changed the zoning in 1954 to allow rooming houses throughout most of the area. OSU addressed the housing needs of the baby boomers by completely leveling a neighborhood to create the north dorms in the 1960s. Check out the book "The Ohio State Univ. Neighboorhoods" by Doreen Uhas Sauer and Stuart Koblentz - lots of interesting info.
That's just it; the high number of students taking over surrounding neighborhoods made property values plummet and long-term residents flee from those on the periphery. Weinland Park is the most extreme example of this phenomena, while other neighborhoods have made a comeback. I'll have to check out the book, it sounds very interesting.
As for the video I liked it, but it just shows how bad High St is Downtown. Keep in mind we had tens of thousands of visitors last weekend, some of whom were wandering down this embarrassment of a main street and unless they turned down Gay St they probably weren't feeling the downtown-is-improving vibe, especially once they make their way towards flashy Broad & High at night only to find everything is closed and head right back north. Pretty much gives an outsider the opposite impression of a rapidly growing urban core.
Now if this development were to fit in with the existing urban fabric, the huge parking lots at Gay & High would be a great candidate. Even if only half of it were built upon that would make a huge difference regardless.
Even better, just think if that stretch of Cleveland between Long and Spring (just north of Gay & Grant where the Art sign is and where a new 7 story apartment building will be breaking ground) where there is currently CSCC parking were to have student-oriented apartments with retail (of course,there also that greenspace a block north which would be a good backup candidate). In this scenario, the west end of Gay St would have a sizable student population and so would the east end of Gay with housing for CCAD and CSCC students with ongoing infill on Gay St itself. Afterward, you could expect to see a good number of existing storefronts finally get filled in on both N High and Long.
South of Broad there are plenty of parking spaces on Oak where additional residential buildings would be very welcomed. Build a raised median on Broad to reconnect Washington, Cleveland, and Grant with Gay St. and the rest of northern Downtown and that's another option, but it would be further removed from Gay St and the city would probably need to subsidize a new parking garage in the area for Motorists/State Auto employees.
Right now, the answer for a better Downtown-OSU connection today is place designation and wayfinding signage.
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