Why Promote Density in Central Ohio and How Can We Do It Right?

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Why Promote Density in Central Ohio and How Can We Do It Right?

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Started 11 months ago by Walker
Latest reply from urban surfin

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Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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MORPC Hosts Forum Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why Promote Density in Central Ohio and How Can We Do It Right?Ã¢â‚¬Â on July 8

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) will host a forum, Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why Promote Density in Central Ohio and How Can We Do It Right?Ã¢â‚¬Â on Friday, July 8, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The featured speakers for the forum, Brian Williams from MORPC, Doug Moore from Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and Jamie Greene from ACP Visioning + Planning, will discuss how density can strengthen our communities, beautify our neighborhoods, increase transportation choices, save farmland and natural resources and reduce the tax burden.

Communities across Ohio are resistant to dense development, citing fear of added traffic, overcrowding and unattractive buildings. Yet some of the most desirable neighborhoods and cities in Ohio are well-designed, dense communities: Shaker Heights near Cleveland, German Village in Columbus and Clifton Heights in Cincinnati.

MORPCÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s recently released publication Dense by Design: A Compact Guide to Compact Development shows how urban density can make cities and towns more attractive, provide more cost-effective public services and prepare communities for the next generation of homebuyers. The 18-page, full-color guide uses photos to explain that well-designed density refers to the process of community design, not just the aesthetics of buildings. Good design takes into account:

Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Privacy
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Walkability
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Neighborhood feel
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Usability of outside spaces
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ How buildings are separated and conducted
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Landscaping
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Sidewalk amenities
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Transportation options

Ã¢â‚¬Å“If cities are strong and desirable, people are less likely to seek new homes in rural subdivisions,Ã¢â‚¬Â states Brian Williams, MORPC Agriculture Specialist.

To RSVP your attendance to the forum or request a copy of Ã¢â‚¬Å“Dense by DesignÃ¢â‚¬Â contact Brandi Whetstone at bwhetstone@morpc.org or 614-233-4174.

Posted 11 months ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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A non-rhetorical question : to what extent does this event have a component that involves taking action ?

Talk is important, no doubt. Contrary to the old saying, talk is sometimes not cheap (such as when you're going to see Will Allen or going to an OEFFA conference).

But talk, by itself, isn't enough.

Posted 11 months ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
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I love Brian Williams. Great dude all around.

Posted 11 months ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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Mercurius wrote >>
I love Brian Williams. Great dude all around.

Love's a strong word, but yeah Brian has raised some good points when I've talked with him and also in the local food report that he led--ie the need for a system for local food aggregation and distribution, if we're going to get serious about making available to local consumers what small to medium farms in our region grow.

But expressing my opinion about who's a good dude and who's not isn't my goal. For me, an ongoing goal is to actually apply some of the ideas Williams and other folk at MORPC have presented.

Cheer-leading doesn't help the cause. We need to critically evaluate our ideas and how well we've applied them to the real world, in an attempt to find what works.

Perhaps all of us to some extent, subconsciously mimic TV news programs which tend to focus on personalities--whether praising them or ridiculing them--instead of focusing on evaluating strategies for taking care of our survival and quality of life

Posted 11 months ago #
tree_sketcher
Columbus
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Raising awareness is taking action.

I think its critical to help the public understand the link between development types and their benefits/consequences.

Posted 11 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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TomOver wrote >>
A non-rhetorical question : to what extent does this event have a component that involves taking action ?

I'd like to answer your question with a question:

What type of action can be taken by an individual when it comes to increasing the density in the development patterns of our urban landscape?

To me, the most significant tangible actions on this issue are going to come from large development companies who build better environments and from political leaders with the authority to make legislative and executive decisions on land use and development patterns.

So the real action here for individuals to take comes through community discussion, the sharing of information and a gradual mindset shift that leads the larger population into making demands of their leaders (both public and private) to better shape development and city planning initiatives into whatever they want their communities to look like in the future.

Posted 11 months ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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Walker wrote >>

TomOver wrote >>
A non-rhetorical question : to what extent does this event have a component that involves taking action ?

I'd like to answer your question with a question:
What type of action can be taken by an individual when it comes to increasing the density in the development patterns of our urban landscape?
To me, the most significant tangible actions on this issue are going to come from large development companies who build better environments and from political leaders with the authority to make legislative and executive decisions on land use and development patterns.
So the real action here for individuals to take comes through community discussion, the sharing of information and a gradual mindset shift that leads the larger population into making demands of their leaders (both public and private) to better shape development and city planning initiatives into whatever they want their communities to look like in the future.

Walker, perhaps you're calling me out on my cynicism. If so, thanks.

To answer your question, there's only so much an individual, family, or community group can do regarding density or other issues. Yes, change requires partnership with business and government.

I like how you chose the word 'demand.' It denotes a situation in which so-called ordinary folk have the audacity to behave as if our political leaders work for us!

Getting involved with the gardening (and cycling) community is very satisfying, but the more I do it, the more I realize the importance of working with business and government.

As individuals, families, and groups, we've to determine for ourselves the difference between strategic partnerships with business and government that involve some compromise on minor goals for the sake of the bigger picture, on the one hand, from, on the other hand, losing our integrity and our moral courage by sucking up to the powerful.

Great, you talk like a liberal ! You imply that social systems do matter, and just maybe rugged individualism doesn't make the world go round.

Posted 11 months ago #
GCrites80s
5xNW
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Voting with your feet and wallet for better places definitely helps a lot. Don't spend money in environments that you do not like.

Posted 11 months ago #
jpizzow
580 N. Park St.
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In the coming decade or next we won't have a choice but to become more dense due to the cost of trying to sustain our current development patterns, i.e. suburban sprawl. There is just no way municipalities can keep paying for the ever-expanding infrastructure and city services with such a dispersed population, especially with the incoming energy crisis. We as a society have been "spoiled" for far too long with our mass consumerism, 3 car garage and McMansions. For major metropolitan areas to survive and prepare for the next 20-30 years, I believe that planning for more sustainable societies should have happened yesterday. Sadly, our government officials and populace generally are reactive rather than proactive, which if not changed, our current lifestyles will sneak up on us and bite us in the arse. In many ways, it already has.

Btw, if Columbus wants to become more dense, the city is going to have to undergo a massive overhaul in zoning so that developers don't have to cut through miles of red tape. The market is there for more dense neighborhoods. Why not make it easier. Also, I'm all for preservation of existing aesthetics, but I do think many of our neighborhood commissions are impeding progress by dragging developments out for YEARS instead of months just because something doesn't "fit" in with the neighborhood. (*cough* Short North) Come on guys, variety is the spice of life.

Posted 11 months ago #
gramarye
In Exile
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jpizzow wrote >>
Btw, if Columbus wants to become more dense, the city is going to have to undergo a massive overhaul in zoning so that developers don't have to cut through miles of red tape. The market is there for more dense neighborhoods. Why not make it easier. Also, I'm all for preservation of existing aesthetics, but I do think many of our neighborhood commissions are impeding progress by dragging developments out for YEARS instead of months just because something doesn't "fit" in with the neighborhood. (*cough* Short North) Come on guys, variety is the spice of life.

This.

Posted 11 months ago #
colrex7
Ohio
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Three words: Form Based Codes

This won't solve everything (obviously) but it has defintely improved density in cities that have adopted it, like Nashville. I think a city like Columbus could defintely benefit from this type of zoning along its prominant city corridors and business districts, and most importantly downtown.

Cincinnati is currently in the planning process of getting form based codes into their zoning. However, the city of Cincinnati thinks it will solve all of their problems...which may not be a good assumption.

Is anyone aware if Columbus is looking into FBC at all?

Posted 11 months ago #
urban surfin
Clintonville
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Dense by Design: A Compact Guide to Compact Development was written as a tool to help planners make the case to citizens groups about the benefits of density. Some posts have pointed out that Columbus needs to change its zoning code to create density. But there's a bigger problem before that. To change the code, we need to first change the perceptions of people who say they don't like density -- which is most people. But they don't really understand density. The Guide attempts, through Ohio photographs, to illustrate density, to demystify it, to remove the fear. The MORPC workshop, like the guide, is intended to help planners reach out and demystify density.

Posted 10 months ago #