Planning in Columbus, Ohio: A Documentary History
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Date
1986
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National Conference on American Planning History, 1986
Abstract
Columbus has experienced planning in phases common to many areas of this country. Concern 1860-1900 was for adequate water supply, sanitation, and sewage disposal. Columbus was swept along with the City Beautiful Movement, 1900-1920, when groups led by the Chamber of Commerce pushed for more and better parks. They organized the Park Commission (1905 report) and the City Plan Commission C1908 report), both chaired by Charles Mulford Robinson. From 1920 to 1950 functional and social considerations dominated. Consultant Robert Whitten was selected to write a zoning ordinance in 1922 and thus the Columbus Planning Commission was born out of need for a group to administer zoning. The Housing Acts of 1949 and 1954 led to a twelve volume study by Bartholomew (1954) and a 1959 study by a ULI panel. Studies undertaken from 1964 to 1968, called "The Blue Plan," Involved more than twenty-five civic groups and resulted in a Comprehensive Regional Center Plan In 1968. Emphasis in the 1970s was on neighborhood data profiles, an "Action Program for Downtown Columbus" by Vincent Ponte, and reports on Capitol Square, the Old Town Quarter, and the Sawmill Corridor. Planning efforts in Columbus met with mixed success because: (1) the business community has not built a broad concensus for planning; (2) there has been no strong leadership to implement plans; (3) the Planning Commission Is limited to an advisory role, and (4) a competitive rather than a cooperative spirit exists between the city and the county planning agencies.
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Citation
Jane M. McMaster, "Planning in Columbus, Ohio: A Documentary History," Proceedings of the First National Conference on American Planning History (1986): 205-226.