Toddguy

That last part is unacceptable and they really need to crack down on these landlords who rent to criminal trash. If there is ever a case for gentrification, it is in these areas. Slumlords for students was bad enough-slumlords for a predatory element should not happen. With the housing crisis and all, there should really be a push to "upgrade" the non-student housing in the areas around campus. If not there will inevitably be a national/international headlines news story of some heinous crime that will cause untold harm. Mark my words. They need to be proactive on this. Loss of grit and bars is one thing and the health and safety of off campus students is quite another.

Yes to the last part. There is something lost, but something gained as well. Hopefully there can still be some gritty pockets even if they are not front and center. There is a place for everything and "grit" does not have to equal decline and dysfunction(but many parents of college aged children may not see that). There does need to be character. It is just difficult to get the right mix one way or another. Maybe there are certain places that need to be designated as "man the barricades" types? I admit I am so far out of the loop that I don't know what they would be besides the already mentioned Newport. *I also don't think Applebees is really that bad...*runs from thread*

I went to OSU(started in 82)and always felt the bar scene stuff was overrated. How many students really choose a university based on nearby grit and(mostly rundown)bars? I don't have any rose colored glasses view of much of High, especially South Campus. And I would rather have High and the Short North be as they are/becoming now than the slummy thing they were 40 years ago. I can appreciate history, older buildings, architecture, density, cultural differences and even grit without loving decay, dysfunction and decline. *Since I was swaddled in OSU baby clothing since birth, there was really no option for me-I was expected to go to OSU or not get $$$$ to pay for it.

Unless you just hop on the freeway which is two miles away. I live over 20 miles from downtown and yet it is easy to get there. West Jefferson is beginning to have a rush hours with the commuting going on from the warehouse jobs and the west side of Cbus. And it is surprising how parts of the uncool crescent are changing-becoming more diverse. Sullivant Avenue(an admitted hellhole street)has so many different ethnic little shops and restaurants. I wish we could get more international immigration, seek it out(like we did with the Somalis)to liven up some of these uncool areas and bring more cultural interest and diversity with them. Might help with light rail in these areas as well-to help funnel service workers into areas that might need them, like the Short North, Downtown, OSU area, etc. I wish we would start by making COTA free, but they would need to make sure that the busses don't become rolling homeless camps for the druggies and the untreated mentally ill I guess. Too bad our leaders in this state are so opposed to such a thing. near Broad, light rail might work better. /ramblings lol

You can't look at Austin/Nashville as a peer without looking at San Antonio, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Tampa/St.Pete., Kansas City, St. Louis, etc. and yes Sacramento when comparing skylines-they are peers as well. They are not exactly hitting it out of the park skyline wise either. What you are doing is making a comparison that is explicitly hand-picked and unfair by not looking at the others and instead only mentioning Austin which has arguably been the biggest boom town in the entire nation for the last decade or two. Hell even Portland has a tallest building that is older and lower than the tallest in Cbus. When you look at Austin you should feel that those other cities with underwhelming skylines must be doing something wrong too?-or just maybe Austin(and Nashville)are real exceptions and should be regarded as such when even considering comparisons of skylines-which is one of the least important measurements of the worth of a city anyway IMO(and I love skyscrapers).

What about our other peers like Indy? Las Vegas?(that monorail does not count), San Antonio? Where is their booming light rail systems? Hell Phoenix has an urban area nearly 3 times ours and has one 30 mile line or something like that? Does Kansas City or even Cincinnati have anything more than short streetcar lines?(streetcars are not light rail).They are also our peer cities. And many of the cities that do have extensive light rail systems have systems that kinda suck because they were built into sprawling areas that light rail cannot really benefit that much(looking at you Dallas-you need to connect corridors and high density nodes-not endless miles of sprawl). And yeah we suck at this but among our peer cites there are plenty who also suck-just like with the (much less important)skyline d*ck measuring stuff. At least we are getting Amtrak and are making progress-hopefully the 20 miles stretch of Broad and Main will be a light rail line...I think we are moving in the right direction.

LOL Jman is a notorious querulous malcontent who comments on Columbus Underground posts. He just within the last week was lamenting the lowliness of the Cbus skyline by comparing it to a video of the NEW YORK CITY! skyline, not just as it is now, but how it is projected to be in another decade! His signature move is posting skyline pics of Austin(or Nashville)to compare to the lowly Cbus skyline. I mentioned him because you just happened to post and compare the Cbus and Austin skylines-his favorite go to post. Apparently now Columbus must compete with a future NYC skyline now! though with him. *Funny how to him our "peers" just happen to be similar sized cities that are booming with skyscraper construction, and with Austin, perhaps the "it" city of the last decade or two. Nevermind the comparisons to say the skylines of Sacramento, San Antonio, Indianapolis, Tampa/St. Pete., etc.-also "peer" cities-those comparisons would not further his agenda and which he never compares to Cbus. Cbus can only be compared to the hottest and most booming with skyscraper cities of our peers. Funny that. He is just a real downer over there. Has been for years. The comment section over there is getting even more toxic it seems. Is a d*ck measuring contest through skyscraper/skyline proxy really something we want? I would trade any 30 or 40 story tower for a dozen 12-20 story buildings that would actually fill in our vacant lots downtown and bring much more in terms of street life and street activation, along with more residents, workers, retail/flex space, etc. that one. single. tower.

And we could get an identity! City of Deadly Public Art! We could also have the grazing cows that could give you Mad cow disease and the blue serpent bridge cover with a mouth that could occasionally swoop down and decapitate a jogger/biker/pedestrian. Let's make it happen people!

So basically you are saying that Columbus is being held back by the rest of Ohio? lol. Just JOKING!

Jman, is this you?

Yes especially if there is no large office tower component. And the only way to make anything but some residential work is to make the park much more accessible and more of a destination. I think it all comes down to access and any real fix for that will be very expensive and only worth it if there is going to be enough investment and I am not sure 975 residential units is enough of an investment to warrant the $$$$$$ needed for change. It is odd to even call this area a part of the Brewery District to me since it is so cut off-similar to the infamous Triangle and the parcel north of it in the Arena District/Astor Park/???? There is so much potential for this sliver of land and the sliver just east along the tracks but they need to be connected and integrated(and raised above the flood plain level for this sliver part I guess). Right next to a large park, a large grocery store, a few minutes walk to South High and the retail that is/could be there.... Maybe they should just place the 30 story tower along South High so it could loom over German Village casting deadly child-killing shadows?

Probably not a popular opinion, but... I really would not mind if they just made it lower rise with mostly residential with maybe a smaller office component and some retail. If office is suffering I would rather the city try and concentrate on the actual CBD and existing office space-making sure that it does not sit empty and gets converted to another use if needed. This site just does not have very good access and that really needs to be addressed before anything else. Take the great design for the 30 story tower and put it downtown instead of in the middle of nowhere(such a nice design!). I also wish they would build up all along the other side of the tracks sort of where Lang Stone is now sort of like a long extension of Brewer's Yard. It is good that the plan is for phases so there can be adjustments-I do like that. JMHO.

I would not say it has/had the exact same things going it for it. It is in Texas, has a milder climate, etc.

Yeah that is why I said it seems appropriate here, on the Dumbass list/ranking of cities thread. Just. Dumbass. lol There are so many trash listings online along with other trash clickbait articles it is nauseating.

There are only about 111 metros in the nation with over 500,000 people so not very many were left off apparently. Youngstown is also over 500,000 so I guess they are not on the list along with Akron and Toledo?

Everyone is right IMO that the "Pavilion" is too short and should instead mirror the six story or so buildings in a direct line across from it. It could actually be done so that it would activate the street and have a unique design that would make it a highlight of the square. I would imagine there could very well be some sort of public/retail space at ground level facing the square completely separate from the rest of the building as well as a rooftop space that could be separate as well and have an employee entrance. An activated rooftop/restaurant with outdoor access would be terrific for that location. It is just such a missed opportunity I guess. * But anyway the tower itself will hopefully look great especially with the slanted top and fill in the skyline very well. Keeping the company in the city is huge, getting the parking crater filled in is a huge win, Congrats Cleveland! *If the pavilion is that small and short it could probably be redesigned/altered in the future anyway. Who knows? Just my two cents.

I agree I don't think the city has a strong distinct identity, but I really don't think it is that big of a deal or a significant problem. I would not say that the city has an "identity crisis" as I don't think it is anything that could really be called a "crisis" and the city does not appear to be "suffering" from or "struggling" due to lacking a very strong distinct identity. Also, sometimes it can be a good thing to fly under the radar. A lack of a strong "identity" is better than having a strong identity(which maybe otherwise be known as a reputation at times) and having that identity be a negative one. Look at how other cities have acquired strong negative identities and have struggled for decades to overcome them as they either were not very accurate at the time and/or certainly are not accurate now. Sometimes no reputation is better than having a bad reputation. "Branding" can be both a blessing and a curse in the long run. If this is an "identity crisis", then how is it a "crisis"-what factors exist that would be labeled as being part of a crisis?-that are critical?-that are harming the city in a critical way? So I say no, Columbus does not have an identity crisis. It does lack a distinctive identity compared to many cities with rather strong identities, and I am not sure that this is that big a deal, and we will have to see if this changes in the future. *If anything Columbus did have an identity, and it was that of a bland cowtown-not exactly an identity to embrace, huh?. This fact alone should make the city be wary of "needing" an identity. JMHO(as a lifelong resident of the city and environs for 59 years).

The replies were hilarious. I like how Ohio will circle the wagons when attacked by an outsider. Nobody can sh*t on Ohio cities!(except other Ohio cities of course! ;) )

Damn. I wonder what the three rated worse than Cleveland are? This list with that ranking does seem to belong here on Dumb-A$$ rankings.

No I don't think so. We have gone over this before. If anything, as both Newark/Licking County and Columbus grow, Licking County and Newark will be drawn even further into the Cbus orbit.

It is just a new Burger King. Same thing, updated new building.

I am not a fan of casinos(gambling in general is a racket)*. I grew up west of Westland Mall and the area of the westside between Wilson and 70 has gone to hell IMO, unfortunately. There are not very many people very close to the casino anyway. it is cut off by the railroad to the southeast, and is surrounded by non-residential uses to the north and west, along with the freeway. The only relatively close areas are Havenwood. which is sort of a slum at this point as it has been since the late 80's at least, and the small subdivision of Broadlawn-which is just northeast of it but really has no connection to it. Nobody living anywhere remotely near it has to 'deal' with it as the entire area is hostile to pedestrians and very few people who are going there are sticking around to explore the area-they are right back in their vehicles and gone. At least there is a new building, some landscaping, some potential for something more, instead of the dead auto plant that sat there empty. *If I ever went to Vegas, it would not be for the gambling, but all of the stuff there to draw them in. All kinds of fun and vices to engage in without losing a sh*tload of money at a casino. I would be fine watching others lose their money though. And lets let this discussion die as it does not relate to the stadium in any way other than it's location out to Westland allowed the perfect site for the stadium to come to fruition.

I like how the stadium looks like it is built out of 'stealth' materials, like those bombers and warships and all. It looks like it could just lift off and fly outta there at any time. I like how it seems to be innocuous at night in that pic, with only the glow visible at the top and a few other areas. The focus is inward, on the crowd and the game, not obnoxiously glaring out narcissistically screaming "look at me". If they need to bring in special lighting or install it for special occasions, great. But I like the subtlety at night. And it is literally surrounded on all sides by land which will be/can be developed! A whole new section of the downtown. So glad the Casino is out in Westland hell.

It would be nice but I doubt it will happen.

That parcel extends all the way from Nationwide to Spring, and is about 1.8 acres. They could definitely fit quite a bit into that area-it is about the size of two downtown quarter blocks. Being next to that electric plant(why can't they build a wall around most of that?)I would think they would want some height(as in hotel on top of parking)to get people above that. Assuming this is just not some random rumor and all. If this is true, I hope they go at least 12 floors. And this parcel is only about 1/3rd of the land available south of the stadium between Nationwide and Spring. So. Much. Potential! *an apartment/condo tower or a hybrid hotel/condo would work well too! Throw in some retail, a bar and restaurant or two along Nationwide, etc. Hey we can dream, right? lol. They could even build it using Crew colors-although they would need to be subtle with the yellow-don't want another William Beaver House!