"Columbus Re-Wired" is a project of the Columbus Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and it's major project is a just completed design competition to create a vision of what a new downtown Columbus intermodal transportation center would look like.  The winning designs were announced this past Thursday night and should be posted soon to the website (below). I assisted on this project and got to see all of the entries and they ranged from the traditional to cutting edge designs.  But what they all recognized is the need for an integrated, rail-based transportation system to serve Columbus and Central Ohio: downtown streetcars, light rail, commuter rail and intercity passenger rail service.

 

I've included a story that Columbus Dispatch transportation reporter Tim Doulin posted on his "CRanky Commuter" blog.

 

http://columbusrewired.org/community

 

 

The Cranky Commuter / Columbus Dispatch

September 7, 2007

Maybe tomorrow

 

The American Institute of Architects, Columbus Chapter, announced this week the winners of a competition to design a multimodal transit center in central Ohio.

 

The competition was part of an initiative to look at ways to improve public transportation in central Ohio.

 

A transit center serves as a hub for buses, streetcars, light rail, bikes and other forms of transportation. The Arena District, Linworth and the Ohio State fairgrounds/OSU campus area were identified as possible homes for the hub.

 

 

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/blogs/blog_commuter.html

Thanks.  Nice find. 

 

I probably wouldn't have seen this because I've never looked at the Dispatch reporter blogs before.  I'll need to look at them now from time to time.

its good -- the more stuff like it that is put out in the media with regularity the better chance there is to change the local perceptions about public transportation.

Another blog post from someone who was at the AIA's Columbus ReWired event. 

 

link: http://columbus43215.com/?p=17

 

The Columbus Re-Wired Results Are In

With several mass transit initiatives already in place or underway and a theoretical unlimited amount of future funds from the public and private sectors, what creative plans and ideas would you have to improve the Central Ohio transit infrastructure and it’s surrounding residential and commercial space? Competitors in the Columbus Re-Wired “national competition of visions for intersections of community and transportation” were asked to answer that question and the winner was announced last night at a culminating event in the Smith Bros. Hardware Building. Amongst a sea of designs that proposed central hubs smack dab in the middle of downtown and mostly emanating outwards, it was the plan that focused on the Route 161 corridor that took the top prize.

 

Essentially, the plan proposed its main artery to run along the length of Route 161, with numerous lines branching off to the north & south. The smaller north/south lines are supplemented by even more east/west lines as they run down through all areas of central Ohio as sort of a “cargo net” of transit. The mix of light rail, streetcar and bus routes in the proposal are also blended well with numerous residential, commercial and green space initiatives. Although the competition required proposals to integrate these aspects, it was great to see a fresh injection of concepts from the two dozen or so submissions from around the world. My favorite had to be the plan that proposed underground urban gardens for transit riders to enjoy before and after their rides, even suggesting people might miss a ride or two as they get lost in the tranquility of the green space (the proposal had a trendy name like “sanctuary” or “oasis” for these).

 

My hope is that Columbus Re-Wired is able to post some or all of the designs online for 43215ers to browse because I really enjoyed looking over each and every submission (even though I showed up right after the main presentation ended). A synergy of ideas using some aspects from all of these plans could really go along way for Columbus to drop the title of “the largest city in the United States without significant forms of robust public transportation.”

 

Photos from the event posted on columbus43215.com

 

ColumbusReWired.org doesn't have any images of the winners yet.  But they did list the winners.

 

Columbus Re-WIRED Winners

 

1st Place – Interboro – Brooklyn, NY – Professional $8k

 

2nd Place – Yufan Cheung – University of Kentucky, College of Design $4k

 

3rd Place – Acock + Associates – Columbus, OH – Professional $2k

 

Honorable Mention – Pierre Bélanger, Ed Zec, Behnaz Assadi – Toronto, ON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus that camera!!

I liked the ideas that the top three provided with transit stations downtown serving the suburbs and major corridors.  From what I have read I feel that they really captured the idea of transit as the blood stream of a city, designing the rail to run through neighborhoods and shopping/entertainment areas.  Also realizing that transit stations should also be visually appealing was another major point.

 

While I support the idea of light rail in Columbus I do not feel that it can be constructed without some strong government interference.  Obtaining the right of way for the rail so that it follows the most optimal paths would take forever but maybe they can do it over a long year period, maybe 15 years??

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/09/17/story12.html 

 

Designers bring outside eye to future of transit system in Central Ohio

Business First of Columbus - September 14, 2007by Adrian BurnsBusiness First

 

  Big-thinking designers have unveiled plans for a rapid transit lane down the center of Route 161, a futuristic transit hub over the Scioto River, and a passenger train station near High Street and Nationwide Boulevard in Columbus.

 

The plans aren't in line for construction, but they have generated a buzz as the top entries in Columbus Re-wired, a competition that called on design firms from around the world to come up with ideas for transit hubs and the neighborhoods surrounding them in Central Ohio.

Thanks for the Business First article post, Noozer.  The Columbus Business First frequently has the most detailed development and construction stories.  However, they restrict much of their web access for paid subscribers, so you can't link to the full article. 

 

The AIA's Rewired site hasn't yet posted any images of the competition winners.  So this Business First article is the only source for images thus far.  Unfortunately, there was no image of the first place winner that dealt with the Route 161 corridor.  However, the two downtown locations of the second and third place finishers are quite interesting.

I'm a subscriber to Business First (through my workplace) so I can get access.  Yeah... I'm disappointed they didn't have all three renderings available on-line.  But the reporter covered this very well and showed there is some pretty solid thinking about not only rail-based transportation as a much-needed option, but transit and rail-oriented development and how it should both look and serve.