Five rivers flow from North to South through Franklin County, the most major of these being the Scioto River. The Scioto drains to the Ohio river and marked the eastern extension of the Virginia Military District. This was the inital impitus for settlement in Central Ohio, with the National Road, providing an influx of settlers throughout the first half of the 19th Century. Columbus, expanded in an inverted "T" with the arms heading East and West on the National road, and extending Northwards along the Olentangy River.
Interstate / Intercity Transportaion and Commerce:
Limited access freeways, while a boon to inter-city and interstate commerce, cause rifts within urban areas which separate neighborhoods, creating pockets of space within the city. Franklin County is bisected with rail lines, (none of which are commuter or passanger), these too cause division and rift within the urban environment.
Local Traffic and Political boundaries:
Building upon the previous maps, here the present day metropolitain bounday of columbus is shown in yellow against the background of the county. State or Nationa routes (shown in red) have the opposite effect of interstates and provide access for public transit which can start to unify areas (or at least make them more accessible). Major city roads are also shown in orange.
Setting Criteria for suitable neighborhoods:
Looking at an aerial photo of downtown shows how each of these three potential areas is situated at the cusp of the major downtown area.
Each of these areas was singled out for consideration because they met some initial criteria which is important in siting the refugee center for acculturation.
1) Central location:
2) Mixed usage:
3) Along multiple mass transit lines
4) proximity to hospitals, libraries, and other services
5) Economic opportunity by proximity to downtown
6) Mixed ethnicity neighborhoods
7) Mixed economic neighborhoods
Parsons Avenue:
Self styled as the "Gateway to the South" Parsons avenue is one of the major axes which connects the heavily industrial corridor along State Route-104 to the South to the very edge of downtown. Historically it was settled by emigrants from West Virginia and Kentucky coal country, but also has a large African American presence in the present day. The advantage of this area for consideration is that it is close to many of the amenities required for the center. However several factors ultimately showed that they would not be conducive to the siting of the project.
The stretch is "filamentary" in nature and beyond the street itself has little bulk. The urban environment immediately to the East and West of the street reverts to single family housing. Additionally to the West of the street, the gentrified historic neighborhood of German Village, drives rents sky high.
Ultimately it is the link to downtown which I found to be problematic. Interstate 70/71 split immediately to the North of this area. They create two large chasms which separate the city downtown from this neighborhood. To traverse this void on foot requires a 10 minute walk in itself, and doesn't get you very far into downtown. In reality this area is a 25 minute walk from downtown proper, and may be too far to walk to catch a cross town bus.
King-Lincoln Bronzeville
This is an up and coming neighborhood, centered around the historic Lincoln Theater, it is the smallest neighborhood of the three considered, the most compact, and has some of the nicest buildings and urban environments.
Which poses the problem: this area is on the cusp of gentrification, with stately homes, cafe's, jazz clubs and theaters, this area has become the "in" place to be for people out-priced of German Village or the Short North. While it's trendiness makes it a great place to hang out, I feel that it does not best serve the refugees, as its link to downtown is again across I-71. It is much closer to downtown being a 15-minute walk to the central transit hub, and its close access to Broad street does make it a viable location.
The Lincoln Theatre is in the process of being restored:
New storefronts reveal a commercial area which has some vibrancy.
Public art focused on Jazz and Blues adorns the sidewalk.
Stately homes and low (for now) rents are attracting gentrification.
Franklinton:
Franklinton is a very mixed bag, it has the closest proximity of any neighborhood to downtown being only a 5-8 minute walk across the Scioto River. While geographically separated and isolated, the river is an amenity in addition to being a barrier (I cannot say this of the interstates)
Franklinton was the earliest settlement in Central Ohio, and was eventually annexed by Columbus.
Problems with flooding have limited economic growth, but the recent addition of a flood barrier have primed this area for development.
The neighborhood is a mix of historic strucutres (like the Toledo and Ohio depot seen here)
Row-houses are common
Small businesses line Broad street, yet the area has not yet developed a "gentrified" feeling to it. This is still very much a lower income working class neighborhood.
Ultimately I feel that Franklinton will be the most suitable location of the three neighborhoods, as it has the best access to mass transit by virtue of being closest to the downtown hub, it is not yet over priced, it has a lot of real-estate which can be rehabilitated / developed. It is in an area which will likely welcome any influx of people / capital, it is at the edge of a major civic area and has the potential to attract large numbers of people (which will be key to the economic outreach portion of the project).
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