It’s once again that time of year when students and employers alike begin preparing for the shift that comes with the end of the spring semester; students frantically finish their portfolios and dust off their blazers while firms evaluate their need for new talent and prepare to host interviews. NDC is following suit. Last month at the annual Knowlton School of Architecture career fair, many employers set up displays and welcomed students as they made rounds, discussing the w

I attended the National Walking Summit on September 24 hosted by America Walks, a national nonprofit organization that offers resources to individuals and communities to help make places more accessible, equitable, and enjoyable to walk in. America Walks works with all levels of government and other organizations to train and support them in how to improve walkability in their communities, as well as increasing visibility and consumer demand. Taking place at the Hilton in do

On the evening of September 19th community members, board members, project partners, city officials, staff, and students gathered to reflect on and honor NDC’s accomplishments over the past year. Throughout the office current and recently finished work was displayed, and those in attendance browsed and discussed the projects with the staff. Many discussions revolved around the HIlltop Community Plan, one of NDC’s most extensive projects in 2018-19. It was a lovely evening of

Students presenting project findings from a youth engagement activity in Spring 2019 Community planning efforts by the NDC in the Linden and Hilltop neighborhoods have created an avenue for collaboration between the NDC and the Knowlton School of Architecture’s City and Regional Planning Department, through studio work targeting these two neighborhoods. During the 2017-18 academic year, students explored a variety of topics ranging from food access and alley revitalization t

NDC has been fortunate to provide design services to under-served communities in the region over the last 36 years.  While our work has allowed us to serve the Central Ohio region, Ohio has the unique distinction in that there are four community-based design centers that reach nearly the entire state: The Toledo Design Center (TDC), a nonprofit, advocates for the northwestern region of the state, while the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) and the Niehoff Studio, un

Spring has sprung, signifying a change in the season and a time of change for the NDC. Every year, NDC uses this time of year to look for fresh talent by attending the Knowlton School of Architecture Career Fair. This annual event gives us a great opportunity to meet prospective interns and share more about who we are and what we do. We are fortunate to have current student interns present during the event, giving interested students a chance to hear firsthand about the NDC i

Kerry came to the Design Center in 2016 amidst a successful career as a Landscape Architect, eager to dive into a new and exciting professional life.  Since we plan on keeping him around for a while, we thought we should dig a little deeper into the “ins and outs” of this interesting fellow… Where did you attend college?  I graduated with my BS in Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University in 1989. What was your professional journey before coming to NDC?  I worked a

NDC welcomed Matt in the summer of 2017 as a Senior Planner. Though we haven’t known him for long, the following interview confirms our suspicion: that we hit the jackpot with this addition to our team. Tell me a little bit about your history-your studies and experience.  Well, I went to OSU for both undergrad and grad school- I have a B.A. in History and a Master of City and Regional Planning.  My first job out of college was the Legislative Service Commission (LSC) Fellowsh

On Monday, the NDC team traveled to Cleveland to visit the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC). We met with CUDC leadership and learned about their wide variety of urban design and planning projects, from helping with the Cleveland Public Library’s facilities plan to conducting a picnic-table building program for high school students. _______________________________________ What is the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative? The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUD

After 18 months, the OneLinden plan was released and announced by Mayor Andrew J. Ginther at St. Stephen’s Community House on Oct. 23. The following day, the mayor discussed the plan at the Columbus Metropolitan Club in front of a sold out audience. The comprehensive plan includes action steps to improve transportation, housing, help Linden residents find jobs, reduce crime and improve safety, build business and reconstruct major corridors through the neighborhood. Ginther sa

On Thursday, Nov. 8 many residents of the Hilltop area came together for the second Hilltop Community Plan working meeting. Held at the Boys & Girls Club at 85 Clarendon, the group enjoyed dinner before starting two activities. The first was an individual exercise designed to understand the future aspirations residents have for their neighborhood. Vision 2038 asked participants to imagine moving away from the Hilltop for 20 years and returning. How would they want the communi

Representing much of Columbus’ West Side, the Hilltop is a historic neighborhood with beautiful homes, intriguing topography, and a business district along W. Broad Street. As part of its focus on neighborhoods, the City of Columbus is investing in a plan for the neighborhood—focusing on people, place, and home. With support from the Department of Neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Design Center attended community festivals, markets, civic meetings, and other special events over

Joined by dozens of project partners, board members, community members, city officials, staff and students — the NDC family celebrated our work at last night’s Open House. Brief remarks were offered at 6pm by David Brehm (current NDC board chair), Isabela Gould (Executive Director), City Council President Shannon Hardin, and Nick Bankston (Project Manager, Dept. of Neighborhoods). Our recent and current projects were featured on boards throughout the space, with a focus on th

At the heart of community planning lies public input. To facilitate increased public engagement, NDC has implemented a wikimap for the Hilltop Community Plan process. For residents and stakeholders who have specific issues or ideas about locations in their neighborhood, the map allows them to drop pins and write comments or stories that are viewable by everyone else. In addition to helping collect and record issues in the neighborhood, the map allows users to add positive exp

Representing much of Columbus’ West Side, the Hilltop is a historic neighborhood with beautiful homes, intriguing topography, and a business district along W. Broad Street. As part of its focus on neighborhoods, the City of Columbus is investing in a plan for the neighborhood—focusing on people, place, and home. With support from the Department of Neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Design Center is attending community festivals, markets, civic meetings, and other special events

On April 24, the Linden community gathered at St. Stephen’s Community House to hear a preliminary presentation of concepts developed through public input and engagement starting in March 2017. The presentation gave baseline data for Linden across five topic areas: Education & Workforce, Health & Safety, Transportation, Retail & Small Business, and Housing. The plan concepts were presented as 10 Big Ideas, using an integrated approach that combines multiple community issue are

Supported by Campus Partners, the Weinland Park Commercial Study was prompted by the Housing Committee of the Weinland Park Community Civic Association and represented a desire that the neighborhood have a well informed voice in the future commercial development of vacant land and redevelopment of existing structures. With increasing pressures from a shrinking housing supply in Italian Village, expanding development of student housing close to The Ohio State University, and a

New Office Space Welcomes Guests During Events Making use of our beautiful new space at 1445 Summit Street, Suite 300, we played host to at least seven events throughout 2017. 4/26/17                 NDC Open House 9/14/2017            Anchor District Organization 10/2/2017            ACUHO-I Foundation Visit 1 10/6/2017            ACUHO-I Association Visit 2 10/17/2017          Knowlton School \ Honors & Scholars 10/30/2017          City and Regional Planning Student As

Welcoming New Full-Time Staff Matthew and Xia join current full-time staff, Isabela Gould (Executive Director), Kerry Reeds (Director of Urban Design + Planning) and Lisa Snyder (Project Manager), as well as 6 part time interns from The Ohio State University (meet our interns here). #Planning #Community #Staff #Columbus #OfficeCulture #Design

From taking on new types of projects to getting settled into a new office space, 2017 has been a landmark year for the Neighborhood Design Center. Here are a few select highlights of our activities and achievements throughout the year. Leading the Linden Community Plan Starting in February, the planning process for the Linden Community Plan has been a fantastic opportunity for the NDC to focus even more on Linden and the Cleveland Avenue corridor, an area of focus since our f