This past Thursday, the Columbus Chapter of the Urban Land Institute presented the new “One Ohio State Framework”, which outlines a plan for redeveloping The Ohio State University campus over the next half-century.
The long-term plan focuses on few main strategies and has developed a list of recommendations that aim to strengthen the University:
- Concentrating Academic Activity to Regenerate the Academic Core – Bringing several of the existing colleges and departments scattered throughout the west campus area into available areas ready for redevelopment on the main campus.
- Invest in Civic Infrastructure – Create new connections between the main campus and west campus including a reconnected Kinnear Road under 315 and across the river. A new transit loop would be created to service cross-campus commuters.
- Transform the River and The Green Reserve – Realigning Cannon Drive to redevelop the river greenspace, removing the Fifth Avenue lowhead dam, and redeveloping green space on west campus.
- Strengthen Connections and Identity – Concentrating regional activity within the campus to create new focused hubs including a Science and Technology Gateway and a Research and Health Science Gateway on west campus, and a Cultural Corridor along High Street.
- Enhance Residential Life, Neighborhoods and Recreation – Exploring new opportunities for residential development both on-campus in new dormitory buildings and off-campus with new public/private partnerships, which could include a new “North Campus Gateway“.
- Promote Partnerships – Connect more strongly to neighborhoods and institutions including University District, Weinland Park, Tech Columbus, Battelle, et cetera.
Last week, the OSU Board of Trustees unanimously voted to approve the planning principles and move forward with adopting the new master plan.
Some of the renderings and maps from the presentation can be found below:
More information can be found online at http://fod.osu.edu/afp/.