LinkUS Northwest Corridor Mobility Study Development Framework Columbus, Ohio

Services Provided

Transportation-Oriented Development Framework Visioning
Land Use Planning
Urban Design

People Involved

Chris Hermann
Tori Luckenbach
Tyler Clark

Reimagining a critical regional corridor with transit supportive development

As consultants to Kimley-Horn and Associates, MKSK provided an urban design and development framework vision to reimagine the Northwest Corridor, an auto-oriented corridor, to a mixed-use, walkable place through the application of transit supportive development principles and example development patterns.

The Northwest Corridor is one of Central Ohio’s critical transportation connections, linking major institutions, employment centers, and government and health services with both economically disinvested neighborhoods and high growth communities.

The LinkUS Columbus initiative, a partnership between the City of Columbus and many partner agencies including the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Franklin County, and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), identified the multi-modal corridor as a high priority target investment area for high frequency transit in the region. MKSK worked with LinkUS Columbus to provide vision and guidance for future development to support the successful long-term implementation of high quality transit in this corridor.

The Development Framework, developed by MKSK, includes three components. First, it identifies the development typologies that generally classify the development potential and desired mobility and development characteristics in the areas around station locations with typologies which can also be applied to other transit corridors in Central Ohio. Second, it establishes transit supportive design principles to guide future mobility, streetscape, open space, and development policies to support high quality and more intense development patterns in the corridor.

The third component of the Development Framework helps policy makers and the public visualize change in the corridor. To do this, MKSK crafted development concepts to demonstrate the aspirational application of design principles and reimagine opportunity areas with increased density, improved public amenities, and balanced transportation options.