This new tool lets you help make Columbus neighborhoods more ‘vibrant and connected’

Starting today, you can take out your phone and find out what cultural events and activities in Columbus are within walking distance of your home or business. You can see what bike and walking trails are available.

Or you can view crime rates for different areas of town and check out what properties are on the city’s demolition list.

All of this information and more can now be seen on one easy-to-use website created by Columbus 2025 and you and your friends have a chance to add more information that may help you feel better connected to your neighborhood.

Information has already been collected from some residents and that data was used in building the interactive website, which is called a dashboard.

Now members of Columbus 2025 are hoping to gather more information and get feedback to help improve the usefulness of the new tool, according to Will Burgin, who serves as chair of the metrics committee for the Vibrant and Connected Places action area of Columbus 2025.

“The way that this tool is used and the way it is most effective is when you come and say ‘here’s my thought,’ ‘this is great, but,’ ‘can we do this other thing,’ and the answer is going to be ‘yes,’” Bergin said.

To demonstrate that point, local attorney Ken Henson Jr., who has been involved in expanding the Dragonfly Trail network, had a suggestion after looking over the new website on his phone.

He said adding more trail information to the website would be a great next step.

“Eventually the Dragonfly is going to have an app with all the trails on it and (will) let you know if there’s a problem, if something is closed, and let you know about events on the Dragonfly and that sort of thing,” he said.

Henson also highlighted something he thinks is already a great asset of the website: a map that shows events, parks and other amenities in the city that are within a 15-minute walk of a particular area.

“I think what’s going to be great is when you can click an area like downtown, and somebody has entered all the events that are coming up in downtown for the next week or the next month and you can sort of see what’s all there,” Henson said.

Columbus Consolidated Government department heads are also encouraged to provide data and use the website, Bergin said.

He gave the example of the Building Inspections and Code Enforcement department’s website, where Director John Hudgison has provided interactive maps that show citizens what buildings are scheduled for demolition, what building permits have been issued and what zoning appeal cases are ongoing, all updated on a regular basis.

“John Hudgison’s done such a wonderful job of reporting out his ability to gather data and show citizens how his department can update and keep people informed in real time. This I hope will act as a supercharger of sorts to encourage city departments to collaborate and share,” Bergin said.

Hudginson’s Code Case Dashboard is featured in the “Safety and Health” tab on the new website. It’s a searchable map that shows active demolition, property maintenance and special enforcement cases.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley said collaboration between the city and community is crucial, and that the website allows city government departments to share data with each other and the public to share data with the city.

“Having everyone see the data and share it in a transparent way will enable us to see what, and where, we need to address future investment and assistance,” Hugley said.

Users of the dashboard are asked to fill out a survey, providing feedback on how to make it better. As the website grows and new data is added, it will more accurately be able to show leaders where investment is working, and where it is needed, Bergin said.

“This tool allows us to take a real look at how vibrant and connected our city is,” Burgin said. “It allows us to see real measurement and data about which neighborhoods are doing well, and to see specifically which neighborhoods have challenges.”

The dashboard can be accessed at vibrantandconnectedcolumbus.com.