New development, cool places to live: What’s next for Columbus in 2020 and beyond?
As we close out one decade and enter another, it’s natural to reflect back on the progress and struggles of the previous 10 years.
But as Columbus enters the 2020s, we wanted to hear from locals about what improvements, developments, challenges and hurdles the city and its people might face.
To learn more about what the future could hold for the city, we reached out to local leaders in various professions and asked them all the same question: Considering your expertise and professional background, what do you think the next decade holds for the city of Columbus?
Here’s what respondents said the next decade will bring.
Leadership changes in Columbus
Stephanie Woodham, Founder & Chief Buzz Officer/Yalla Public Relations:
“I think we will see young innovative people step into leadership roles. These leaders will help to continue moving Columbus forward, positioning our city as a place where young people of all backgrounds choose our amazing city as a place to live, work and play.”
Judy Thomas, District 9 Councilor At-large/Columbus Council:
“The next decade, I think, will see a massive turnover in the leadership of Columbus. Those who lead our community in various (and most all!) capacities are reaching retirement age, and new hands will be needed. This includes not only politicians, but those who have worked in and currently lead our public safety agencies, city and school district departments, and organizations within the city, such as the nonprofit organizations that provide services to the community. We will also see a turnover, I think, in those businesses that have long led the way for Columbus. Change in leadership regularly happens, but I think we will see much more as we boomers turn the reins over to the next generation.”
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More transportation options for Columbus
Julio Portillo, Executive Director/MidTown Inc.:
“Over the next 10 years, Columbus will experience great changes in terms of mobility in different forms of alternative transportation. With the development of the Dragonfly Trail, which will connect different areas of our community and make them accessible for bicyclists and pedestrians, we will be able to provide safe and accessible transportation options to our residents. In addition, many amenities like parks, museums, libraries and retail centers will also be accessible via bicycle and be attractive for walkers. Furthermore, embracing mobility will also make our city more attractive for business development, attracting and retaining talent, and bring more vibrancy to our city.”
More mixed-income neighborhoods
Marquette McKnight, CEO/Media, Marketing and More!:
“For way too many years, the Chattahoochee Valley has had neighborhoods that are not ‘mixed’. They are segregated by race and income. Happily, that’s changing. We are beginning to see more neighborhoods that are ‘mixed-income’; neighborhoods that look more like our schools and our workplaces. In the 2020’s I know we’ll see a truly mixed neighborhood in the Mill District — an area of Columbus that comprises four historical neighborhoods: City Village, North Highland, Anderson Village and the Bibb. There are a hundred or so people working with dozens of organizations to make that happen. I believe it will be part of making our entire community more vibrant and connected for all our residents.”
Columbus to have bigger role in film production, travel
Peter Bowden, President and CEO/Visit Columbus GA:
“As Columbus continues to mature as a travel destination and with the new investment, and continued reinvestment, in product we feel the city is poised to be a leader as a meeting destination that competes on a regional as well as the southeastern stage. We also see the city surpassing its goal as a film destination, become the third if not second film hub in Georgia; continuous work, permanent jobs and attracting and retaining a creative class like we’ve never seen before. And leisure travel — already a growing market segment — will continue to enjoy our adventure, food, arts and entertainment scene. West central Georgia is already making a name for itself. We feel it will only get better.”
Fight against poverty and homelessness
Audrey Tillman, Chair/Columbus 2025:
“I strongly believe that the next decade for Columbus should be transformative in such a positive way. We have set up some amazing plans and initiatives through Columbus 2025 that should mature and flourish in the next decade...more economic growth, programs to produce more talented and educated people and a thriving entrepreneurship culture. There is significant work to do on the poverty front in our communities and results will not be seen quickly, but over the next decade we will see some meaningful change in some of the factors that contribute to poverty in this area.”
Neil Richardson, Executive Director, Chaplain/SafeHouse Ministries:
“The next decade will be exciting. Homelessness will continue to go down due to increased cooperation between agencies involved. That same increased cooperation will help more people remain housed instead of enduring homelessness.”
More business development
John House, District 10 Councilor At-large/Columbus Council:
“I think Columbus will see growth in robotics efforts thanks to programs in all levels of local educational institutions and the increased presence of robotics development at Ft. Benning. I also believe we will see more tourism as a business model locally. The current activities will continue to attract people and more amenities are going into the city to hold tourists here once they arrive. Due to the determination to improve the conditions some of our residents face, I think we will see public-private partnerships develop to alleviate those problems. I do not know the form this will take but I know the concern and interest level are high. That will generate action.”
Potential for greatness in Columbus, and decline
Betsy Covington, President and CEO/Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley:
“Over the past 30 years, Columbus has built and supported fantastic facilities like the whitewater course, a refurbished downtown core, the RiverCenter and Springer, great museums, the first portions of the Dragonfly Trail Network and a number of improved streets that promote beauty, connectivity and transportation for all. We’re well-positioned to attract young talent, retirees and new businesses that care about quality of life, sustainability and outdoor recreation. But so far our population growth levels have been flat. To be successful over the next decade, Columbus residents must work together to preserve the assets we’ve created and market them regionally and nationally. We have to proactively tell our story, which — fortunately — is one of coming together well to set and address our priorities, then supporting them generously.”
Dr. LK Pendleton, pastor/St. Marys Road United Methodist Church, president/Columbus NAACP:
“I expect growth in Columbus will begin to taper off. We do not have access to highways and airports as well as some industry which is a major factor in growth and development. Synovus is developing a much larger footprint in the state and moving a lot of its operations to Atlanta. It is important for a face-forward city to have a very good university infrastructure which creates a fulcrum of employment in particular fields, i.e. health services. While Columbus has experienced a redensification of its central business districts and growing mostly due to Columbus State; I expect Columbus State University will slip in its enrollment and will begin to level out. There continues to be a redistribution of the city’s resources headed north. There must be an intentional need to stimulate creativity and economic development. If not, I expect crime to grow, the school system to continue to depreciate, leadership to fall and the overall quality of life to depreciate.”