 Development of the Columbus metropolitan area must maintain a high quality
of life for all people by addressing investment in downtown and existing
areas of the city, as well as growth areas. Columbus cannot afford to
ignore the real costs of uncontrolled growth: Diminished air quality;
increased traffic congestion; ever-higher costs for roads, infrastructure
and services; under-utilization of existing infrastructure and abandonment
of still-useful assets. Too often, the City of Columbus and suburban
communities compete with one another for development rather than work
cooperatively to benefit the greater community.
 The expectation that suburban growth alone is
sufficient to meet the employment and development needs of the entire
region is part of the problem. As Michael Porter stated in a Columbus
Urban Growth Corporation publication: "We can't depend on suburban
jobs to create vitality in cities. It is simply inefficient, ineffective
and unrealistic to have inner-city residents traveling hours per day to
suburban jobs. There must be a vital economy within the city itself."
To have a vital city economy it is essential that downtown and
near-downtown residential opportunities be available for people of all
income levels. The vision for future development must include a firm
commitment to create housing in the city.
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