This is exactly what I thought when I read Mark Ferenchik’s piece in the Columbus Dispatch last Sunday, entitled “Retrofit city’s ‘inner-ring’ areas, planner says.” It points to Columbus’ struggle to redevelop inner ring neighborhoods or newer neighborhoods that are in decline. The article cites June Williamson who is scheduled to speak at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Summit on Sustainability and the Environment at COSI Columbus. As Ferenchik mentions, “Williamson is co-author of the book Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs, which discusses how some communities are redeveloping office parks, malls and housing subdivisions into vital centers for housing, stores, offices and mass transit.” It is an interesting article that provides a glimmer of hope for the renewal of urban communities.

Columbus, along with many other major American cities, has a tremendous opportunity to be a leader moving back to the concepts that made some of our declining neighborhoods vital and vibrant decades ago. The idea of a community made up of villages with access to services, shops, and entertainment is a model that went out of vogue in favor of commercial centers surrounded by high density housing. The idea of moving back to urban design that facilitates real neighborhoods is exciting. Ms. Williamson cites Lakewood, a Denver suburb, which demolished a distressed shopping mall replacing it with a village center, homes, shops and restaurants. In the winter the plaza is turned into a skating rink.

Architects have adapted this design for upscale suburban develops with recreation and community meeting space. The village design is well suited to the renewal of inner city neighborhoods creating opportunity for people to actually meet and know their neighbors. This type of interaction creates social constructs that play on the basic concept that some things are just the way they should be and others need help. Knowing your neighbor is different than just knowing who lives next door. It is my opinion that his is our next great urban challenge. “It is the proper thing to do.”