Intercity visit brings ideas, inspiration

Intercity visits are a great way to get new ideas, expand our vision for our own city and learn from other cities’ successes and challenges. This year’s intercity visit to Columbus, Ohio, hosted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, highlighted recent examples of their redevelopment success, workforce strategies and collaborative partnerships between the private sector, the city and academia.

The Columbus area has a population just over 2 million people. It has the eighth-highest millennial population in the country, many of whom attend one of the 56 colleges or universities in the area. Five Fortune 500 companies have headquarters in the Columbus region and are credited, along with other companies, with the redevelopment of the city, particularly the RiverSouth area located around the Scioto River.

For many years, the area consisted of blighted, high-poverty neighborhoods and parking lots. Through a matching investment of private and public funds and economic incentives, the area was transformed into a vibrant mixed-use space. An estimated 1,200 residents will move into new residential lofts and apartments sited next to updated office space, restaurants, boutique grocery stores and retail.

Read the full story at The Journal Record