Smart Columbus & Linden Work Together in Community Dialogue

More than 170 Linden community residents shared their views and ideas on what will make Linden a “smart” community as part of the City of Columbus’ Smart Columbus initiative. The two-day community dialogue and workgroups were held February 10 and 11 at St. Stephen’s Community House, 1500 E. 17th Ave. Discussions centered on multiple elements of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Smart City Challenge Grant awarded to the City of Columbus in June 2016.

“Engaging Linden area residents as part of our efforts for the Smart Columbus work is critical to the success of the grant implementation,” said Columbus City Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “The insights we learn from those who live in this community will help inform how we incorporate and deliver technology and drive initiatives on the many different elements of what is planned for the Linden area.”

Saturday’s working session gave the participants an opportunity to have more in-depth dialogue about specific Linden-focused projects as part of the Smart Columbus plan and offer opinions and thoughts on what may work for the neighborhood.

Residents learned about Smart Columbus projects such as:

Multi-Modal Trip Planning
Mobility Assistance
Common Payment Systems
Connected Vehicle Environments
Smart Mobility HubsSmart Street Lighting

“We have to recreate Linden pride and Linden excitement,” said Dr. Keith A. Troy, Pastor, New Salem Missionary Baptist Church. “I am excited about transformation. So often people plan for us and not with us, so having a chance for people in this community to have their voices heard, their thoughts considered, and give their input to help shape the outcome, goes a long way in people taking ownership.”

Information gathered during the two-day Linden community engagement session, as well as community surveys and other feedback, will be used by Smart Columbus officials as guidance and insight to inform design projects that will impact the Linden community.

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