Group comes up with big ideas for city's future

When others wander the streets of Columbus and unleash their imaginations, they see trolleys, trains and monorails; a towering, solar-powered parking lot with robotic arms to lift vehicles; Goodale Park extending south to the river; and more public art, parks, community gardens and farmers markets.

All of these ideas, and scores more, are part of the CBUS Ideabook Project, in which about 250 local architects, designers and others wrote, sketched and collaged their ideas into small, orange-covered books. They are on display at the Center for Architecture and Design through April 30.

“We wanted to create a conversation about design,” said Michael Bongiorno, one of the organizers of the project and an architect with DesignGroup.

And once people start talking about all the different ideas, he said, “The hope is, it will cause people to look around at the city with love and want to make it a little better place to live in.”Everything begins with an idea.

“Even if some of the ideas aren’t doable, they may generate the idea for something that is doable,” said Coleman, whose Ideabook is part of the exhibit. His goal is for Columbus to become known for its design.

“Design impacts people’s lives,” he said. “And cities with great designs have a better quality of life.”A livable, walkable city, filled with amenities and attractions, also makes good economic sense, according to Kenny McDonald, chief economic officer of Columbus 2020, the area’s economic-development organization.

“The more that we can do to embrace new ideas, to challenge ourselves to think differently about the use of our developed areas, and to nurture those areas that remain undeveloped, the better that environment will be,” he said. “It is a critical factor in attracting and retaining talented people to our community.”The ideas range from the practical to the whimsical.

Graphic designer Charmaine Sutton wants to “widen the Scioto River by Berliner Park and create a large lake with a beach.”

Architect George Acock’s book includes several small, beautiful watercolor paintings of his vision for a new and improved Franklinton. Trees line a wide walkway along the river, and new housing and commercial projects line the nearby streets.

The architects at Moody Nolan envision a parking-garage tower with “a robotic system” for hoisting the cars up and down the skyscraper.

This “allows for more vehicle storage in less building footprint,” they wrote. “The tower combines wind-turbine and solar-panel technology to recharge the electric cars of the future, while also feeding electricity back into the city grid.” Members of the Wexner Center’s youth group combined their ideas into one book.

They want to see a trolley on High Street, more interesting buildings, more festivals and community art, as well as “all the buildings to have hair” and “all of Columbus to be indoors and underwater like Atlantis.” Natalee Brown wants to see Columbus covered in art.

This “would beautify the buildings and neighborhoods that need a little love,” the designer wrote. And “establish c’bus as the art capital of the Midwest — take that chi-town!”“People put so much care into the books; I was touched,” the project’s Bongiorno said.

He’d like Columbus to host an annual comic-book convention that would draw thousands of visitors and millions in economic impact. Local companies would be sponsors and affix large-scale superheroes atop their headquarter buildings.