Annual State of Downtown: Building a Safer, Stronger Downtown

Panel Conversation Plus “The State of Downtown” Report and the Presentation of the Annual Harrison Smith Award for Excellence in Urban Projects.

Join us to celebrate the newest Harrison Smith ‘Smithy’ award recipient, gain insights from Downtown Columbus, Inc.’s annual ‘State of Downtown’ report, and hear from expert panelists on how Columbus is building a safer, stronger downtown.

As Downtown prepares to grow to 40,000 residents and 120,000 workers by 2040, public and private partners are building on years of previous programs to keep the heart of Columbus clean, safe, and welcoming.

With civic leaders, safety experts, and community partners, learn how Safer Downtown, led by Downtown Columbus, Inc., is strengthening and expanding long-standing efforts to create a vibrant, inclusive, and secure downtown environment.

To celebrate the creativity and vibrancy that developers continue to bring to downtown Columbus, CMC has also partnered once again with Downtown Commission to present the Commission’s Harrison Smith Award during its “State of Downtown” forum. The annual “Smithy” award recognizes and celebrates downtown projects that reflect Harrison Smith’s vision of bold, well-executed, and inspirational urban projects.

Featuring Greg Davies, CEO, Downtown Columbus, Inc.; Robin Davis, Executive Director, Safer Downtown; Smith Weir, Deputy Chief, Patrol Subdivision, Columbus Division of Police, with moderator Dawn Tyler Lee, Founder & CEO, Forrest Street Consulting.

Opening “State of Downtown” remarks by Amy Taylor, President, Downtown Columbus, Inc.

If you would like to dive more deeply into this topic, our friends at the Columbus Metropolitan Library suggest checking out Walkable City: How Downtown can Save America, One Step at a Time, by Jeff Speck, 2022.

Please note, a brief meeting is scheduled for this forum to vote on the previously announced changes to the Columbus Metropolitan Club Code of Regulations. Please follow this link to review the revisions being proposed. Feel free to contact us at admin@columbusmetroclub.org if you have any questions about these changes.