Walking, Boating, Banking

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Walk This Way: How Columbus (Sort Of) Became a “Walkable” City

Columbus: where sidewalks are optional, but apparently we’re now the 4th most walkable city in America. At least according to a USA TODAY Readers’ Choice poll, which has locals asking: “Are we talking about the same city?”

To be fair, parts of Columbus are walkable, if you confine your life to the Short North, German Village, and Downtown, where boutique shops, breweries, and brunch spots are just a few crosswalks apart. And that’s exactly what tourists see: food, fun, and hotels packed tightly together in tidy “pedestrian-friendly hubs.”

But step outside those hubs and it’s another story. About 60% of Columbus has no sidewalks, leaving more than 1,400 miles of gaps. Try walking from a suburban cul-de-sac to the nearest store, and you’re more likely to cross a 45‑mph arterial road than a charming pedestrian plaza. Even Walk Score rates the city a modest 41/100, not quite a “Walker’s Paradise.”

So how did we end up here?

🗺️ The Tentacle City

Columbus’s unique shape and its shot at walkability come from a mid‑20th century gamble. Fearing the fate of landlocked cities like Cleveland and Cincinnati, Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner launched an aggressive annexation policy. The deal? If you wanted city water and sewer, you had to join Columbus.

The result: a sprawling city that ballooned from 40 square miles in 1950 to over 220 square miles today, surrounding suburbs like Bexley and Upper Arlington like a hungry octopus. This kept Columbus flush with income tax revenue and prevented the kind of urban decline that gutted other Midwest cities.

But it also left us with scattered, disconnected neighborhoods and miles of suburban streets designed for cars, not feet.

A Walkable Comeback?

In the last decade, Columbus has started to reckon with its car‑centric past. Projects like LinkUS (a $1 billion investment in sidewalks, bike lanes, and rapid transit) are aiming to knit the city’s districts together. There’s talk of 15-minute neighborhoods, where residents can walk to groceries, schools, and parks without dodging traffic.

And while we’re not there yet, the signs of progress are hard to miss:

• Downtown residential booms have brought foot traffic back to High Street.
  

• The Short North is a poster child for pedestrian-focused redevelopment.
  

• Even suburbs are experimenting with mixed-use “town centers” to cut car dependence.
  

So Are We Actually Walkable?

Let’s call it a work in progress. Columbus still struggles with:

• Pedestrian safety (illegal right turns, distracted drivers, and rogue scooters, oh my!)
  

• Public transit gaps (no trains, limited buses).
  

• A culture that’s still more attached to parking lots than parklets.
  

But we’ve come a long way from the Columbus of 2008, when Walk Score ranked us 27th out of 40 cities. The climb from middle-of-the-pack to top-5 (tourist edition) shows how strategic planning, economic resilience, and sheer urban stubbornness are reshaping our city.

The Verdict

Columbus isn’t exactly Paris, but it’s also not the car-choked, sidewalk-less wasteland some locals make it out to be. With billions in mobility investments and a new focus on livable streets, the city is lacing up for a more walkable future.

Just watch your step on High Street. And maybe don’t throw out the car keys… yet.

Scarlet Letter Trivia

Question: With some rough estimating from some of our AI friends. How much does a mile of sidewalk cost to build in Columbus, Ohio?
A. $1.4 million
B. $567,000
C. $750,000
D. $220,000

The Boat House Sets Sail Again

For years, The Boat House at Confluence Park has been Columbus’ ultimate “if you know, you know” venue, a place where only wedding guests, corporate conference-goers, and lucky invitees got to take in its unmatched skyline views and riverfront charm. But this week, the secret’s officially out: The Boat House reopens for public dining on Wednesday, July 9.

After pivoting to an events-only model during COVID (and staying there thanks to a pesky water pipe break in 2022), the restaurant is bringing back full dinner service with a fresh and approachable menu, think smashburgers, prime rib, seafood towers, and, in case you’re feeling fancy, caviar frites (yes, loaded fries topped with crème fraîche and caviar).

So if you’ve ever wanted to sip a cocktail where the Scioto meets the Olentangy and feel like you’re in a coastal city (without leaving I-270), your time has come. The Boat House is finally open to more than just the wedding crowd.

In the News

Columbus Gets a Billionaire Bank (Yes, Really)

Move over, Silicon Valley, Columbus is officially the cool kid on the financial block. A group of tech billionaires, including Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, are planning a crypto-focused bank headquartered right here in Columbus, according to the Financial Times.

The new venture, dubbed Erebor (yes, like the mountain in The Hobbit), aims to fill the void left by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. SVB’s demise in March 2023 left countless startups and venture firms scrambling to make payroll, and Erebor hopes to step in with a “digital-first” model to serve AI, crypto, defense, and tech businesses, not to mention the people who work for and invest in them.

Erebor’s charter application hints at some big plans: the bank will hold stablecoins on its balance sheet and claims it wants to be “the most regulated entity conducting and facilitating stablecoin transactions.” Translation: Columbus might soon be ground zero for your nerdy friend’s next blockchain rant.

Why Columbus? It doesn’t hurt that Anduril is already building a $1 billion manufacturing facility in the region, bringing 4,000 jobs with it. And let’s face it, compared to Silicon Valley, our real estate is cheap, our commute times are sane, and our lunch spots don’t require a Series A to afford.

If Erebor gets off the ground, it’ll be the third new bank to launch in Columbus recently, following Adelphi Bank (Black-owned and opened in 2023) and Fortuna Bank (a woman-owned venture in Grandview Heights).

So yes, the billionaires are coming. And they’re bringing crypto wallets.

Trivia Answer

C. $750,000: Heres a small breakdown

If you're budgeting for a residential sidewalk, expect between $150,000 and $360,000 per mile. For municipal-scale projects with professional design overhead, $750,000 per mile is within reason.

Let me know if you’d like help narrowing that down for example, estimating a narrower width, thicker slab, stamped finish, or demolition needs.