Sidewalks — Overall, the walkability on campus is great. Sidewalks are all around campus and most are kept in great shape. The only places where the sidewalks are a little roughed up are on high street, which I can assume is due to more foot traffic on those sidewalks. I think sidewalks can be improved the most if people had the decency not to litter the high street sidewalks. Maybe some signs along the sidewalk reminding people of this would help.
Street Width — The streets in campus such as Neil, 19th, and 18th aren’t very wide, and that makes sense. The campus is more centered around foot traffic because most students don’t drive to school everyday. Street width affects traffic flow in a simple concept: More lanes, less traffic; or, less lanes, more traffic. Street width can impact the existing character of a street because if a street is widened, it takes away from the original character of a street. It could be cutting into pre-existing sidewalks and greenery.
Street Safety — The streets in campus are very pedestrian friendly. There are rarely any cars on these roads so students can feel safe crossing these roads. With that being said, crossing High Street can be a rather daunting task. There are an adequate amount of crossing opportunities with signals on High Street, but crossing is still very dangerous, as vehicles are moving at high speeds on that street. Street safety can be improved on High Street by making the pedestrian cross walks more visible to vehicles. For example, make the flashing a little brighter so drivers will see that people are trying to cross.
Traffic Flow — Most of the roads around campus are two-way roads, except a few on the inside of campus, as the roads aren’t wide enough for two-way traffic. I think the roads are appropriate for the area because two-way traffic is simpler for drivers to understand and there isn’t too much traffic to make a demand for one-way roads. Traffic speeds in campus are safe, but high street can be considered on the faster side. On High Street, drivers don’t always adhere to the speed limit, which can create some dangerous situations. Traffic flow could be improved if there are other ways to connect North Columbus to downtown Columbus, as High Street is the main connecter for this other than 315 and 71. A possible idea for this is a passenger train, which is a very lofty goal.
Setbacks — At The Ohio State University, setbacks for university buildings are all pretty similar. The buildings are pretty close to the sidewalks out of convenience for walking and for saving space, however there is usually at least 7-10 feet of grass separating the sidewalk from the building. On High Street, there basically aren’t any setbacks. The buildings are directly on top of the sidewalk and road. This is mostly because the buildings on High Street are composed of stores and restaurants which want to be seen from the drivers on the road. Setbacks affect character of a neighborhood because they give a sort of clean, organized sense to the area. If buildings are right on top of the sidewalks, it can create a feeling of suffocation for the people around there.
Building Use — Because we are on a university campus, it makes sense that all the buildings have somewhat of a common theme. There is a balance between dining halls, libraries, classroom buildings, recreation facilities, dorms, and more on campus. I don’t think any of the buildings seem out of place. Every university has the characteristics I mentioned above.
Parking — Parking spaces and lots are not widely available around campus because as I mentioned earlier, most of the people who are on campus don’t have cars. With that being said, many people still need cars to access the university, namely the university staff. I think the parking garages are placed in smart locations around campus. Putting one near Ohio Stadium is smart for obvious reasons, and putting one next to the Union is smart as well because it’s one of the university’s main buildings. If I had to change anything, I would consider putting parking garages by the Schottenstein Center where current, one-story lots exist and provide a bus route from there to the main part of campus for people parking there to use.
Accessibility — In my opinion, the university does a good job in providing access for persons with disabilities. On my walk, I came across various examples of ramps and entrances for the disabled. There are sufficient curb ramps around campus. I think one way the university can improve this access for persons with disabilities can be providing special exercise options for them in the RPAC, as I don’t recall seeing anything like this.
Green Space — On The Ohio State University campus, there is a lot of green space provided for its students and staff. Areas like the South Oval and the Oval are massive amounts of green space where students can study, walk, or do other activities. There are many benefits from having green space. It provides an area for people to go outside and get fresh air to focus and do physical activities.
