Columbus, Indiana has a deep history of intentional planning and design, and the City’s Redevelopment Commission continues that legacy by taking a proactive role in imagining the future of downtown Columbus.

To bring downtown residents, business owners, and visitors into the Columbus Downtown 2030 Strategic Plan process, the City called on Storyboard for “boots on the ground” community engagement and storytelling. Storyboard’s work on the project elevated the civic dialogue around the plan — building trust, increasing awareness, and ensuring meaningful community input into the plan’s recommendations.

Through community engagement pop-ups, public meeting group facilitation and documentation, focus group facilitation, oral history interviews, design, and final plan synopsis, Storyboard not only invited the people of downtown Columbus into the planning process, but equipped them with tools to understand plan recommendations and steward them into the future.

Photos 4 and 5 by Hadley Fruits for Landmark Columbus Foundation