ABSTRACT
What makes a study of Columbus, Ohio, important is that an arena that was designed to anchor an entire downtown neighborhood helped attract more than $1 billion in investments by the private sector. Slightly less than 1,000 people now live in the 75-acre neighborhood, and more than 14,000 people work in an area that was relatively moribund before the arena was built and a master plan was developed. Understanding the unique factors that contributed to the Arena District’s success while the team and arena face severe challenges provides valuable lessons for urban planners, public administrators, and sports managers. Columbus’ focus on redeveloping its downtown area is also interesting from another perspective. The city’s population had continued to grow, and its downtown area was never in a state of decline that was similar to what was experienced in Los Angeles (or any of the other cities studied). From 2000 to 2010, more than 65,000 new residents moved to Columbus, giving the city a growth rate of more than 10 percent. In 2012, the city had an estimated population of 809,798; its growth continues even though it is at a slow rate (see Table 6.1). While Columbus has not suffered a loss of residents, its leadership still wanted a revitalized downtown area and a new neighborhood. The Nationwide Arena helped the city achieve that goal even while the Columbus Blue Jackets continue to struggle to be a valuable and competitive team and the arena’s new management structure tries to chart a plan for its financial stability.
