Alumnus Justin Goodwin to discuss 'Charting a Path to Equitable and Sustainable Growth in Columbus' on Oct. 14

The Geography Department Professional Speaker Series welcomes Ohio University alumnus Justin Goodwin on Friday, Oct. 14, at 3 p.m. at Clippinger 119.

Goodwin, transportation planning manager of the City of Columbus Department of Public Service, will give an in-person colloquium talk on “A City in Transition: Charting a Path to Equitable and Sustainable Growth in Columbus.” His talk is open to the public.

Columbus is one of only 14 cities in the country that added more than 100,000 people in the past 10 years—and the Columbus region is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the Midwest. This growth represents the highest percentage increase since the 1950s, the largest numeric increase in history, and it occurred while Columbus only grew 1.5% in land area – meaning that much of this growth is more dense, and occurring as infill development, Goodwin noted.

Accommodating this rapid growth is a challenge for city government, but also presents new opportunities for investment in the priorities that matter most to the city’s residents. Goodwin's talk will provide an overview of what the City of Columbus is doing to harness this growth and manage change, including key initiatives that seek to realign policies and priorities toward integrated land use and transportation systems that will position Columbus as a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous city.

The speaker series, funded by the College of Arts and Sciences Seminar Fund, invites high-achieving geography alumni in practical professional fields to share valuable insights on current topics, including environment, urban planning, and climate change.

Goodwin is an American Institute of Certified Planner (AICP). His responsibilities at the Columbus Department of Public Service include a wide variety of multi-modal planning and complete street design initiatives, including long-range corridor planning, active transportation systems, and coordination with agency partners such as COTA and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. He is currently managing the Northwest Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project as part of Central Ohio’s LinkUS growth and mobility initiative.

Goodwin earned a B.S. in Geography from the Honors Tutorial College and an M.A. in Geography from the College of Arts abd Sciences at OHIO. He also earned a Master of City and Regional Planning from Ohio State University.

Connect with Goodwin on LinkedIn.

For more information, please contact Yeong Kim, associate professor of geography in the College of Arts and Sciences, at kimy1@ohio.edu.