Business View - July 2015 117
However, according to Jackie Thiel, Upper Arlington’s
City Engineer, younger people are starting to move
in, and the city - as well as its long-time residents -
is working hard to accommodate their needs and
desires. “The community here is very, very passion-
ate – they live and breathe Upper Arlington. When we
went to the ballot last fall for a tax increase to improve
our city’s infrastructure, the residents understood the
need and supported it. But to get the younger genera-
tion in, we’ve really got to focus on ‘connectivity.’ So
we’re starting to develop bicycle plans and adding
more sidewalks, and what the city can do to support
those things.”
And according to Thiel, the City Council has supported
that focus by passing what she refers to as “a com-
plete street policy.” She explains: “Any major roadway
construction projects we now undertake must also in-
clude accommodations for bicycles, pedestrians, and
transit.” That mandate has informed the city’s upcom-
ing Tremont Road construction project, a major infra-
structure undertaking, which is slated to begin its first
phase, this July.
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
City of Upper Arlington, Ohio
WHAT:
A suburban city of approximately 34,000
residents
WHERE:
Northwest of the Columbus, Ohio met-
ropolitan area
WEBSITE
:
INFRASTRUCTURE
