Note: Not to brag, but the Professor said that she thought this was a very adventurous and evocative interpretation of the landscape. The student reviewing this interpretation, jumped onto his bicycle and cycled along the Olentangy River with the intention of visiting Franklinton. He got annoyed with the Olentangy trail mid way because he found it very ugly, thought what the hell, and turned right back again. He's from Austin, and therefore, weird in the most awesome way. I hope you have as good a time as I had reading this very landscape with very strange intertwined narratives.
My research deals with studying watershed programs with an
aim to alleviate poverty, and further economic development in rural India and
the Appalachian region in the U.S. Specifically, I am interested in studying
issues of participation, equity in the distribution of benefits, and
sustainability of such programs to improve the health of the environment. For
this assignment, I decided to study the Olentangy River, and the flooding
phenomenon in Franklinton. I zeroed in on Franklinton because it is an
impoverished neighborhood, and plans are underway to stimulate investment in
this area with the participation of the people. I was curious to understand the reasons behind
Franklinton being treated like an unwanted part of Columbus. Previous readings
had shown that Franklinton has a strong Appalachian presence, and is
predominantly occupied by poor whites. Franklinton also has high rates of
poverty, with more than a third of its population living below the poverty line
in 2000, with low socio-economic status (Bratt, 2007).
For this assignment, I walked along the Olentangy River
Trail on 22nd April, starting from Veterinary Sciences Building. It
took me 2 hours to reach downtown, after I which I took the number 10 bus to
Franklinton. I visited Franklinton again on 25th April. This time, I
took the number 3 bus to downtown, and then the number 10 bus again.
Rivers
have always interested me. The banks of the rivers are the foundations of
cities, and are a major reason for the building and breaking of civilizations.
The existence and functioning of cities depends on water. This is one reason
why I chose to study practices of water management. Though I study water
management in rural areas, I am increasingly drawn towards water management in
urban areas. I decided to walk along the river was to understand the drainage
pattern of the river, to view the neighborhoods that have sprung up along the
river, and find out the uses of the river. I had previously read that flooding on
the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers was a common phenomenon, and a floodwall built in
2004, around 10 years back, has now contained the waters.
The river seems to be cleaner near campus, and then progressively gets murkier as one reaches the Kings Avenue Bridge. The flow of the river also reduces, and the river becomes narrower. Walking along the Olentangy Trail, I saw people fishing in the water. The river becomes wider near its confluence with the Scioto, and the water looks cleaner.
The bridges across the river have interesting bits of historical information. Both the bridges make a reference to the 1913 floods, which destroyed many bridges in Columbus.
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| Confluence of the Olentangy and Scioto |
I decided to venture into Franklinton because it has an
interesting history of being located on a floodplain, which has resulted in its
impoverished status. It is also known as the “The Bottoms” because it is low in
elevation, and it is a name for a place which houses poor people, or is the
poor part of a town/city.
Franklinton is 15 years older than Columbus, and was founded
by Lucas Sullivant in 1797. I walked along West Broad Street, and historical
markers and signs are present throughout the street marking this fact. However,
there were no signs marking the 1913 flood, which killed 90 people in
Franklinton.
The floods along the Scioto and the Olentangy Rivers are one
of the major reasons for the lack of development in this part of the city. The
frequent occurrence of floods created a policy that disallowed insurance to
homes that were inundated.
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| Veteran's Memorial |
From Downtown, Franklinton is hidden behind COSI and the
Veterans Memorial. COSI was built to spur economic development in Franklinton,
but it does not seem to have accomplished that objective. I was unable to
comprehend that another neighborhood exists just across the river from the busy
downtown district. This was because, I felt, COSI visually obstructs view of
Franklinton, and being surrounded by the tall buildings, it is difficult to
even begin to imagine that there exists a neighborhood, in dire need of
attention. The contrast is startling as one enters Franklinton. I took the
Number 10 bus from downtown, and as it crossed the river, it was as if the
river was marking a boundary in time; between the old and the new. Franklinton,
then, seems as if it has been intentionally left behind, and the various
government buildings coming up are being built to remove any glimpses of
Franklinton from downtown.
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| A view of downtown from Franklinton |
There are a range of landscapes to observe in Franklinton.
There are historical markers, boarded apartments, abandoned homes, well
maintained churches on one side of the street, and the sprawling Mount Carmel
Hospital on the Southern part of the neighborhood. The landscape looks
deteriorated, and urges one to think whether it has always been as run down, or
whether it has seen happier times. Franklinton is rectangular shape, and is
bounded by natural and manmade barriers from all sides. I walked along West
Broad Street, which runs east to west. Three other streets run west to east,
but most of the traffic is concentrated on West Broad Street, which is easily
accessible from downtown. The first thing that hit me was the sense of
emptiness in Franklinton. On the first day that I was there, I hardly spotted
anyone on the streets. The second day that I was there, I decided to keep
count, and spotted 17 people in all.
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| Some of Franklinton's claims to fame |
Most of the buildings had graffiti and art on them. It added color to the, otherwise, crumbling landscape. Historical markers proudly proclaim the fact that it is the first settlement in the Scioto Valley. Franklinton has other claims to fame too: it has the oldest active Fire Service in Columbus, and it is a well-maintained building. It is also the only LEED certified fire station in Columbus. While I was there, a school tour seemed to be in progress.
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| Art on the walls |
The street was otherwise, lined with shops and businesses that had closed down, or relocated elsewhere.
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| Deserted streets, but for a curious goose |
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| I tried to get in, but it was boarded |
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| An abandoned pub/restaurant |
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| Diamonds are really forever |
I also tried to get in touch with a couple of
organizations in Franklinton; The Franklinton Development Association (FDA),
which is responsible for rehabilitation of houses, and the Franklinton
Historical Society (FHS). I called them up on 24th April, the day
before I was going to visit Franklinton, and hit the voice mail for both. FDA
guided me through a series of automated messages before ending my call. I,
therefore, decided to visit their offices. FDA was on West Broad Street, but,
unfortunately, it was shut. While their website said that they are open through out the week, that did not seem to be the
case. The streets were deserted, and so I could not find someone to ask about
it.
A walk along the street reveals that in a
previous time, shops did make brave attempts to do business. Some of them are
still open, but they still seem to be out of place here. It made me wonder
about whether Franklinton had seen prosperous times in the past.
Some businesses seem to have relocated recently, and have
signs saying that have moved, or the premises are for rent.
The Franklinton Historical Society (FHS) was in
a very interesting neighborhood. The address given was 192 S Princeton Avenue.
The second I entered into this neighborhood, I felt unwelcome, unsafe, and
frightened. I had an eerie feeling, while walking in a neighborhood. Most of
the houses are broken down. The houses were boarded, abandoned, had broken windows, with junk
lying all across the yards. Sometimes loud voices would erupt from some of the
houses, which would be answered by barking dogs, suggesting that not all of the
houses were abandoned. Rusty and unused cars were parked along the street.
There was loud music blasting out of one of the cars, which on closer
inspection was occupied by a couple of people who were watching me. I reached the address, and found no sign of
the FHS. The house was locked.
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| Some houses taken over by the City of Columbus for Redevelopment |
Though Franklinton on the surface seems to be abandoned, there are signs of an active community. Businesses are open, and cafes had their patrons.
As I headed back towards downtown, the landscape transformed
dramatically. The sense of urgency and busyness is palpable in the air of
downtown. There were people once again on the road, a TV crew was stationed in
front of City Hall, and a group of cyclists had halted for some refreshments.
Franklinton is, once again relegated to a far corner of the mind, to be
forgotten.
Resident’s Perspective- Shoshanah Inwood
Shoshanah has been living in Franklinton since the past
three years. Her husband is the chairperson of the Franklinton Homeowner’s
Association. They moved into Franklinton because of low home prices and the
excitement of living in a neighborhood that was being redeveloped. In addition, there is are strong peer
networks of church groups, the Nazarene group, which encourage people to move
in to Franklinton. She said that religious groups are playing a big role in
motivating the community to come together. However, she reckons that some of
the groups are just about ‘a lot of talk, and no action’.
Franklinton Gardens has been playing a major role in undertaking
community development projects. They are revitalizing the neighborhood by
promoting urban gardens, which also helps to utilize the open spaces in
Franklinton. However, a conflict has been brewing between the Franklinton
Development Association (FDA), and Franklinton Gardens regarding the use of the
open spaces. FDA wanted to use the open spaces for development, while
Franklinton Gardens wanted to use the open spaces for urban gardens.
The Franklinton Board of Trade has initiated a number of
economic development projects such as the Cornerstone Improvement Area to bring
in fresh fruits, and vegetables in to Franklinton. Franklinton does not have a
grocery store, and this has received a lot of support from the community.
Bicycle coops have also come up in the area.
Urban Sprawl, and Go West are some the festivals in
Franklinton that promote urban art. There is also the Creative Arts Community
in Franklinton. One of the graffiti pictures above is on a restaurant, which is
going to be taken over and remade.
I was also curious about the kind of residents who are
responding to these community led programs- that is whether they are old
timers, or people who are just moving into Franklinton. Shoshanah said that it
is a mix of both. Old residents of Franklinton are very keen to see that the
neighborhood is transformed. People who participate in these projects are in
their mid twenties.
There has also been some talk about redeveloping the Cooper
Stadium. It was a baseball stadium previously, and now plans are underway to
develop it into a racing track to spur investment in the area, and create jobs.
The residents are not very happy with the new development because they are not
sure what kind of jobs will be created (whether they will be part time, full
time), and they do not want to live near the racing tracks with the sounds of
the cars.
Another problem is of property owners who operate like
slumlords. They purchase a bunch of houses, which results in land speculation.
It also becomes difficult to track them, as the houses are registered under
different names.
Franklinton also has a lot of old people. Being poor, they
are not able to access healthcare. The Mount Carmel hospital has not done much
for the neighborhood, and is currently being sued by the residents of
Franklinton for not providing timely healthcare. This is a larger issue because
poverty is causing some people to stay or move in to Franklinton, and being poor,
they cannot get health insurance. They are some groups who are organizing to
campaign for social justice, and responsibility on the part of the institutions
that are present in Franklinton.
COSI, which was built to promote economic development in
Franklinton was previously a high school. The high school gave way to COSI, and
this led to school drop out rates shooting up in Franklinton. Most of those students
do not go to school now.
The crime in Franklinton is mostly between people who know
each other. Prostitution is common, and there are gangs of kids. At night
gunshots ring through the neighborhood, but people are unconcerned because
fights are between relatives, and they know that it will not affect them. There
are a lot of teem moms in Franklinton.
Dogs for the Blind, Columbus Buddhist Center, and
organizations for Somali refugees are present in Franklinton.
Tommy’s Diner and Milos are some the places that get in a
lot of customers. (I walked past Tommy’s Diner at 10 am in the morning, and it
was close to full).
Now, Franklinton is being seen as a cool place to live in
according to an article in the Columbus Dispatch. Shoshanah says that it is cool because the danger
levels have gone down now. She also feels that there is a sense of adventure
because of the community rebuilding projects.
I also mentioned previously that I tried to get in touch
with the Franklinton Historical Society (FHS). Shoshanah told me that the
president of the FHS, Carol Stewart, had just passed away on 27th
April, and while I was trying to get in touch with her she had been admitted
into the hospital.
While I was in Franklinton, I also visited Franklinton Gardens,
and the Bicycle coop. Unfortunately, both were shut.
Bravo! Well done.
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