Columbia residents are saying out with the old and in with the new.
A new advocacy group launched this week, called Columbia Tomorrow, is urging residents to support change in Columbia.
“Columbia is not a museum. It’s a living thing that can grow and change,” said Phil Engelke, the group’s vice president.
“We should be demanding the best buildings, planning and institutions.”
Earlier this summer, a similar group, Columbia 2.0 at columbia2.wordpress.com, formed with a youth focus in response to General Growth Properties Inc.’s plans for redeveloping Town Center during the next 20 to 30 years.
“Our mission is to help create a more sustainable, inclusive and attractive community that strives for excellence,” said Columbia Tomorrow president Jud Malone.
The new group, which will operate through a small steering committee, said it will base its advocacy on five core beliefs:
• Columbia is a city;
• Columbia is unique;
• Leadership matters;
• Institutions are stewards of community values;
• Cooperation, collaboration and creativity are essential when striving for excellence.
Community members, who learned about the group during a meeting this week in Symphony Woods off Little Patuxent Parkway, said they hope an interest in Columbia also will spur regional change.
“We need to think about our county and region and not just a little part in Howard County,” said Ruth Alice White, a community advocate on many issues such as climate change.
Malone said he hopes to rally the community so they come together for workshops and increase their attention on the Columbia Association and its partnership with other organizations.
“We want residents to understand what makes a public space attractive,” he said.
In recent years, Columbia has started to show its age, residents said.
Symphony Woods, for example, was part of the original plan for Columbia more than 40 years ago and now has erosion and runoff issues, is isolated from the rest of downtown, is not regularly used and is generally unattractive, the group says.
“Symphony Woods was totally neglected and unintentionally misused over the years,” Malone said.
GGP now is calling for the restoration of Symphony Woods, as part of its master plan.
“Symphony Woods is Columbia in miniature,” Malone said.
“What’s true of Symphony Woods is true of the whole community.”
