Columbia’s close-in neighborhoods are defined as those neighborhoods that surround the historic core and lie within the I-20, I-26, and I-77 beltway. See Figure 7-3. The essential strategies for these neighborhoods should be to enhance their attractiveness and livability. Toward this end the following strategies are recommended: 

Encourage infill housing
New housing opportunities within the “close-in” neighborhoods will be predominantly infill projects on vacant or underutilized land. Infill housing within residential areas should be of the same type and character as existing development. This means primarily single family detached homes on lots. Infill near urban village centers could be townhouses or apartments in addition to single family. It is important that the areas near such centers provide residents good pedestrian access to services. Housing for the elderly is to be encouraged near commercial and service centers and along future transit corridors for residents who don’t own automobiles. 

Encourage maintenance of existing housing stock and neighborhoods
It is important that housing and streetscapes within existing neighborhoods be maintained. Efforts at traffic calming should be explored where appropriate within residential neighborhoods. These could include the introduction of “play streets”, discontinuous streets, and on-street parking. Well-landscaped streets encourage maintenance of the housing stock in neighborhoods. Programs for replanting street trees, repair of sidewalks, and other maintenance techniques are to be encouraged.

Encourage new uses for historic structures
Historic structures can be rehabilitated for residential or mixed-use development. These structures add character to existing neighborhoods and provide a link to the city’s past.

Encourage new open space, parks and recreation facilities particularly along streambeds
The “town and country” regional vision advocates introducing towns into the country and conversely country into the towns. In the case of the close-in neighborhoods, the “country” includes the existing and potential open space systems that lie along stream corridors. These linear systems would afford urban bikeways and hiking trails that are free from automobile traffic. In addition they can help to define neighborhood edges as well as link together existing recreational and open space areas. The potential for these systems should be explored as part of the regional open space study described in the historic core section. 

Encourage creation of neighborhood centers 
Within the close-in neighborhood fabric there are opportunities for the creation of “urban villages” or centers. See Figure 7-4. These centers should be established along major roadways and feature mixed use development, pedestrian-friendly public environments, and opportunities for connection to future transit. The centers should be a focus for neighborhood-oriented services such as pharmacies, grocery stores, dry cleaners, post offices, and neighborhood restaurants and other convenience services. In order to encourage non-automobile access to the center the activities should be clustered within a one-half mile radius, or 10-minute walk, and be located so as to draw upon residents from a number of surrounding neighborhoods. 
Rezoning of strategic parcels to permit mixed-use will be necessary in order to implement this strategy. Along with rezoning should be a strategy for accommodating on-street and behind building parking, and the creation of build-to lines for new development. These strategies will encourage the creation of well-defined public street spaces and pedestrian-friendly village areas that encourage walking and bicycle use.