About Quest
Quest isn’t an organization. It’s how Columbus talks about its future.
Inspired by J. Irwin Miller’s 1964 vision to build America’s best community, Quest Columbus is a bold movement designed to build our community’s future for all, by all.
This isn’t a city initiative, an exclusive committee, or a top-down project. It is a shared vision where every resident, school, business, and neighborhood holds the power to shape our community to be the best it can be for everyone.
Join us in transforming civic participation into an accessible, everyday culture where everyone is empowered, and everyone owns a piece of our shared future.
From the Beginning
In 2023, a group of neighbors gathered for a casual conversation around Columbus’ future. As the discussion grew, so did the need to invite others to the conversation. Listening sessions were held around the community to encourage more residents to start thinking about how we can build America’s best community together.
In the fall of 2025, the Columbus community shared their thoughts, dreams, and perspectives through 3,000 survey responses. Those responses helped organize our work into distinct categories, or pillars:
Economic Vitality
The best economy works for everyone by attracting the supporting businesses to help people grow and thrive.
Education & Talent
The best community maximizes opportunity and human potential through education and upward mobility.
Sense of Place
The best place is where you feel you belong—drawn together by a thriving downtown and a vibrant arts and cultural life.
A Community for All by All
Exceeding the fundamental community needs of all people, including safety, health, well-being, housing, and child care, is essential to achieving excellence.
Today, several organizations and community members are working together to develop high-level strategies within the pillars to help Columbus achieve our most ambitious goals over the next 25 years.
Quest For Best Organizational Series
Connecting Your Organization’s Purpose to Columbus’ Shared Vision
You don’t need to change your mission to transform our city. The Quest for Best Organizational Series invites local businesses and civic organizations to look at their everyday work through a fresh, collaborative lens.
Through focused cohorts, we help teams identify what “best” means in their industry and commit to one thing done exceptionally well. When local organizations take pride in perfecting their piece of the puzzle, Columbus collectively becomes America’s best community.
Ready to Get Involved?
A Great Community Doesn’t Just Happen. It is Built by the People Who Call It Home.
Unlike traditional community planning initiatives that rely on top-down directives, fixed agendas, or rigid organizational structures, Quest Columbus is built for all, by all. It’s the way Columbus talks about its own future.
It is intentionally designed to empower every neighbor to lead from where they are because every individual voice shapes our collective goals and every “one small thing” drives meaningful, lasting change. By replacing passive meetings with active co-creation, Quest transforms civic participation into an everyday culture where everyone belongs, everyone is empowered, and everyone owns a piece of our shared future.
One Small Thing is your simple way to get involved in Quest Columbus on your own terms. It’s not about the size of the project or impact. One Small Thing is about making your corner of Columbus a little brighter, kinder, or stronger.
