Author: Randy A. Simes

Randy is an award-winning urban planner who founded UrbanCincy in May 2007. He grew up on Cincinnati’s west side in Covedale, and graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s nationally acclaimed School of Planning in June 2009. In addition to maintaining ownership and serving as the managing editor for UrbanCincy, Randy has worked professionally as a planning consultant throughout the United States, Korea and the Middle East. After brief stints in Atlanta and Chicago, he currently lives in the Daechi neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangnam district.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Skate for cheap on Fountain Square

Cincinnati’s popular ice rink on Fountain Square is open every day through February 22nd, and thanks to some special deals you can take advantage of this seasonal attraction for as little as $1.03.

Skate rental will still be the same ($2.50) each time you visit, but the rink won’t be up for much longer so you should take advantage of it and these deals while they last. If you’re one of those young people taking advantage of the noon-5pm special I would recommend getting down there for some lunch (try Javier’s for something good, warm, local, and cheap) and then hitting up the rink.

Families should get down there and then enjoy a carriage ride around Downtown on those lazy Sunday afternoons. Maybe grab some breakfast at Tazza Mia before you set the kids lose on the ice rink. And for the DJ and Radio Skates I would recommend hitting up a nearby happy hour before hand to really get the party started and make things a little interesting out there on the ice rink.

  • Radio Skates, every Friday from 6-10pm through 2/20. Kiss 107 FM and Mojo 100.3 FM will offer admission for $1.07 and $1.03 respectively.
  • DJ Skates, every Saturday from 7-10pm between 1/10 and 2/21. Regular admission ($2.50) but skaters will enjoy free entertainment from a DJ.
  • Family Skates, every Sunday from 10am-2pm. Children under 12 years of age get free admission and will be joined by a host of characters like Rufus the Library Dog (1/11).
  • High School/College Nights, Monday through Friday every week from noon-5pm. High school and college students, with a valid student ID, skate for free.

Photo Credit: http://www.myfountainsquare.com/

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News

Thinking big in a bold, new Cincinnati

Is it possible? That’s the question I find myself asking more and more lately. Cincinnati has been doing a number of great things lately and the place we all love seems to be making positive strides in a number of areas (i.e. education, public safety). With all of these positive steps forward there seems to be a never-ending list of more items that we all want to see happen.

There seems to be a large contingent of people out there who want to see the region’s transportation system improved. Maybe it’s light rail, streetcars, buses, bridges, or something else. You might like the idea of one, some, or even all of these…or maybe you like parts of some and not of others. That’s not what I’m talking about.

What I want to know is are we capable of doing several of these things without jeopardizing the others? I am in favor of the streetcar system, but I would also like to see our bus system reformed and expanded. I would also like to see a light rail system that goes right along with a regional high speed rail system connecting urban centers across the Midwest.

It is not an either/or proposition here. We can have improved bus service AND invest in the beginnings of a comprehensive streetcar system. We can rebuild I-75 through Queensgate and the West End while also incorporating “green” strategies and reconnecting neighborhoods. And I think we can repopulate Over-the-Rhine without also displacing or harming the current residents there. It’s just a matter of will, and I think Cincinnati is starting to build up the necessary will to be able to act in such a way (see The Banks, QCS II). Are you on board?

Photo By Jake Mecklenburg – http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/

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Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati area parks a growing community asset

Cincinnati is known for its great park system. The Cincinnati Park Board boasts 70 neighborhood parks, five regional parks and 34 nature preserves. This doesn’t include the additional 16,000-plus acres of parks (80+% are dedicated natural areas) in the Hamilton County system.

Over the years both systems have seen a strong usership of the parks, and have gradually expanded their respective systems in quantity and available uses. Hamilton County has begun implementing mountain bike trails in their parks. Cincinnati in the mean time is building what will become the crowning jewel (Central Riverfront Park) for the already impressive Cincinnati Park System.

The Central Riverfront Park will then be connected with the nearly 1.5 miles of existing riverfront parks that stretch from Downtown through the East End. These parks will then soon be connected into the Ohio River Bike Trail that will introduce a dedicated bike trail from Downtown all the way to the Little Miami Scenic Trail (aka Loveland Bike Trail).

Ohio River Trail Map (click for larger version) – Provided

In 2008 more Hamilton County residents used the county’s parks than in any other year in the past two decades. In the recent University of Cincinnati study, 96% of respondents said that they or a member of their family had visited a park in the Hamilton County Park District in the past year.

The two systems combined make for one of Cincinnati’s strongest assets. They are great resources for the region and offer a wide variety of outdoor activities for people and nature preserves for the environment. In that same survey the most popular Hamilton County park was Winton Woods.

  • You can help make the Ohio River Bike Trail reality by making a secure, tax-deductible donation to The Ohio River Way on their website. $12m of the $16m needed has been identified to bring the trail from Newtown to Lunken Airport. The remaining $4m is needed to complete the final leg from Lunken to Downtown.
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News

Six year reform effort a success for CPD

The most important role of government is public safety. Over the past few years this has become the primary concern for voters in Cincinnati as the city reeled from the results of the 2001 race riots. This civil disturbance led to a close examination of how the Cincinnati Police Department conducts its business.

This examination was done by a court-appointed monitor, Saul Green, who closely examined the police department’s actions and procedures for the past six years. The report has been released and the results are very encouraging.

The monitor’s report refers to Cincinnati’s police reform effort as “one of the most ambitious ever attempted – and one of the most successful.” He goes on to say that Cincinnati is now a national model for how these types of reforms should happen.

These efforts of reform have not come alone. They have been matched with aggressive and innovative police strategies to fundamentally reduce violent crime in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) is the primary program of note in this regard.

The CIRV is a long-term effort that focuses on reducing the actual desire for individuals to commit and live their lives through crime. The results aren’t necessarily seen right away, but luckily enough for Cincinnati the numbers are already improving. This is probably a combination of things from Operation Vortex, to a number of major gang busts (see Tot Lot Posse and Northside Taliban), to improved community relations.

The bottom line is that public safety in Cincinnati is improving. This year saw a slight uptick (2005 – 2008 saw 79, 85, 67, 75 homicides respectively) in the overall number of homicides, but was on pace to be even lower than last year’s improved number until the string of non-random homicides at the end of the year. The work must continue and these aggressive and innovative measures should continually be tweaked to be most successful. But at this point Cincinnati, its leaders, and citizens deserve some congratulations.

Image Credit:
http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/monroenews/?ptp_photo_id=824726

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News

New Year’s Promise

With each new year there is new hope. We hope that we can change ourselves for the better and we hope that others try to do the same. In Cincinnati this is no different.

UrbanCincy’s goal has been to connect Cincinnatians throughout the tri-state with the events and news going on in the urban core. Too often this is an area that is overlooked by the local mainstream media except for the most obvious of news or the most depressing.

UrbanCincy pledges to continue to be a spot where the news relevant to Cincinnati’s urban core will be a focus. If it is good news, then it will be portrayed as such. Most importantly though, if it is bad news then a positive solution will be presented so that we can look at our faults in a proactive manner.

If there are any stories, news items, or areas of coverage that you think we didn’t do a good enough job covering in 2008 then please use the comments section to let us know. We are the change we want to be, so lets make Cincinnati the place we want it to become.

Fountain Square on NYE – Photo by Queen City Discovery