Category: Up To Speed

Links to keep you up to speed on what’s happening in Cincinnati and what we can learn from other cities.

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Up To Speed

What can cities do to roll out BRT faster?

What can cities do to roll out BRT faster?

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) introduced its first Metro*Plus route in 2013. This type of service is often described as “bus plus”, meaning that it has some benefits over standard bus service, but is not quite up to the level of true bus rapid transit (BRT).

According to a recent post on Portland Transport, rolling out small, incremental improvements to bus service (as SORTA has done) may be more effective than focusing all effort into a small number of BRT routes. It may also be the best way to improve bus service while minimizing the number of political hurdles:

Don’t focus on “BRT” as a separate product, just focus on bus service improvements. In much of Europe, there is no “BRT”–the standard for basic bus service (at least on corridors) often involves things like greater stop-spacing, offboard fare payment, larger vehicles with all-door boarding, signal priority, and exclusive lanes (though not necessarily for the entire length of the route). […]

In many cases, do these quietly, without much fanfare, and without a big splashy project. Big splashy big-ticket projects are more likely to attract political opposition and political opportunism. As Harry S Truman said, “it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

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Up To Speed

Are the years of suburban corporate campuses behind us?

Are the years of suburban corporate campuses behind us?.

Many things have changed in America since the golden age of suburbia. The country is now much more diverse and tech-focused, and young people seem to be ignoring The American Dream in a pursuit of their own, newer ideals. One of the relics of The American Dream is the suburban corporate campus, and its death may have just been signaled. More from Better! Cities & Towns:

Smartly clad structures perfectly reflected their pinstripe suited, clean-cut occupants. It was a near perfect match of sociology and architecture. The male breadwinner toiling all day inside a glass box, coming home to the American Dream: a detached “Colonial style” house with a manicured lawn. The Betty Crocker cookbook of that era advised housewives to have a mixed drink ready for their husband’s eagerly expected return, along with tips on how to set a table when the domestic help had the day off.  We all know how that dream turned out.

Some Boomers smugly claim that Millennials will fall back into line as soon as they have children. Well, guess what? They aren’t having kids. They aren’t even marrying. Nor are they buying cars. And not because they can’t afford them. They don’t want them.

The folks who run Weyerhaeuser are a smart bunch. I’m sure they started projecting out how long it would be before they would have a difficult time recruiting younger workers to reverse commute.

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Up To Speed

Is an apartment development at Eighth and Sycamore worthy of public financing?

​Is an apartment development at Eighth and Sycamore worthy of public financing?.

As was previously teased by Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley (D), there is the possibility of building a residential mid-rise atop the planned parking garage at Eighth and Sycamore Streets. The developer initially engaged, however, is saying that they will need some gap financing from the City to make it happen. Do you think it’s worth the public investment? More from the Business Courier:

Rick Kimbler, a partner at NorthPointe Group, which is developing the project along with North American Properties and Al Neyer, said the group is trying to assemble financing for the project.

“We don’t have the financing put together, so it’s not really a project yet,” Kimbler said. “We will definitely need some gap filler from the city. There’s no question about that because mid-rise construction downtown is expensive, and the city is straining, trying to be helpful, but their funds are limited.”

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Up To Speed

3CDC acquires three key properties from affordable housing developer

3CDC acquires three key properties from affordable housing developer.

The Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) has made a somewhat major move in acquiring three new properties in the heart of Over-the-Rhine south of Liberty Street. While many neighborhood leaders are cheering the move, some others are expressing concern over the acquisition of properties that have been housing low-income residents. More from the Business Courier:

Anastasia Mileham, vice president of communications for 3CDC, said the three buildings have about 80 apartments, 16 of which were vacant when 3CDC purchased the properties earlier this month. “They are pretty significant problem buildings,” Mileham said. “Lots of calls for service, lots of criminal activity, gun activity. They are problem properties for the neighborhood. The residents have voiced an interest in moving out of these problem spaces.”

3CDC is working with the Model Group, the Community Builders, Affordable Housing Advocates Cincinnati and Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati to help current residents of the buildings find new homes. Some residents have already found other living situations.

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Up To Speed

Denver taking the corner store approach to solve their food desert problem

Denver taking the corner store approach to solve their food desert problem.

During his first State of the City address, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley (D) made a point to discuss the city’s food desert’s and how he intends to address one of them with a new full-service grocery store in Avondale. Meanwhile in Denver, city officials there are taking a slightly different approach. More from The Denver Post:

This colorful corner store, painted orange and lime green, sits at the intersection of East 30th Avenue and Downing Street in the Whittier neighborhood, which is considered a food desert, far from a full-service grocer. It’s one of five corner stores in a pilot program called the Healthy Corner Store Initiative, started in August by the city and county of Denver’s Department of Environmental Health, and funded by a grant of more than $327,000 from the Colorado Health Foundation.

The plan is to implement the economic-development model in 50 corner stores throughout these neighborhoods over the next three years, helping the small-business owners by providing technical assistance to help carry more healthy products while promoting positive messages about nutritious foods in their stores. Other organizations in the neighborhood also offer classes in nutrition and healthy cooking.