Tag: education

Categories
Business Development News

Former Boss Cox home to become new Clifton Library Branch

The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County will move its Clifton Branch from Ludlow Avenue to Parkview Manor nearby.  The $3.5 million project will require a full renovation of the 1895 home for notorious Cincinnati politician George Barnsdale “Boss” Cox.

Once the home of arguably Cincinnati’s most influential politician, the 10,000 square-foot Parkview Manor was designed by the famed Samuel Hannaford and is located directly across from Burnet Woods near the intersection of Brookline, Wentworth and Jefferson avenues (map).  Hannaford’s trademark use of limestone coursing and geometrically shaped rooms are visible here.  The architect’s firm, Hannaford and Sons, completed over 300 buildings in the Cincinnati area, including both Music Hall and City Hall.

Boss Cox meanwhile was known for controlling the goings on in Cincinnati through the Reform movement of the late 1800s. While his methods of governance were dictatorial and corrupt, Cox also made contributions to the city, including street cleaning and developing the plan for the ill-fated subway system.

The existing Clifton Branch of the Public Library is currently one of the busiest, and smallest, in the entire county-wide system. Its location on Ludlow Avenue does not have a dedicated meeting space, yet last year the branch presented 232 programs which were attended by 5,281 people.  The programs included a wide variety of topics including a weekly preschool story time and an English as a second language conversation group.

Circulation at the Clifton Branch has increased more than 12 percent over the past four years, which library officials believe is evidence that demand for the library is far exceeding the current capacity. The new location would be four times the size of the current building on Ludlow Avenue.  The new facility would also allow for a larger material collection space, more computer space, a dedicated children’s area, program room, teen area, and an easily accessible location with 16 parking spots in an extremely walkable neighborhood.

In order to make this dream a reality, library officials need to raise $3.5 million to renovate Parkview Manor and complete the move.  The library is actively seeking contributions for this project, and those interested in helping can contact development director John Reusing at (513) 369-4591 or through the project’s web page.

Categories
Development News Transportation

UC planning students create redevelopment plan for Dantas Barreto Corridor in Recife, Brazil

In an effort to prepare for the 2014 World Cup, Recife, Brazil is looking to redevelop its historic Dantas Barreto Corridor into a tourist-friendly, walkable, and culturally significant area. To accomplish this Recife city officials have looked to students from the University of Cincinnati’s nationally-acclaimed School of Planning.

After spending months in the port city in 2009, 13 students and faculty developed a detailed plan that would serve as a guide to redevelop the corridor. As preparation efforts ramp up, city officials now appear poised to formally adopt the UC redevelopment plan.

“There is a move by the city to officially adopt the UC plan, and the city and UC are now in negotiations with the hope that the UC School of Planning can continue in an advising role as the plan is adopted and them implemented,” said Michael Romanos, Professor of Planning, University of Cincinnati.

The redevelopment plan calls for burial of utilities, business improvement loans, community policing strategies complimented by two small police stations, pedestrian cultural tours, establishment of a small business incubator, galleries to show and sell work of local artists, “major” reconfiguration of traffic along the waterfront, streetscape improvements, composting and recycling programs, streets trees, green roofs, and entrepreneurship training among other things.

The improvements are geared towards improving the traffic and parking conditions, enhancing the cultural heritage, enhancing and diversifying business activities, and increasing residential development in the corridor.

Founded in the 1500s, Recife boasts a population of nearly four million residents and is facing many challenges as they prepare for the international sporting event four years from now. The work produced by University of Cincinnati students and faculty is being seen as a major benefit though as the city marches forward.

“The work with UC was one of the best collaborations we had in the past year,” said Milton Botler, Coordinator of Urban Planning, City of Recife. “The City hopes to receive Inter-American Bank funding to finance physical improvements of the Dantas Barreto Corridor between January 2011 and December 2012.”

Michael Romanos and Carla Chifos, Associate Professor of Planning, have led groups of student in international study and planning work in the past in other parts of the world including Thirasia, Greece where a team of students worked to develop a plan for the small Greek island as it manages tourism traffic on its largely uninhabited land.

Categories
News Politics

New Cincinnati non-profit takes on education equality

A newly formed Cincinnati-based non-profit is attempting to take on one of the more complex issues facing cities: Education. DevonshireSmith Diversity & Education Solutions (DVS) was launched last week with the goal of increasing high school and college graduation rates among minority groups.

DVS emphasizes that a lack of educational opportunities within minority communities can lead to other significant issues such as poverty. The non-profit points out that, in 2008, the median earnings of young adults (ages 25-34) with a bachelor’s degree was $46,000; $36,000 for those with an associate’s degree, $30,000 for those who complete high school, and $23,500 for those who did not earn a high school diploma or equivalent.

The progressive group will utilize community and school based initiatives, while also working towards filling service gaps and support for non-profit organizations, high schools, colleges, and universities. Some of the group’s projects include campus diversity education, curriculum development, and recruitment and retention plans.

Michael D. Griffin, Co-Founder and DVS Executive Director says “DevonshireSmith aims to shift the public conversation from the equality of educational access of minoritized groups to the equity of educational attainment for these groups.”

According to DVS, the state of education for minority groups has two major hurdles to overcome. First, the number of minority students being retained and graduating from high school and college has either become stagnant or is on the decline. Secondly, education and youth professionals are lacking the required level of cultural familiarity to effectively address the significant needs facing these students.

DVS believes that youth development and empowerment can lead to an increased number of minority graduates, thus leading to stronger communities in Cincinnati’s urban core. To help achieve their goals, DVS has created a plan that consists of three organizational hallmarks:

  1. A comprehensive youth development strategy that focuses on academic success, self-assessment, heightened expectations, personal development, character development, leadership development, civic engagement, career exploration, cultural/social justice education, and post-baccalaureate education exploration.
  2. A comprehensive community based approach that includes the participation of parents and other surrogate caregivers, educational institutions, the nonprofit community, the faith community, and the corporate community.
  3. Creating a process for educational institutional transformation that includes the participation of better prepared and engaged students and more culturally competent faculty, administrators, practitioners, and staff.

The most astonishing statistic provided by DVS compares the cost of a college education with that of a prison inmate. The group states that The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction spends about $2 billion annually, an average cost of $25,367 per inmate each year. Conversely, in 2008-2009, the average cost for one-year of tuition fees at a four-year public university in Ohio was $8,588 according to CollegeAdvantage 2010 data.

At the same time, the average reading level of inmates is at a grade level of 7.5, while 80 percent of the offenders are high school drop outs. According to the Ohio Department Rehabilitation & Correction, approximately 30 percent of the males and 20 percent of the females read at less than a 6th grade level and are considered functionally illiterate. DVS is hoping that they can begin to reverse these numbers by reaching out to a ‘hard to serve’ population in a more direct fashion.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment Development News

Take a mini-tour of UC’s dramatic architecture and urban campus

The campus of the University of Cincinnati has been called one of the most dynamic urban campuses in the world, and recently named one of the world’s most beautiful campuses by Forbes Magazine.  Stunning architecture is met by dramatic urban spaces in the heart of Uptown Cincinnati, and it can all be seen in this video produced by Soapbox Cincinnati.

“There are at least a dozen buildings designed by world-renowned architects in partnership with local architects,” said Michaele Pride, Director, School of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati.  “The highest concentration of these special buildings align with what is now known as Main Street in the center of campus.”

Categories
Business Development News

Xavier University’s campus transforming for the 21st Century

Williams College of Business

Xavier University is in the midst of a building boom. New buildings are rising that will continue the transformation the university’s main campus. Work has been ongoing for some time and most is expected to be complete for the next academic year.

At the corner of Ledgewood and Dana, there is a new 88,000 square-foot building being erected for the Williams College of Business. Xavier will take possession of the building from the construction crews this month. It will be ready for students by August, the beginning of the next academic year.

Nearby the 84,000 square-foot Conaton Learning Commons is rising, and is a multi-use facility uniquely suited to the modern student’s need of a flexible space packed with technology. It too will be ready when the students come this August.

Further down Ledgewood Avenue, which is sporting a new median and roundabout, a new 240,000 square-foot dormitory and dining complex is currently under construction as part of the Hoff Academic Quad. These buildings, which currently have two huge cranes towering above them, still require about a year before completion but will eventually house and feed hundreds of Xavier students.