Tag: planning

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Up To Speed

Cincinnati’s decades-long population loss may be stabilizing

Cincinnati’s decades-long population loss may be stabilizing.

After the Census Bureau delivered sobering population numbers to city officials as part of the 2010 Census, it now appears that Cincinnati’s population loss may finally be stabilizing. More from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

New estimates released calculate that Cincinnati now has 296,223 residents, for a decline of 0.2 percent from April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2011…The 2010 Census showed Cincinnati lost more than 10 percent of its population from 2000, falling below 300,000 people for the first time in more than a century.

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Up To Speed

California approves $7.9B for high-speed rail

California approves $7.9B for high-speed rail.

The California state Senate approved billions of dollars for what is considered to be the nation’s largest infrastructure project on Friday. Part of the nearly $8 billion of state and federal money comes from Ohio since most of the $400 million Governor John Kasich (R) returned to the federal government was redirected to California’s project. More from the San Francisco Chronicle:

The cost of the high-speed rail line – now estimated at $68 billion – has ballooned since voters approved the bonds four years ago, and public support for the bullet train has fallen as projected costs rose. The high-speed system would connect San Francisco to Los Angeles with trains expected to run as fast as 220 mph.

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Business Development News

Washington Park to celebrate grand reopening this Friday

Those who frequently spend time in Over-the-Rhine have dealt with the reconstruction of Washington Park over the past one-and-a-half years.

The $48 million growing pains, project officials claimed, would be worth it as the renovated and expanded park would enhance quality of life while also providing 450 new parking spaces tucked neatly underground beneath the park’s new northern lawn space.


Looking south along Race Street at the nearly finished Washington Park. All Washington Park photographs were taken last week by Jake Mecklenborg for UrbanCincy.

Project and city officials will gather with the community on Friday to celebrate Washington Park’s grand reopening. The moment comes at perfect timing as the World Choir Games, and its thousands of visitors, will begin populating the center city this weekend.

New features of the park include an interactive playground, dog park, open lawn space, performance space, and interactive fountains in addition to the overall upgrades made to the rest of the existing features.

The park’s completion marks the end of an era of change for the area that began with the demolition of Washington Park Elementary School, and included the addition of the School for Creative & Performing Arts (SCPA). Those changes, when combined with the future Music Hall renovation and Cincinnati Streetcar, have led to dozens of nearby buildings being renovated into new housing and commercial space.

Those who have not visited Washington Park in some time may want to check it out during the World Choir Games. The new look and feel of the area may surprise you.

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Up To Speed

Cincinnati’s form-based code moment in time

Cincinnati’s form-based code moment in time.

Cincinnati officials continue to push forward with a new effort that would bring a form-based zoning code to the Queen City. The move wouldn’t be the first in the nation, nor would it be the first in the region, but it would be one of the biggest and most noteworthy. More from Better! Cities & Towns:

Choosing and refining a form-based organizing principle for a city the size of Cincinnati with such a diverse range of pre-1940s urban patterns and a rich urban morphology is one of the most challenging, but underappreciated aspects of creating a form-based code. For Cincinnati, the urban-to-rural Transect was selected as the organizing principle and was up to the task. The calibration of the Transect allowed the team to create a framework that would reinforce the fine-grain fabric and rich palette of building types that are an important part of defining the community character of the city’s urban neighborhoods.

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Business News

UrbanCincy launches new monthly networking event for urban professionals

On Tuesday, July 3, UrbanCincy will host the first of what will become a monthly networking event for urban professionals. The event, called URBANexchange, will take place from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of every month at the Moerlein Lager House.

URBANexchange is meant to not only engage active urban professionals, but also those who have a general interest in urbanism and want to exchange thoughts and ideas with others with similar passions. The event will be casual in nature and is meant to serve as a place to exchange ideas and build personal networks.


The Moerlein Lager House along Cincinnati’s central riverfront. Photograph by Cory Klein.

UrbanCincy has partnered with The Urbanists, who previously helped foster iRhine, to activate the region’s network of individuals interested in continuing the urban renaissance taking place in Cincinnati.

“In previous years the collection of engaged urbanists in Cincinnati has grown, but it has largely been focused in center city neighborhoods,” explained UrbanCincy owner, Randy Simes. “This event is meant to serve as a gathering place for urbanists throughout the region in an effort to grow that base of individuals advocating for better public policy.”

The inaugural event will take place at the Moerlein Lager House’s second-floor bar overlooking the new Smale Riverfront Park and historic Roebling Suspension Bridge. Thanks to Metro, those who sign-in will have a chance at winning four tickets to the World Choir Games’ Champions Concert on Saturday, July 14.

Future URBANexchange dates will be announced on UrbanCincy.com and through Facebook. URBANexchange is free and open to the public, and those attending are encouraged to use Metro bus service to get to the Moerlein Lager House and the World Choir Games should you be the lucky winner of the free tickets.