Tag: opinion

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Business News Politics Transportation

Cincinnati Enquirer abandoning city interests

Today the Virginia-based Cincinnati Enquirer has published yet another hit piece on the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar project.  The Gannett-owned newspaper sponsored a telephone survey of 600 adults in Cincinnati between Tuesday, May 18 and Wednesday, May 19.  The survey concluded that those who plan on riding the modern streetcar system were in support of the project, while 61% said that they were opposed to borrowing $64 million to build the initial system.

Now I could go on and on about the survey itself and about how telephone surveys are historically unreliable and undercount certain demographics, or about how borrowing money is par for the course in any local-level expenditure even though the survey presented it differently, or about how the Enquirer decided to use one of their patented misleading and sensationalist headlines for the story on their sponsored survey, but I won’t.

Instead I want to look at the disturbing trend that the Enquirer has of putting down the city to appeal to their suburban audiences.  Through the middle of May, the Enquirer has ran 56 negative letters to the editor and just three positive letters on the Cincinnati Streetcar.  Tom Callinan, Editor and Vice President of Content for the Cincinnati Enquirer, stated that these letters are simply representative of what is sent in, and that the Enquirer simply “takes what you send.”  Interesting, because I find it hard to believe that the disparity is that great, but I digress.

The coverage goes much farther than the outlandish publishing of anti-streetcar letters to the editor and includes editorials from Mr. Callinan himself that either directly bemoan the project or passively attack it.  The daily beat coverage of the topic has also been fairly skewed to appeal to these anti-streetcar readers in the suburbs.  Why is this the case though?  Why does the Enquirer feel the need to criticize and attack the city while boosting the suburbs in the region?

Recent letter to the editor in the Enquirer

The answer to that may lie in the conversation I had with a content editor at the Enquirer three years ago where he said, “We tell the stories our readership wants to hear.”  Encouraging right?  The Enquirer does not care about providing fair/balanced news coverage, they care only about their bottom line and telling the story they feel their readers want to hear.

At that time when I spoke with the content editor, not Mr. Callinan, the Enquirer had made a focused moved towards Cincinnati’s northern suburbs where the population growth was/is occurring, and where they felt they might be able to pick up new readers in the increasingly merging Cincinnati-Dayton metroplex.  And by no coincidence, it was around this time that I started UrbanCincy to start sharing the good stories happening in the city that the Enquirer cared not to share with its audience.

Since that time UrbanCincy has flourished beyond what I ever thought it would become.  Thousands of readers come to the site weekly to stay plugged in with what’s happening in Cincinnati’s urban core, and get news on things that quite frankly are not either covered in the Enquirer, or barely at all.  I do not take joy in this, nor do I make any kind of profit from this website, but I do find it telling that the readership continues to grow as more and more people get fed up with the Enquirer’s anti-city bias.  It does not have to be this way, but the Enquirer has chosen their side, and that is the side of the suburbs.  I truly wish there was not a need for a site like UrbanCincy as I would much prefer the daily print newspaper to cover these issues.

Going forward, UrbanCincy will no longer link to the Enquirer and I would like to encourage you to no longer buy the print edition, cancel your subscription if you have one, and even quit visiting their website.  If Mr. Callinan and the content managers want to position themselves against the city, and only exploit it to their suburban audience’s delight, then they should go right ahead, but those of us that love this city should make them aware we do not approve by hitting them where it counts – their pocket book.

If you feel so motivated to write the Enquirer so that they can simply “take what you send them” and have it published, you can do so by emailing letters@enquirer.com, sending your letters to “Letters, Enquirer Editorial Page, 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202,” or by fax at (513) 768-8569.  You must include your name, address (including community) and daytime phone number.  Also please limit your letters to 100 words or less.

Categories
Business News Transportation

American commuting patterns negatively impacting individual achievement

In Robert Pagliarini’s best-selling book The Other 8 Hours, he discusses how we use the eight hours of our daily lives, outside of the eight we presumably spend at work and at sleep, are what determine our success in life. Pagliarini urges readers to look beyond their job to find success in their life whether it be through starting a business, losing weight, developing a hobby or even getting control of your finances.

Pagliarini states in his book that, “You lose 8 hours to sleep and you sell (at least) 8 hours to your job. That leaves just 8 more. What are you doing during the other 8 hours, and more importantly, what are the other 8 hours doing for you?”

The book relies on the assumption though that each person has a clearly delineated, and evenly balanced, three-slice pie. This is obviously not reality, but if we were to follow Pagliarini’s advice by maximizing The Other 8, what would we find?

With 16 hours of the day already ruled out for work and sleep we have just 8 valuable hours to improve our lives in the way we choose. A 2005 study by the Telework Exchange showed that Federal employees spent an average of 233 hours of their life commuting each year – a number that does not factor in the time spent driving on daily errands. The study found that if Federal employees were to telework three days each week, that they would get 98 hours of their life back each year. Citing an average savings of an hour per day, the Telework Exchange study identified that those teleworking can earn an MBA 35 percent faster, read 25 books in a year, clean out 83 closets, or train for a marathon with the time saved by not commuting.

This data is supportive of more than just teleworking, but reduced commuting and travel times in general. Those who are able to walk to work due to close proximity experience such savings, as do transit riders who are able to utilize their commute time for other enriching purposes that Pagliarini identifies as ways to improve your life.  Those who walk benefit doubly as they not only save themselves free time, but the time they do spend commuting helps to improve their health.

“Look around, anyone who is successful and lives a rich and meaningful life has used the other 8 hours,” Pagliarini exclaims. “Day in and day out, while others squander this time, they have invested it.”

The majority of people have overbooked schedules that do not have any more room to develop these personal attributes and improve their life. As a result that means each individual seeking success should look to maximize the free time they do have. Americans’ current commuting patterns dictate that approximately 15-20 percent of their “free time” is immediately wasted sitting in a car. If that time could be cut in half five to six days a week, the average American would experience similar time savings to the aforementioned federal employees who telecommuted three days a week, and experience similar benefits.

It appears that a clear option for Americans trying to improve their lives socially, financially, health-wise, or educationally is to cut out identified “life leeches” like commuting that suck up individual free time.

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News

UrbanCincy voted one of best blogs in Cincinnati

CityBeat recently announced the winners of the 2010 Best of Cincinnati awards, and I’m proud to say that UrbanCincy was, once again, voted among the best blogs in Cincinnati. UrbanCincy came in second behind Scott Sloan’s blog for 700 WLW “The Nation’s Station.” Also finishing in the top three was Julie Niesen’s Wine Me, Dine Me food blog.

It really is an honor to be considered to be the best in whatever it is you do, and I personally do feel honored. But, I would not have been able to grow UrbanCincy to where it is today without the help of the dedicated team of writers that help produce content, brainstorm story ideas, shoot photography and conduct research for our stories.

Since its inception in May 2007, UrbanCincy has grown from a random spattering of thoughts shared on a blog every so often, to a website that now publishes almost 100 percent original content 10 to 12 times each week. A group of friends and interested community members has grown into a large collection of tens of thousands of people each month who visit UrbanCincy to stay connected with what is happening in Cincinnati’s urban core.

Work published on UrbanCincy has been featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reno Gazette-Journal, National Resource & Defense Council, Trust for Public Land, Planetizen, ‘Smart City’ and ‘City Talk’ radio shows, Reconnecting America, Streetsblog, Urbanophile, and discussed by Richard Florida. I feel like since May 2007, UrbanCincy has helped to change the conversation in Cincinnati. More and more people are excited about the transformation of Cincinnati’s urban core, policy decisions are being discussed and debated in a new way, and new ideas are emerging about how we should manage and interact with the city.

On May 8th, UrbanCincy’s 3rd anniversary, the UrbanCincy team will celebrate the launch of a brand new website. There will be expanded coverage, new ongoing features, an updated design, and even more content all based on the input given in the 2010 UrbanCincy Survey. A launch party is currently being planned for that Saturday night so we would like to ask you to reserve that spot on your calendar to come out and meet the team, celebrate the new website and enjoy Cincinnati’s urban core. Please stay tuned for event details.

Thanks again for your ongoing support. We hope to be able to continue to offer high-quality content and better user experiences down the road that are engaging and interesting. In the mean time, if there are any comments you would like to share with me or the team, please do so in the comment section of this post. Cheers.

Categories
News

Women And The City

I am a strong, independent woman. I love Cincinnati, and there is nothing that will keep me from experiencing the urban core. However, as a female, there are certain stressors in place that keep me vigilant and watchful… just in case. When I walk alone at night, I take extra precautions to ensure I will be safe and not bothered. I separate my valuables and put them in my pockets instead of my purse. I walk briskly with intention, and am aware of what is going on around me. I slap a serious expression on my face that says “don’t mess with me, man.” And if it’s too far, I drive and park closer, or enlist a male friend to escort me to my destination. For the most part, it seems to work. Am I being too careful? Why do I even bother? Cincinnati is amazing, but it is still not always hospitable for women.

The city as we know it today was not designed for females. Our country was founded by men, and our cities were designed according to their desires and needs. Victorian philosophy dictated that a woman’s place was in the home, not out in the wild world, where bad things can and do occasionally happen. Thus, public spaces were designed with men in mind; men who could deal with the combativeness and friction of the public realm. If a woman were to wander out in public alone, she was harassed – “what’s a nice girl like you doing out here?”

Unfortunately, this still carries through today as I regularly endure catcalls and jeers in public from men of every size and color. Even now, I am one of the only female bloggers writing about urban issues in this region (and on this site – love ya, guys!) It certainly seems to be a man’s world out there. Why is this still acceptable in modern culture? What about the urban setting can be so inhospitable toward women… and what can be done to reverse it?

In Dolores Hayden’s work, Domesticating Urban Space, she examines the separation between public life and private life. In order for a city to be inclusive towards women and families, she explains, the two spheres need to intermingle. When the public life – experiencing the city- feels more like an extension of one’s private living space (safe, hospitable, welcoming, fun), then those who are more vulnerable will be apt to inhabit it.

Local activist and entrepreneur Candace Klein extrapolated along these same lines in her recent editorial which ran in the Enquirer earlier this year. She described her experience of living in Over-the-Rhine for three days without a car, and how it opened her eyes to the community all around her. She is one example of a fearless, independent woman who has figured out how to make the city work to fit her needs. But… does she walk home alone at night?

There are both basic and complicated changes that can be implemented in communities to make experiencing them safer and more enjoyable for women and families. One basic necessity is adequate lighting in neighborhoods. Another is simply for there to be enough activity during the evening hours to increase the amount of eyes out on the street. Both of these details were lacking when I was mugged last November. Hayden describes having a system of safe houses or businesses (much like the Safe Place signs back in the 90’s) where anyone could go to if they did feel threatened at all. As neighborhoods become denser and we get to know each other, the cold and faceless city suddenly is colored with life, friends, and a strengthened sense of community.

Hayden writes, “As long as the domestic world remains a romantic haven “outside” of public life and the political economy, politically active women can always be sent back to it, and men can justify the exclusion of women and children from their public debates and analyses… yet… if they (women) can transcend the female world of a segregated place, new kinds of homes and neighborhoods might become the most powerful place in America for progressive political coalitions on urban issues.”

I believe that policy and design has moved forward somewhat since Hayden’s work was written in 1984. Now women make a whole .75 cents on the dollar instead of .50 cents, and gradually more attention is being paid and gender stereotypes are slowing down. They are not gone completely, but things are improving.

One of the greatest indicators of a truly great city is how safe and comfortable the most vulnerable feel interacting in the city. In the case of Copenhagen, Denmark, babies are left in prams outside of shops to get much needed sunlight, and I had no fears traveling on my own from place to place while living there in 2008. I don’t know when that day will come for Cincinnati, but I am looking forward, and doing my part by refusing to give in to fear or intimidation.

Categories
Development News Opinion Politics Transportation

Cincinnati: A Love, Love, Hate Relationship

This guest post by Greg Meckstroth originally appeared on urbanOut.

Oh Cincinnati, Oh. How I love, love, hate you. Before moving to Indianapolis I spent 2 years living in Cincinnati, Ohio in the neighborhood of Clifton. During this time I gained a true appreciation for what the city is and all the quirks that exist there. What I concluded is that there is a lot to love about the City, but also some things to hate…but more love than hate. Culturally, physically, and emotionally, Cincinnati is an amazingly unique place with a provincial attitude completely different than any other Midwest counterpart. With these oddities and attitudes comes certain social down sides that gives the City a bad reputation and why it ultimately isn’t a creative class destination. Below, I list the positives and negatives of Cincinnati.

Here is why I love, love Cincinnati:

  • Identity: The region has a unique, provincial culture not found anywhere else. Whether it’s the food (Skyline Chili, Dewey’s, Graeter’s to name a few), the government, or the institutions, Cincinnati seems to have retained its sense-of-self in ways other Midwest cities have not. People in the area don’t consider themselves from Ohio, but instead just from Cincinnati. Cincinnati is its own city-state.
  • Local: Locally owned businesses seem to thrive in Cincinnati. While other Midwest towns have become ‘Chain City USA’s’, Cincinnati celebrates their local businesses and builds community around them. What I find interesting about downtown Cincinnati’s renaissance is the number of locally owned establishments fueling the rebirth. Unlike other towns, Cincinnati isn’t marking their downtown’s success by which chains it does and does not have.
  • Community: The sense of community pride in the City is strong. More often than not, people who live in Cincinnati love Cincinnati. Also, since the City is so neighborhood focused, each having it’s own flavor and sense-of-place, people latch on to their respective communities, keep up on current events, and actively voice concerns. More so than other places, Cincinnati citizens definitely care about their community.
  • Density: Cincinnati is structurally America’s oldest inland City and thus developed before the car and in extremely dense fashions similar to East Coast cities. Plus, the City’s hills constrained development, making the neighborhoods even denser (Cincinnati was the densest City in the United States outside of New York for quite some time).
  • Geography: Cincinnati’s hilly geography allowed each neighborhood to develop separately, each with their own business district and each in different forms. On top of this, the hilly, river valley geography provides great views and interesting urban landscapes and juxtapositions.
  • Architecture: The City’s core features the Midwest’s best collection of 19th Century architecture as well as innovative new architecture (hello The Ascent and Contemporary Arts Center).

So enough gushing about how great the City is, because with this love, love comes the ‘hate’:

  • Cliques: Because of the provincial culture, Cincinnati seems closed off to outsiders and their respective ideas. Newcomer’s often describe Cincinnati as ‘cliquey’ and find it difficult to fit in to social circles.
  • Close-minded: The City has a negative reputation with being open to minorities, namely the gay and lesbian population and African-Americans. As a gay man living in the City, I feel this stereotype applies more to the surrounding suburbs than the liberal leaning City, but it nonetheless is a perception problem the reigon has to deal with.
  • Status-quo: While other parts of the country progress on certain issues, Cincinnati seems to take a ‘wait-and-see’ approach. If something is proven successful time and time again, Cincinnati will come on board, and probably when other places like New York and San Francisco have already moved on to the next big thing. Thus, the City seems comfortable with the status quo, and progress happens slowly here.

There are plenty of other things to both love and hate about Cincinnati, but my analysis is limited to the region’s provincialism and unique culture. I have to say that I have seen great progress in Cincinnati over the past few years, with current leadership and community activism geared towards ending the status quo, ridding the City of this ‘hate’ I speak of, and moving forward in positive ways. With this progress comes the question: if Cincinnati continues to open itself to other ideas and virtues, can it hold onto its uniqueness?

In general, can a City continue celebrating it’s uniqueness while opening up to the outside? I think the obvious answer is ‘yes’, a City can do this and there are plenty of examples. But unfortunately, there are also examples that point to the contrary. So as Cincinnati moves forward it must be aware of this give and take and find the proper balance in becoming a bigger and better 21st Century City.

For as long as I can remember, I have had this love, love, hate relationship with Cincinnati. However, my ideas are not new and have been examined before. Check out this post by the Urbanophile for a similar take on Cincinnati.

Greg Meckstroth holds a Geography degree from the Ohio State University along with a Masters in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati’s nationally-ranked School of Planning. Greg currently works as a planner with an urban design firm in Indianapolis.