Tag: opinion

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News

What’s a Metro Nation without Strong Cities?

I found this to be especially profound while also being “duh” kind of thought process that is often lost amongst our population. The article has been partially reposted from CEOs for Cities…

After an interview on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi show Thursday, I started thinking again about this idea of America as a “metro nation.” I was on first with guest host Rebecca Roberts, followed by Amy Liu of Brookings, where the idea of regionalism has been pushed hard for the past couple of years.

The concept of regionalism is smart on its face. Economies are regional, we count people at a metro level, air and water issues transcend political boundaries, and, in a perfect world, major amenities — and their cost — are shared regionally.

But no one should be agnostic about where development occurs in a region. Metro regions all across America are littered with the inevitable consequence of that kind of thinking. Let the city core thin out (sucking its vibrancy in the doing) and spread development thinly across the landscape (which never quite becomes vibant). There. You have the worst of both worlds.

When regionalism asserts the centrality of the anchor city and the need to build its vibrancy through renewal, then regionalism makes sense. But too often, the execution of regionalism means the central city gives and gives (and pays and pays), while the suburbs live off the jobs, amenities and identity provided in cities (or, for that matter, another suburb) without paying a dime.

Continue reading the article at: http://www.ceosforcities.org/blog/entry/2084

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News

Cincinnati’s own American Idol Star

First of all, I know…weird topic for me to cover. But on the way in to work yesterday I heard a conversation, on the radio, about a certain American Idol contestant. I don’t watch the show, but found the contestant they aired particularly interesting since a) she is from Cincinnati, b) sung an original song that she wrote and, c) that original song was called “Nati.”

Check out Leneshe Young’s story and performance that blew the judges away. If Cincinnatians weren’t obsessed with reality shows enough, this will serve as a big reason to follow AI this year.


Leneshe Young Audition

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News Politics

Breaking down the chatter

It seems that lately all you have to do is say something will turn out like the never-completed subway, the stadiums, The Banks, or the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and your position of opposition immediately gains some sort of credibility. I don’t get it.

The connections are normally weak at best, and the projects are so incredibly different. What’s most disturbing though are the criticisms of the Freedom Center. Ever heard someone refer to the museum as a “handout?” Have you ever heard people criticize crimes committed by blacks in one sentence and then suggest turning the Freedom Center into a prison to solve Cincinnati’s jail overcrowding in the next?

I have, and on more than one occasion. I find it very surprising that this seemingly in your face racism is tolerated in public dialogue. People talk about the museum as being a drain on taxpayer dollars. Well guess what, it is quite typical for museums and other cultural institutions to receive public aid. Why single out this one institution over the others?

So while I’m upset that people use the museum as a way to somehow predict failure for other unrelated projects in an anecdotal fashion, I am even more upset that the overtly racist tone of those comments is even tolerated in the first place. We’re better than that Cincinnati.

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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/

Categories
Development News Politics

Giving the ‘Soapbox District’ some teeth

W. 4th Street has seen a buzz of activity in recent months. New stores have opened, new buildings have gone up, and new residents move in. In addition to this the area has also attempted to be rebranded as the ‘Soapbox District.’

A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. This is one of the angle that the branders were getting at. The other was to pay tribute to Cincinnati’s soap making history and the shape of many of the buildings in the W. 4th Street area.

I find the angle of public speech and discussion to be most interesting. Fountain Square was seemingly that spot, but that public space has been converted into a hybrid public/private space where I doubt this kind of thing would be tolerated any longer. The branders also mentioned how this could be the spot, in Cincinnati, where young people make their voices heard. Great, many of the new residents in that area are indeed young so this seems to possibly have some traction.

The problem is that there seems to be no concerted effort to make this into reality. I look to London’s Hyde Park. In the park’s NE corner (aka Speaker’s Corner) people come to speak publicly about what they wish. They are allowed to continue as long as it is considered lawful. I look at this example and see a huge opportunity at 4th & Plum (GoogleMap) in Cincinnati.

That location is right in the heart of the ‘Soapbox District’ and is currently occupied by a surface parking lot. An ideal scenario would be to acquire this lot and turn it into a park. Create a much needed dog park area within it, sitting places, and lots of trees. In addition to this, make the park the epicenter for public/free speech in the newly dubbed ‘Soapbox District.’ The idea is great, now let’s give it some teeth.