UrbanCincy

Ballparks as means for urban revitalization

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

After the lights went out and the dust settled from the 80th take of the Midsummer Classic, fans spilled out of St. Louis' beautiful new Busch Stadium into an area set to be developed as Ballpark Village.

Ballpark Village is much like The Banks development in Cincinnati. The idea is similar - following a major public investment in a new urban ballpark, a high density mixed-use neighborhood would fill the space left behind from the previous behemoth of a stadium that once existed.

This new wave of thinking towards sports facilities is a trend sweeping the nation that can be seen in cities from San Diego to Baltimore and minor league parks all across the nation. The idea is that new businesses and entertainment districts can thrive off of the tens of thousands of sports fans visiting the area 80+ times a year.

Both The Banks and Ballpark Village have suffered their setbacks. In both cases beautiful new ballparks have replaced the cookie-cutter stadiums...that part of the equation has been fulfilled. What has not yet been completed is the high density mixed-use neighborhood.

The Banks + Ballpark Village

There is no doubt in my mind that once developed, both Ballpark Village and The Banks will be successful if executed properly. The problem is that the execution has little to do with the ballparks built to spur these developments. In St. Louis the amount of residential space has been reduced from the original plan. In Cincinnati condos have become apartments, and the design has been "value engineered" to say the least. What could any ballpark do to change these results?

What the ballparks do accomplish is that they create an instant market for such "eatertainment" places like ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Cafe, House of Blues and so on. These places are perfect for these districts, but I honestly don't see what else the ballparks can do otherwise.

In St. Louis Busch Stadium is connected with the region's light rail system with a perfectly situated MetroLink station. Cincinnati has the opportunity to similarly connect Great American Ballpark with the Cincinnati Streetcar system.

St. Louis' Busch Stadium MetroLink station - photo from dswinney

The important thing to vibrant urban neighborhoods is the amount of people. Downtown Cincinnati and St. Louis have no problem with daytime work week activity. What they both need more of is night time and weekend traffic, and this requires more people living within the core. Less residential at these developments is the absolute wrong idea. Transit makes high density residential more financially feasible, and has a considerably greater impact than that of a neighborhood ballpark.

Great neighborhoods aren't made by great ballparks...great neighborhoods are made by the people living, working and playing there. A diversity of these activities is needed for a place to be truly sustainable in terms of its vibrancy, and instead of pouring our public dollars into new ballparks, stadiums and convention centers we should be putting our public money into transit choices, public spaces and a diverse housing stock.

Second Annual Cincinnati T-Shirt Festival - 7/17

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:30:00 +0000

The second Cincinnati T-shirt Festival takes place on Friday, July 17 on Fountain Square from 11am to 11pm, and will feature more than a dozen local vendors and companies.

The T-shirt “mini-market” will have offerings from major institutions like the Bengals, Xavier, UC and the Museum Center, but will also feature many local shops and companies like Park+Vine, Nati Evolvement, Alternative Motive (featured on MTV), Wire & Twine and much more.

Photo by Chris Glass, to see more of Glass' photos from last year's Cincinnati T-Shirt Festival go here.

Cincinnati's Purple People Bridge: Past & Present

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Cincinnati's second oldest existing span across the might Ohio River was built in 1872 and was known as the Newport and Cincinnati Bridge. The river span was Cincinnati's first railroad bridge, and eventually was retrofitted to also accommodate streetcars, pedestrians and automobiles.

The bridge was later renamed the L&N Bridge for the Louisville and Nashville railroad that used the span. The bridge was closed down to both trains and automobiles and was eventually rehabed in 2003 into the "Purple People Bridge" named for its prominent purple color and pedestrianized span across the Ohio River.

The bridge quickly became a local landmark and a spot for art installations, shows and other family-friendly events. At its pinnacle, the bridge became the spot for the Purple People Bridge Climb (video) which was the first of its kind in North America and allowed for people to climb the bridge's superstructure and walk across the span.

The bridge climb attraction shut down one year after opening, and the group managing the bridge experienced some financial setbacks and have since tried to reorganize themselves and figure out what to do with the historic landmark.

So what's to come for the Purple People Bridge? What do you use it for, or do you use the bridge at all? Below is a collection of seven photographs I took from the Purple People Bridge. The main pedestrian span was blocked off as crews were deconstructing an art installation that was on the bridge. Joggers, families and leisurely walkers were using the span during that time.

This Week In Soapbox 7/14

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:30:00 +0000

This Week In Soapbox (TWIS) you can read about a new Cuban restaurant in Covington's Wedding District, the newly forming medical corridor along I-74, Cincinnati housing market trends, a new pro shop for Disc Golf enthusiasts at Mt. Airy Forest, major renovations at Krohn Conservatory, and how the American Can Factory took center stage for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

If you're interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week's stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati. Also be sure to become a fan of Soapbox on Facebook!

TWIS 7/14:

Cuban restaurant opens in Covington's Wedding District - full article
Medical corridor forming along Interstate 74 - full article
Krohn Conservatory to undergo major renovations - full article
Nati Disc Golf debuts pro shop at Mt. Airy course - full article
Cincinnati housing market showing signs of recovery - full article
Vice President Joe Biden highlights importance of stimulus with American Can Factory rehab project - full article

Could streetcars be manufactured right here in the Midwest?

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

On July 1 the United States celebrated the completion of the first American-made streetcar. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was in Portland to celebrate the moment.

The Infrastructurist points out that Oregon Iron Works felt like they could be profitable producing the modern streetcars, and feel that they are already producing a superior product than what is being produced overseas. CincyStreetcar says that this event illustrates two important issues.

“The first is that public transportation is not a partisan issue; both sides of the aisle benefit from increased public transportation. The second is the progress other cities around the country are making with increasing their transportation options and the positive returns on their investments.”

When examining this news one could also speculate on what this could mean for Cincinnati as it develops one of the first streetcar systems in the Midwest region of the United States.

Last month when the City announced the selection of the development team that will help finance, plan, design, construct, operate and maintain Cincinnati’s modern streetcar system they also announced that Cincinnati Streetcar Development Team partner, Stacy and Witbeck Inc., will be opening a new office in downtown Cincinnati and will also be relocating their executives to Cincinnati specifically for this project.

First American-made streetcar in Portland, Oregon - image from United Streetcar, LLC

Could the same also happen in regards to the production of streetcar vehicles in a state and region that was built on manufacturing and could easily produce streetcars with the existing infrastructure and talent in place here?

Columbus and Cleveland have recently examined streetcar systems for their cities. Milwaukee recently received tens of millions of federal dollars to build a three-mile modern streetcar system in their city that is being seen as a started line to a much larger, city-wide system (similar to Cincinnati’s effort). St. Louis and Minneapolis currently boast light rail that has vehicles similar to streetcars and could potentially be produced on the same line. Indianapolis is working on a light rail system there that would also fit into this category.

With all of these existing and future systems in the Midwest, it would seem reasonable to have a manufacturer for those vehicles right here. Could Cincinnati or Ohio attract such a firm, or grow one of their own so that it starts producing streetcar and light rail vehicles in one of the many plants we have that used to produce automobiles?

UPDATE: White House meeting on the state of urban America

noreply@blogger.com (David Ben) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:36:00 +0000

As was posted earlier today, President Obama addressed a meeting at the White House today that discussed the problems and opportunities of urban America. There has been a good amount of press coverage on the national scene, but unfortunately our local newspaper came up short. The Enquirer did, however dedicate staff time to developing a Harry Potter quiz for readers to take. I wish I were kidding...

See here for a comment from the White House, including some of the President's remarks.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

"I'll believe it when I see it..."

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:32:00 +0000

Construction at The Banks, Queen City Square and Central Riverfront Park all making significant progress

White House Office of Urban Affairs holds conference today

noreply@blogger.com (David Ben) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

According to this article in the Washington Post, the White House is hosting a day long conference today about the future of American urban policy. Heads of relevant departments and agencies will attend, and the President is expected to give remarks as well.

In February, President Obama created the Office of Urban Affairs (OUA), and selected Adolfo Carrión Jr. (bio) to direct it. According to this article, the Director intends to “bring agencies together to change urban growth patterns and foster opportunity, reduce sprawl, and jump-start the economy.”

Adolfo Carrión Jr. - photo from Ezra Klein

The executive order that established the OUA states that the Office will “take a coordinated and comprehensive approach to developing and implementing an effective strategy concerning urban America”

The event today will serve as a semi-official start to the OUA, and will be the basis for a several-month long tour of urban America. Officials will visit cities across the nation in an effort to better understand the needs of our metropolitan areas.

OUA’s mission does not come without some opposition. Some worry that reexamining our current public policy creates a dangerous precedent of federal meddling in local affairs. Director Carrión seems to think just the opposite will occur. From yesterday’s Washington Post:

"For too long government has operated from the top down," said Carrión. "We've always heard why does the national government send down these unfunded mandates, under funded mandates, mandates that are not necessarily universally applicable. The bottom-up approach speaks to the need for this to be flexible."

Although no official site yet exists for the OUA, the articles, executive order, and this page on the White House website seems to indicate that the office wants to work with local municipalities to help provide the support they need to carry out what works best for them. In general, it appears that the President’s agenda will focus on bolstering the strength of cities as economic, social and cultural incubators, while also working to promote sensible growth and regional efficiency.

"Lead, Learn, Serve" in the Queen City

noreply@blogger.com (Diggy) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Cincinnati is definitely one of the most charitably giving cities I’ve lived. Maybe it’s because this is a community with strong religious ties, or the immigrant history of our town, but people here LOVE to give!

Having formerly worked in a non-profit here, I appreciate the value of volunteers and donations in accomplishing a non-profit’s goals. That being said, it’s no secret that economic times are tough. People have to rein in spending, and it’s starting to show. According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, giving has dropped nationally:

“Giving USA Foundation found that charitable giving fell 2 percent from 2007 to 2008. The decline was the first since 1987 and the second in the 40-year history of the study. Adjusted for inflation, the decline was 5.7 percent.”

Not all organizations are seeing a drop in funds, but the typical donor is being a little more savvy about where and who they want to donate. For some people, giving to large umbrella aid organizations makes them feel like they’re covering a lot of ground with their dollars. For others, they worry about the overhead taking some of the money away from trickling down to smaller organizations.

There are so many options for organizations to donate to that it can be a little confusing. As a donor, do you want to go local or international with your charitable giving? Do you want to do a micro loan or give to an organization that screens candidates but may have overhead costs? Or do you just want to get together with friends and make a collective decision on where to donate your money? More and more charity organizations will be targeting “millennials” – YP’s who have expendable income and a sense of altruism, so if you fit that bill, get ready to be targeted!

In all this talk about giving dollars, remember charitable giving isn’t only about money. A great way to really get to better know your community is by going out and doing work to make it better. After living Downtown for 2 years, I had never been in Washington Park until I did a park clean up one morning with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.

It is such a beautiful park, and seeing how mistreated it was by people in my community, it really reignited my desire to see it revitalized. No matter where you live, there are always opportunities to give in your community. You can literally get your hands dirty bettering the area around you and at the same time, get to know people in your community. In Cincinnati there are endless organizations that cater to different needs so there's no reason to not find something that appeals to you!

Below are some links to groups that can direct you to opportunities, national and international organizations that are working to help our community and beyond. I have also included a request for volunteers through the local library if you want to really start in your backyard and work with the kids in your neighborhood. The motto of my alma mater was “Lead, Learn, Serve” and these days they are words we could all live by.

Volunteer Organizations (just a few of many):

Give Back Cincinnati | People Working Cooperatively | Keep Cincinnati Beautiful | Volunteer Match | Kiva

Local call for volunteers:

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT SUMMER ARTS - THROUGH JULY 29

The Downtown Residents Council is seeking volunteers to assist with programs at the Children's Learning Center at the Main Public Library. The Summer Arts programs are for kids ages 6-12. Please consider participating on one or more Wednesday evenings this month. Arrive at the Children's Learning Center at 800 Vine Street at 6:45 p.m. for about 90 minutes. For more information, contact Carolyn Janssen at (513) 369-6922.

"Transportation Freedom" in our nation's capital

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:00:00 +0000

We are beginning the fight for passenger rail and, in a larger sense, a diversified transit system that promotes freedom of choice here in Cincinnati. In the nation's capital they are celebrating the fact that they have a truly diversified transit system that offers consumer choice.

Washington D.C. currently boasts the first and largest bike sharing program in the United States, bike lanes and parking facilities, the Washington Metro, an expansive city bus system, sidewalk and trail connectivity, and is currently working on introducing modern streetcars to the city.

In this video Washington D.C. Department of Transportation director, Gabe Klein, talks about the city's diversified transit options and emphasizes the importance of such a system for American cities.

Second Sunday on Main: Global Groove

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:30:00 +0000

This Sunday is the third of five Second Sunday on Main celebrations in historic Over-the-Rhine. In addition to the regular mix of live music (list below), food, local vendors and art, this month’s event will also feature a high-heels drag race which will start at 4pm.

There will also be a cooking demonstration by Chef Nat Blanford, from Iron Horse Inn, at Falling Wall located at 1419 Main Street at 2:30pm.This month’s Global Groove theme is intended to celebrate many of the local cultures that make Cincinnati special.

The event is free and open to the public and runs from 12pm to 5pm between 13th and Liberty streets along Main Street.

Band List:
Bacchanal Steel Band (Carribean Calypso) – 12pm
Silver Arm (Celtic) – 1pm
Mohenjo Daro (Middle Eastern/Indian) – 2pm
Zumba (Latin American) – 3pm
Baoku Moses and the Image AfroBeat Band (African) – 4pm

Our Poor American Suburbs

noreply@blogger.com (David Ben) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:00:00 +0000

The other day I was reading metropolitan policy briefings on the Brookings Institution site (It's OK, you can say it: "Wow, David. You are a huge nerd.") when I stumbled on this dinner party fun fact: more Americans who live below the poverty line live in suburbs than in cities.

Fascinating, right? Here’s the troubling part. The article goes on to say:

"America can't ensure its leading place in the global economy unless we grapple with the problems and opportunities of our suburbs. Nonprofits, long focused on inner cities, need to reach out to poor families and immigrants in the suburbs. The federal government should support the production and preservation of affordable housing there." (my emphasis added)

I respect the research the Brookings Institution conducts more than almost any other source out there, but they are dead wrong on this one.

Our public policy from approximately the end of WWII through now-ish encouraged suburban development. To say that it was the will of the people that drove suburbanization is to ignore how large of a role our public policies played in encouraging that notion.

Federally subsidized home loans allowed young families to live the “American Dream” (whatever that means…look for a post on that very topic sometime down the road). We the taxpayers funded the infrastructure that made living in the suburbs possible – the roads and highways, schools and sewers, water lines, power lines, garbage collection, police and fire protection, new parks, city halls, local government employees…all these things cost money.

'Suburbia' by David Shankbone

When people spread out over a large area, the cost to implement and sustain all new versions of these tax-backed services skyrockets. Furthermore, in many cases they become redundant. As has been said somewhere else, it costs the same to plow a street whether 10 people live on it or 100 people do. The only difference is the number of people paying into the system that pays for the maintenance of that road – the more people paying in, the less expensive per tax-payer. Multiply that same scenario out for everything else our taxes pay for, and well, you can see how expensive sprawl can be.

Nevertheless, for the past 60 years or so, our public policy has made it easy to move out of the scary, dangerous city into the prosperous, safe, “good life” in the suburbs because we the taxpayer have funded the infrastructure necessary to do so.

I agree with the Brookings writers’ assertion that the social services to support those who have fallen on desperate times ought to be available in the suburbs, but it’s a mentality that’s like treating a gunshot wound with a Hello Kitty Band-Aid – it might make you feel better momentarily, but you’re probably still gonna die.

Brookings’ solution to six decades of bad public policy that incentivizes living in an inefficient and unsustainable way is to … um … bolster the public policy that incentivizes living in an inefficient and unsustainable way. Throwing money and social services at this problem will help those who need it temporarily, but, we need to look at how our policies encourage and discourage where people live.

Instead of incentivizing sprawl, our local, state, and federal governments need to incentivize filling in the existing beautiful housing stock we have here already. We need to find ways to incentivize healthy density and strong neighborhoods with a local focus. When we do, the development that occurs as a result will grow the tax base. The new-found efficiencies will allow us to provide the same or better services, but with less money. Doing more with less – that’s what will reverse our economic downturn.

So how do we do incentivize density? Tax incentives to those who revamp existing housing within a particular radius of downtown, maybe? A reexamination of our existing federal subsidies for first-time home buyers? Build the Cincinnati Streetcar? Reexamining zoning laws to allow or encourage higher density mixed-use buildings in areas? I’m all ears.

Burger Beer Homecoming at Quatman Cafe - 7/11

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Burger Beer aficionados will be joining together at Quatman Café (GoogleMap) in Norwood on Saturday, July 11 from 4pm to 9pm to celebrate the rich history of the Burger Beer brand at the Burger Beer Homecoming.

Organizers say that Burger Classic and Burger Light will be available in cans for just $1. Quatman Café will also be serving their regular assortment of food including their delectable burgers that are perfectly paired with a good beer.

Family, friends, former employees and those who loved Burger Beer and want to share their stories are encouraged to come out and celebrate the return of the Cincinnati beer. It is also noted that the first 300 attendees will receive a free Burger Beer koozie.

'Black Wednesday' hits Cincinnati hard

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Black Wednesday brought massive cutbacks at Cincinnati's last "local" daily newspaper. The reason I put "local" in quotations is because following each one of these waves the newspaper becomes less local, less intimate and more out of touch with reality as the industry deals with cutbacks in a corporate manner.

There is an estimated 100 people being laid off at the Enquirer with 30 of those being reporters. CiN Weekly is going away, but being "rebranded" into Metromix. Enquirer Editor Tom Callinan tweeted, "Need to clarify: CiN in print and online will continue with Metromix as dominant brand..."

While that is true the CiN Weekly folks are still out of a job, and Cincinnati is seeing one of its weekly entertainment guides be replaced by a template-style national entertainment guide known as Metromix in 37 different cities/regions nationwide.

These layoffs are extraordinarily sad, but at the same time seem to be reflective of an industry that is slowly dying. Yesterday Paul Wilham commented,

Blogs will replace newspapers in the next 10 years. I think you will see a growing professionalism especially among bloggers who cover specific areas.

Currently you can get the vast majority of what is "really" going on in Cincinnnati by folowing 20 or so bloggers, Business news, zoning issues, sports, restaurant reviews, neighborhood news and more.

The first person who can consolidate all that content into a daily digest and can find a way to monetize it with local advertisement and pay the bloggers for their content will put the Enquirer out of business. The Enquirer knows this too!

The thing is that I have never considered myself or my blog as being in competition with a news source like the Enquirer, but what seemed to happen over the years is that newspapers have grown more towards the blog end of things to try to keep up - this is the problem.

People like myself and others are not full-time reporters...heck that's not even my professional training. Many of the bloggers are doing this as a passion and can not afford to pay themselves to do investigative reporting, extended feature stories and so on. This is where the newspapers should have focused. Instead they went to smaller stories, republication of press releases and a reduced grassroots/local emphasis. It's not the physical form, but rather then reduced content that has damned the newspaper industry.

We saw the first wave of amazing bloggers born when newspapers began laying off Dining/Food review sections. We now have amazing food bloggers all across the nation and the amazing urbanspoon site that ties it all together in a way the newspapers will never be able to compete with again.

The Enquirer barely boasts a business section as is, and the local urban-focused blog scene is as strong as it is because the Enquirer fails on that front as well. These niches open up as a result of the newspaper letting it happen...they reduce their content and that content goes elsewhere.

The print newspapers around the nation need to start focusing on a new business model that is reflective of the changes taking place in our society...things are more local, more cutting-edge, more focused and more timely. I hope they get it together, because I love reading the newspaper every day. That will not happen by continuing to make cuts and get rid of those who make the newspaper the information source that it once was.

Image (source): Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein from the Washington Post who helped break the Watergate Scandal to the public.

Cincinnati population growing, just barely

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:15:00 +0000

The United States Census released their population estimates for U.S. cities last week. The results are in and the results are decidedly undecided for Cincinnati. That's not bad though for a city in the Midwest that has been experiencing decline for several decades.

From 2000 to 2008 the U.S. Census reports that the City of Cincinnati experienced a 0.6% population gain. Some may say this is not a real gain as it is only reflective of successful challenges by the City of Cincinnati. In the end though it seems to indicate a stabilizing population within the core of the Cincinnati region that is growing at an annual rate of nearly 5 percent (source).

When compared with the rest of Ohio, Cincinnati and Columbus are the only two cities to post gains while the rest of Ohio's major cities saw significant declines - most notably Cleveland which has seen 9.2% of its population vanish since 2000.

Cincinnati ranks 6th in the Midwest behind Columbus (5.9%), Indianapolis (2.1%), St. Louis (1.8%), Chicago (1.5%) and Milwaukee (1.3%) with another seven Midwestern cities experiencing slower population growth or most likely population decline during the same span.

Click to open larger versions in new window

The population decline of many older American cities can be attributed to several things. Most common is the evidence of suburban sprawl and the exodus from the then polluted and overcrowded inner-cities.

The lesser of these examples that is covered is the changing American household. No longer can a neighborhood like Over-the-Rhine house 50,000 people like it once did. The market demands will not allow it as people look for walk-in closets, large bathrooms, offices, washer/dryer and the other modern amenities Americans hold dear. The result is that a fully occupied building in Over-the-Rhine that once housed 50 people may now only house 10.

This is the case for all older American cities that saw decline. Sure in part it was the exodus from the inner-city, but you can notice a difference in population changes between cities. Those that are experiencing minimal growth or minimal decline are those that I suspect are experiencing repopulating neighborhoods. Those with rapid decline are the cities that are struggling with this change and have still not managed to shake the decline that came at the benefit of the great American Dream.

As Cincinnati looks forward it must continue to build upon its strengths like its neighborhoods, culture and identity. At the same time we must realize where we stand. We are a old city, by American standards, and cannot expect to see the same population numbers we saw decades ago. Cincinnati also cannot expect to see growth like Columbus who has benefited from a liberal annexation policy there. Nor can we expect growth similar to the boomtowns of today that boast cheap land and labor that appeal to those kind of growth figures.

European cities have grown used to this stagnant population growth, but are still great cities. The Midwestern and East Coast cities in the U.S. must learn to do the same. What we should strive for is a stable population number and one that grows household incomes. Growing ourselves from the ground up is a great strategy Cincinnati can take, and one that will make the region stronger and healthier long-term with or without high growth rates.

Is the Cincinnati Enquirer being controlled?

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Is it possible that our local newspaper is being controlled in their coverage and commentary? Your first reaction would be to think absolutely not, but one must wonder given the recent trend of the Cincinnati Enquirer and its editorial board.

It is no secret that the newspaper industry is struggling and that a struggling enterprise will do just about anything to stay relevant. So when the majority of your consumers are those that live in suburbia you might just “tell them the stories they want to hear” as a former editor for the Cincinnati Enquirer described to me and my class at the University of Cincinnati.

The response was to a question of mine about their negative slant towards inner-city stories and their positive slant towards suburban stories. I asked why the most mundane stories about suburbia are portrayed as being the next greatest thing for the region, and how stories of greater magnitude are not even covered when they are located in the city.

This was several years ago and at the time I was somewhat shocked to hear the candid response that took little to no effort to regurgitate, and as I have continued my involvement I have seen this trend develop even further.

The most recent and obvious examples have to deal with the modern Cincinnati Streetcar proposal and the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment that has been put forth by the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST).

Within the past week the Enquirer ran a story announcing that the NAACP/COAST coalition had gained enough signatures to put the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment on the ballot (nothing wrong there). As a result of the campaign kicking off to a certain degree, several individuals and organizations opposed to that Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment requested that the Enquirer use correct terminology and data in their articles relating to the issue.

Two items in particular were the cost/scope of the proposed streetcar project, and the scope and terminology of the proposed City Charter amendment. While reporters had consistently referred to the project as being $185 million (which would be far beyond a streetcar running through Downtown and OTR, and is not what was approved by City Council for the streetcars funding plan – that number is $128 million for a Downtown/OTR circulator with an Uptown connector), it seemed as though some of the Enquirer’s columnists did not get the memo as $200 million (a number made up by those pushing the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment) was cited in a recent column.

Furthermore, the Enquirer was consistently referring to the proposed amendment that would prohibit the City from spending “any monies for right-of-way, acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation” as the “streetcar issue” or “streetcar amendment.” As Brad Thomas pointed out:

“It is inaccurate and misleading for the Enquirer to call the ballot initiative the “Streetcar Issue” when it would permanently affect all passenger rail. A ballot initiative that affected all highways would not be called the “Norwood Lateral Issue,” nor would an initiative that affected all parks be called the “Eden Park Issue.”

The response from the Enquirer was deafening. Over the weekend the editorial board decided to run a story on the Riverfront Transit Center as being a “waste of money” (an item first brought up by Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment backer Tom Luken). In the story the Enquirer spoke with someone from COAST and Metro. In a non-subjective article they should have also requested comment from someone with a pro-transit agenda to counterbalance the opinions of COAST who also opposed the 2002 regional transit plan. Metro was able to provide the raw data on the matter and correct the false numbers that COAST was using to define the capital costs of the Transit Center (sound familiar).

This was followed up by a piece that incorrectly cited the streetcar would operate with a $3.5 million annual deficit. This number is of course assuming that there would be zero dollars in fares generated and is also a talking point used by the NAACP/COAST coalition to spread falsehoods and mislead people about this one project that would be affected by the all-encompassing Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment.

Normally I would not draw a correlation here given my “viciously optimistic” outlook on life, but a couple recent Cincinnati Enquirer actions made me feel differently.

On Thursday, July 3 I tweeted that Enquirer Editor & Vice President of Content and Audience Development, Tom Callinan, blocked me from following his account – a move specifically taken towards me and specifically initiated by Callinan or whoever he has running his Twitter account. But why?

Well earlier in the week I responded to what I considered a column that used reckless disregard for the truth regarding the streetcar proposal. I sent an email to Mr. Peter Bronson and pointed out what I found to be intentionally false and asked him to adhere to Gannett’s (owner of Cincinnati Enquirer) stated Code of Ethics when it comes to writing columns. His response was rather callous and it was obvious that I struck a chord.

In the end what we are dealing with here is an amendment to the City Charter (City’s equivalent to the Constitution) that would prohibit the City from spending any money on ANY passenger rail project. That would include the proposed 3-C Corridor high-speed rail plan that would have Ohioans riding from Cincinnati, to Dayton, to Columbus, to Cleveland with stops in between at 110mph within 5 years and the larger Midwest Rail Initiative that would do the same but also connect Cincinnati to Indianapolis, Chicago and beyond. It would also include the proposed Eastern Corridor Project that would provide a rail link between Cincinnati’s eastern suburbs with the Central Business District.

You do not have to like the Cincinnati Streetcar project to dislike this Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment for several reasons, and that is why it has a bipartisan coalition of opponents including 16 of 18 endorsed candidates running for City Council (Democrats, Republicans and Charterites), the Mayor, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance for Regional Transit, Cincinnatians For Progress and All Aboard Ohio to name a few.

I do not have a problem with dissent, what I have a problem with is misleading the public. The Enquirer has a responsibility to cover the news subjectively and to provide the most accurate information possible to their roughly 200,000+ daily readers and nearly 300,000 Sunday readers. When disregard for the truth is employed by the media, then we have very little else to rely on when it comes to informing the electorate. It is not a fair game when you have the cards stacked against you like that and I hope that the Enquirer takes this opportunity to right the ship and start using accurate information with equal representation from both parties revolving around this Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment Cincinnatians will be voting on this November.

Additional reading:
More lies from Jason Gloyd and COAST by The Phony Coney

Cincinnati's Riverfront Park System

noreply@blogger.com (Diggy) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:38:00 +0000

As a native of Chicago, when I first moved to Cincinnati I was surprised by the lack of residential development along the river. Now that I have lived here for nearly 8 years, the perspective I’ve gained on our riverfront system has changed. This is particularly true as plans move forward for the riverfront parks system extension that The Banks will bring.

This past weekend, I was in Chicago, and was struck by how fortunate the city was to have a wide open expanse of parks and walkways to separate the lake from the high rises. The history behind this parks system begun 170 years ago, when settlers were establishing Chicago as a Midwestern trading post.

“When the former Fort Dearborn became part of the town site in 1839, the plat of the area east of Michigan Avenue south of Randolph was marked ‘Public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings’” (source).

As a result of this green space being established, it has acted as a gathering place for people of various backgrounds and economic levels to gather and listen to music protest or celebrate. Within the lakefront park system, Millennium Park offers water fountains you can walk and play in (a nice departure from beautiful but not hands-on Buckingham Fountain), a band shell that there is regular programming in, and the multi-sensory Bean to look at and touch.

With The Banks continuing at its steady pace, there are already people gearing up to have funding in place to start programming for families at the new riverfront park system that will be built in stages over the next three years. In the Cincinnati Parks e-newsletter, a thank you was put out for a fundraiser that occurred recently which raised over $100,000 for family programing at the Cincinnati Riverfront Park.

All of the other riverfront parks we have in place are excellent places to walk through or go to a weekend festival, but I don’t often hear about family programming that goes on in those parks unless it’s associated with the festival. Hopefully as time goes on, we can start seeing well-advertised day camps or even day workshops for families to attend at no or reduced cost. A park has to offer more than just a place to stop and enjoy the scenery – it needs to be a place that is interactive and appeals to a wide demographic.

Following this rubric, the planners hit the target with programming on Fountain Square every week that offers not only a different genre of music nightly, it also offers special programming during the day to get downtown workers involved in games, farmers markets and live cooking shows. Additionally, the architects of the square itself did an excellent job planning interactive fountains for children to play in while parents watch Reds games and enjoy food from the local eateries. Let’s hope the planners of the layout of the new riverfront parks and those who put together programming think in the same vein.

-Kate Dignan

'Taken for a Ride' at the Carnegie - 7/14

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

A week from today on July 14, the Southern Ohio Filmmakers Association and Cincinnati World Cinema will host a screening of the "eye-opening" documentary Taken For A Ride.

The film looks at the abrupt and widespread end to urban streetcar service in the United States. "The film uses investigative journalism, vintage archival footage and candid interviews to recount efforts by the auto and oil industries (led by General Motors) to buy and dismantle streetcar lines, tear out tracks and replace electric-driven vehicles with diesel buses."

Director Jim Klein is a two-time Oscar nominee and professor at Wright State University just up I-75 in Dayton. Klein will be at the screening to discuss the film following its screening. The evening will also include a pre-show reception and social hour at Covington's Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center (as seen on MTV's Taking the Stage).

Event organizers say that at the same time as these corporate moves, Congress was heavily funding urban highways that set the course for "deep social and environmental changes" tied to the nation's transportation choices. Organizers go on to say that the timing is important for Cincinnatians given the recent bankruptcy of General Motors and Cincinnati's upcoming City Charter amendment regarding the future of passenger rail transit.

The pre-show reception will start at 6pm with the screening at 7pm. Tickets (order online) are $12 in advance and $15 at the door (plus $1 Carnegie facility fee) and the money will go to benefit the Southern Ohio Filmmakers Association.

If you are unable to make this first screening you're in luck as a second screening will be held the following day also at 7pm. This screening will not include the reception or Director Jim Klein, but tickets (order online) will only cost $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Students and Arts members will also have $8 tickets available to them for this screening (valid ID required).

Photo courtesy of bossa67 via Flickr

Is new funding structure needed as Metro braces for cutbacks?

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

The Cincinnati region’s primary transit operator, Metro, is citing that due to the ongoing recession and a drop in city tax revenue that less service is in the cards. Metro says that they are “bracing for extremely difficult decisions in the coming months,” and that they are working with several different entities analyzing options to remedy the situation.

This funding problem is one not unique to Cincinnati’s Metro as many major transit agencies across the nation are currently considering service reductions, fare increases or both to help address their budget deficits.

Loss of funding:
Nearly half of Metro’s $94.6 million operating budget comes from the allocated 3/10 of 1 percent of the city of Cincinnati’s earnings tax. This earnings tax is projected to be some $2 million to $3 million less than originally anticipated. “The exact decrease is not yet known, but Metro is working with the City on alternatives,” says Metro who anticipates a $2 million to $3 million funding reduction by 2010.

Another problem is that fare revenues are projected to be some $3 million to $5 million less than anticipated. These losses are attributed to the nearly 10 percent unemployment rate (fewer workers = fewer commutes) and recent actions by Cincinnati City Council that limited revenue growth by $600,000.

On top of all this, Metro has been notified that it will see a $137,000 funding reduction from the State of Ohio for elderly and disabled fare subsidies, and a $233,000 funding reduction from Hamilton County that would help provide service for people with disabilities.

What to do:
So far Metro has already done a number of things to help reduce costs including the restriction of non-essential travel; shortened call center hours; reduced printing transfers, system maps, bus schedules, brochures and newsletters; increased fares and pass prices; and even reduced service 3 percent in March and May.

But what else can be done that would preserve the service of essentially the sole transit system in a metropolitan region of 2 million plus people?

One of Metro's diesel-electric hybrid buses - image from Metro

It is already being seen that the vast majority of stimulus money going towards transportation projects is going towards roadway projects and not transit. It has also been seen that many view mass transit as a luxury item rather than a necessary component of a metropolitan area’s transportation network.

Metro is additionally challenged as the vast majority of its funding comes from one entity even though they serve a much larger area. A new regional transit authority was pitched by former councilman John Cranley as he was leaving office, and approved last October, but not much has happened since.

A regional funding structure would not only diversify Metro’s funding sources, but it would also create a shared funding responsibility amongst the communities served by Metro. At the same time a regional transit board should be created that would operate one single transit authority (including Nky). This would reduce overhead costs and make for a more streamlined authority that could experience economies of scale within the workplace. This structure would also result in a comprehensive system that could be managed at a regional level instead of pieced together at a more micro level.

Summer Streets are back in NYC

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:00:00 +0000

The Summer Streets program in NYC temporarily closes down streets to automobiles. The program will be expanded this year to 14 locations across all five boroughs and will look to expand upon the estimated 50,000 people that enjoyed the program last year.

Check out this great video from Streetfilms.

Government by referendum in Cincinnati

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Is this the future of Cincinnati and the way we run our government here? It certainly seems that way after a string of items that have changed the City's Charter and began this form of governance. Those items include:

Photo-enforced red light cameras (Charter amendment)
2007 Jail/Public Safety sales tax issue
Proportional representation election system
Passenger rail investment (November election, Charter amendment)
Sale of City's Water Works Department (November election)

I'm all for the democratic process, but the trend that is forming here is not that. The way our government is supposed to work is by electing individuals to represent us. Those elected officials then make the calls on these specific and important issues. If you like the way they handle those issues, you reelect them, if you don't, you elect someone else. This is the American way, this is democracy.

We have seen this "direct democracy" or "government by referendum" before in California and the results are in. What has happened is hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of issues are put on the ballot for the voters of California to decide. Often times these are items that trained policymakers should be examining, but are instead being politicized on the most minute level.

As Cincinnatians For Progress points out, this has resulted in a $27 billion budget gap, crumbling schools, the need for dramatic tax increases and the need for the state of California to start issuing I.O.U.'s because it can't pay its own bills.

Image courtesy of California Society of Tax Consultants, San Diego Chapter

And contrary to what you might originally think, this style of governance is not benefiting ordinary citizens and empowering grassroots movements. The Economist reports that:

"It is not ordinary citizens but rich tycoons from Hollywood or Silicon Valley, or special interests such as unions for prison guards, teachers or nurses, that bankroll most initiatives onto the ballots."

"Many others, however, now believe that California needs to start from scratch, with a fully-fledged constitutional convention. California’s current constitution rivals India’s and Alabama’s for being the longest and most convoluted in the world, and is several times longer than America’s. It has been amended or revised more than 500 times and now, with the cumulative dross of past voter initiatives incorporated, is a document that assures chaos."

Surely this is not the form of governance that we want in Cincinnati. It would seem to me that what we actually want is a government with elected officials that are held accountable for their actions. A government that works efficiently and is responsive to the interests of the community and constituents that empowers and employs them.

I for one know I do not want a City Charter that "assures chaos," or a local government that is constantly in gridlock unable to get anything done. If you feel the same way I would like to challenge you to take action...here's what you can do:

Write to the Enquirer or Business Courier and share your thoughts.
Donate to Cincinnatians For Progress who are fighting this style of government in Cincinnati.
Tell your friends and family not to be fooled by the people at COAST and the WeDemandAVote campaign. Tell them that what these groups are doing is not simply trying to promote democracy, but rather, destroy it at its core level.
If you have a blog or participate in social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc then please share this link with them and encourage them to do the same.

Baby tigers at the Cincinnati Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (David Ben) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Tuesday at the Cincinnati Zoo, four baby Malayan Tigers made their first public appearance. It is a great honor to have these cubs at our zoo because they are on the endangered species list.

Currently, the cubs are unnamed, but the zoo is hosting a contest soliciting names. Check out this video, which shows the cubs' first day in their habitat.

New urban farming project launches at Findlay Market

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

On Tuesday, July 7 Cincinnati will take its urban gardening/farm program to the next level when Findlay Market plays host to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Cultivating Healthy Environments for Farmers (CHEF) project.

This Findlay Market pilot program aims to “recruit and train new urban growers.” According to Findlay Market, there are four families participating in the program, which began in April of this year, who will also be on hand for the event.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will start at 12:30pm and celebrate the establishment of these new urban farm plots located just south of the Market (1611-13 & 1626-28 Pleasant Street, between Green and Liberty streets) in historic Over-the-Rhine.

The CHEF project compliments the recently established Urban Gardening Pilot Program by the City of Cincinnati to establish community garden/farm plots throughout the city. Vice Mayor David Crowley will be on hand at this ceremony to speak about this particular project and the future of urban farming in Cincinnati.

Photo from Scott Beseler

Good times in the 513

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

On Saturday, June 20 thousands of people converged onto Over-the-Rhine to participate in the GoOTR 5k and enjoy the festivities at the first annual OTR Summer Gateway Celebration afterwards.

I can honestly say that the 5k was exhausting in that heat. I averaged an 11 minute mile which is not much better than a brisk walk, but I raised money for the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce and got to hang out with lots of fun people in OTR all day.

Click images to open larger version in new window

The Summer Celebration was a great addition this year as in past years people seemed to hang around looking for something to do after the 5k. In addition to the awards ceremony from Rookwood Pottery and drinks from Christian Moerlein, this year had tons of local vendors selling food, crafts and other items.

On the other side of Vine Street some neighborhood children set up a lemonade stand to take advantage of the perfect business opportunity. There was even a stage for music and dance performances that kept the crowd entertained at 12th & Vine all day long.

A couple of drinks, a mett and a wood-fired pizza later I was ready to head south towards Fountain Square to check out the Civil Rights Game Youth Summit festivities that were ongoing.

Click images to open larger version in new window

There were lots of out-of-towners and lots of people enjoying the interactive areas for the kids (pitching area, batting cage, etc). Earlier some Reds players spoke to the youth baseball players and fans at Fountain Square.

The day was truly special and will hopefully be just as good, if not better next year with the second annual OTR Summer Gateway Celebration and the second consecutive year of the Civil Rights Game being held in Cincinnati.

This Week In Soapbox 6/30

rsimes@gmail.com (Randy Simes) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:30:00 +0000

This Week In Soapbox (TWIS) you can read about the future of the Kahn's facility in Camp Washington, Nordstrom's first Cincinnati location, the ripple effects surrounding the transition at Stratford Heights, a facelife for the 175 year-old Mercantile Library and Agenda 360's rallying cry.

If you're interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week's stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati.

TWIS 6/30:

The future of the Kahn's facility in Camp Washington - full article
Nordstrom to open 138,000 square foot store in Kenwood this summer - full article
The ripple effects of Stratford Heights transition - full article
175 year-old Mercantile Library to receive major facelift - full article
The Agenda 360 rallying cry - full article