Posts by Travis Estell

Travis joined UrbanCincy in 2009 as a contributor, and quickly took over technical responsibilities for the site. After growing up in Cincinnati’s east side in Goshen, Travis earned an Electronic Media degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2009. Since then, Travis has been working throughout the United States as a web development consultant. After living in both Clifton Heights and Northside, Travis currently calls Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood home. Contact him at travis.estell@urbancincy.com or follow him on Twitter @taestell.

Episode #20: Spring Update

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On the 20th episode of The UrbanCincy Podcast, the UrbanCincy team gets together to discuss the upcoming mayoral and city council races, and the effects of an increasing number of ballot referenda. We also discuss recent urban developments such as Mercer Commons, Horseshoe Casino, and USquare, in addition to proposals for the former SCPA, condos at 7th and Broadway, and the Kenwood Collection.

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Episode #19: Metropolis & Mobility

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On April 19, UrbanCincy and the Niehoff Urban Studio held an event titled Metropolis & Mobility: Bus Rapid Transit and Bikeways. On the 19th episode of The UrbanCincy Podcast, we bring you a panel discussion from the event, featuring Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority CEO Terry Garcia-Crews, Cincinnati Bike Center manager Jared Arter, and Parsons Brinckerhoff transportation planner Tim Reynolds. The discussion was moderated by Randy Simes of UrbanCincy.

This event also showcased student work in the areas of bus rapid transit, bikeways, and multi-modal corridors. The best student project, as voted by attendees of the event, will be showcased on UrbanCincy in the coming weeks.

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Episode #18: Immigrant-Friendly City

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On the 18th episode of The UrbanCincy Podcast, we’re joined by Alfonso Cornejo, President of the Cincinnati Hispanic Chamber, and Kristin Hoffman, and Immigration/Administration Lawyer with Hammond Law Group. We discuss city council’s recent motion to declare Cincinnati an “immigrant-friendly” city.

Mr. Cornejo explains how the Midwest is “stuck in the past” when it comes to immigration matters, and how city council’s motion helps improve the the city’s image. Ms. Hoffman describes some of the challenges immigrants face while trying to become citizens of the United States, and how new “path to citizenship” reforms could improve our nation’s economy. We also discuss the need to attract highly-skilled immigrants and retain international students after they graduate from the region’s top universities.

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Episode #17: Kevin Wright of Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation

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Kevin Wright

On the 17th episode of The UrbanCincy Podcast, we’re joined by Kevin Wright, Executive Director of the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation.

We discuss the neighborhood’s history and how various changes have impacted Walnut Hills over the years. Kevin explains how the new direction taken by the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation has resulted already in positive changes, such as the Buy 25 program, the two-way conversion of Taft and McMillan Streets, and several buildings that are being preserved and restored by WHRF.

Kevin explains how Walnut Hills will benefit from younger generations that want a single-family home close to the urban core. Finally, we discuss how the casino, a new I-71 interchange, and other projects around Uptown would affect Walnut Hills.

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Join author of book on Cincinnati’s incomplete subway at March’s URBANexchange

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Jake MecklenborgHopefully everyone thoroughly enjoyed their February and the introductory weekend to March known as Bockfest around these parts.

We will be back in the biergarten of the Moerlein Lager House tomorrow for our monthly URBANexchange event.

Last month’s giveaway was a big hit, so we’re going to do it again this month. This time we will be giving away two signed copies of Jake Mecklenborg’s book about Cincinnati’s abandoned subway. Jake will even be in attendance to talk about the book and his findings.

If you did not have a chance to participate in the Bockfest activities over the weekend, then this will be a great opportunity for you to try out the Lager House’s selection of bock beers.

As always, the event will take place from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, and we will gather in the northwestern most corner of the biergarten. If you are nervous about picking us out from the crowd, simply inform the employees at the front desk that you are there for URBANexchange, and they will direct you to the correct location.

The event is a casual atmosphere and is free and open to the public, so feel free to bring a friend. Those who decide to attend can come and go anytime during the scheduled event hours, but we do encourage you to come hungry and thirsty to support our kind hosts at the Moerlein Lager House (map) and Smale Riverfront Park.

It should be a great time to talk about city issues with all sorts of big news happening over the past month. The city’s proposed parking modernization and lease plan, Wasson Corridor, city budget, proposed 30-story residential tower, Bartlett Building hotel conversion, MLK Interchange, casino opening, and the efforts to accelerate both the Cincinnati Streetcar and Oasis Line rail projects.

If you are on Facebook, then you can connect with others attending the event by RSVPing for the March URBANexchange. See you there!

Episode #16: Michael Moore from Cincinnati’s Dept. of Transportation

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Waldvogel ViaductOn the 16th episode of The UrbanCincy Podcast, we’re joined by Michael Moore, Director of Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation and Engineering.

The department is responsible for the city’s existing transportation infrastructure — everything from filling potholes to operating Luken Airport — as well as overseeing new projects across the city. On the podcast, we discuss how the department is trying to provide Cincinnatians with more choices by introducing bike lanes, adding sidewalks, building the streetcar, and other efforts. Michael also provides information on several road and bridge projects, such as the Waldvogel and Western Hills viaducts, the Brent Spence Bridge, and the Kennedy Connector.

We also discuss how pre-existing “standards” and a one-size-fits-all approach may not be a fit for Cincinnati when it comes to complete streets and bike lanes. Finally, we discuss how traffic engineers balance moving automobile traffic efficiently with building walkable, livable streets.

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Episode #15: Downtown Cincinnati Inc.

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382006602864On the fifteenth episode of The UrbanCincy Podcast, we’re joined by David Ginsburg, President and CEO of Downtown Cincinnati Incorporated (DCI).

We discuss how DCI came to be, how it’s funded, and how it remains accountable to its stakeholders. We cover DCI’s main goals, of keeping Downtown safe and clean; promoting Downtown as a destination for businesses, residents, and visitors; and promoting accurate coverage of Downtown in the media. We also discuss how some of DCI’s services have expanded beyond the Central Business District, and how other neighborhoods might look to provide these types of services.

We speculate on how developments such as the dunnhumby Centre, Tower Place Mall, and Horseshoe Casino could impact the Downtown area.

Finally, we take a look at how media outlets have portrayed Downtown Cincinnati, and how public perception of the city continues to improve with DCI’s efforts.

Photo: Ice skating on Fountain Square.

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