Month: June 2010

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

DAAP Works 2010 to showcase world’s best design projects

Each year those graduating from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning put on a show of their final work for visitors from all over the nation. DAAP Works 2010 will highlight the creative work of students from the internationally acclaimed Architecture, Urban Planning, Digital Design, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Industrial Design programs.

This year’s exhibition will run from Tuesday, June 8 through Saturday, June 12. DAAP Works 2010 is free and open to the public, and is open on Tuesday from 5pm to 9pm, Wednesday through Friday from 9am to 9pm, and Saturday from 12pm to 2pm. The week-long showcase will be highlighted on Friday night with the 59th Annual Macy’s Fashion Show.

The primary DAAP Works exhibition will be held inside the Aronoff Center for Design & Art and the Meyers Gallery both located on UC’s main campus (map). Visitors will be treated to a variety of visual displays including architectural models, product design, digital animation, fashion showcases, art installations and more.

This year’s graduating class includes UrbanCincy writer, and Interior Design graduate, Jennifer Kessler.  Jennifer’s final project is a design for a children’s library in Over-the-Rhine that utilizes a historic structure along Clay Street.  The Children’s Library of Over-the-Rhine’s design concept is based around a nook concept and will be on display on the building’s 4000 level near the DAAP Cafe.

Considered to be one of the 50 things to do before you die, the 59th Annual Macy’s Fashion Show will take place at 8pm inside UC’s award-winning Campus Recreation Center (CRC) where another sold-out crowd of 1,500 is expected. Tickets are required for this event and cost $40 for general admission to the show or $50 for preferred seating. Tickets are also available for a cocktail reception prior to the show for $40, and the VIA After party for $20. Those unable to attend the fashion show in person are able to purchase $20 tickets for a live simulcast that includes access to the VIA After party located directly outside the CRC. All tickets can be purchased online or by calling (513) 451-6191.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment Business News

DAAP Slap’d students graduate a week from today

Last year at this time, I too was stuck inside the Aronoff Center for Design & Art as I finished my thesis research paper on urban design and its impacts on sociological patterns, and readied my DAAP Works presentation.  Students who attend the College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning (DAAP) at the University of Cincinnati know very well the rigors of the studio-based curriculum that places the college among the best design schools in the world.

This time next week the next round of students will complete their DAAP journey as they walk in their respective graduation ceremonies held at UC.  In the mean time, take a quick glimpse into the DAAP Slap’d lives these students live.  The video is quite comical and fun to watch.  Enjoy!

If you liked this song, you might also want to check out Poolside’s Don’t Stop and Pull Me Under singles.  After further investigation it appears that Poolside has a slew of songs, does live performances and even has its own label.  Not sure what the full story is here, but it’s worth checking out: http://www.poolsideband.com/.

Categories
News Politics Transportation

Wendell Young tapped to replace Laketa Cole on City Council

It was announced this week that Wendell Young will replace Laketa Cole on Cincinnati City Council as she leaves to take a job at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Young is a retired police officer and is currently a high school teacher in the Cincinnati Public School District. Young has run three previous City Council campaigns all of which left him on the outside looking in, but now the North Avondale resident will have his chance inside City Hall.

For Cincinnati Streetcar advocates, the departure of Laketa Cole also means the departure of her support for the modern streetcar project in the funding phases now. Much has been made of Cole’s replacement being chosen for his race or willingness to keep certain staffers around, but not much has been discussed in terms of the key issues that Young will face when he begins his new job. Cincinnati Streetcar supporters are certain to like what they hear.

“The streetcar will be a fantastic opportunity to improve our transportation options downtown,” explained Young. “It will fuel job creation and economic development throughout our city, and will help fund city services for our neighborhoods.”

Beyond his support for the Cincinnati Streetcar project, Young has also stated that fixing the City’s budget, improving neighborhoods throughout the city, and improving Cincinnati’s public safety are top concerns of his. It also appears that Young will work to improve the status of minority contracts, a primary issue with the departing Cole, and race relations as he previously served as the president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP.

“I’m also concerned about public safety.  I’m a retired cop, I can’t overlook that, but the reality for me is that it doesn’t seem to matter how many police officers you have.  The real crime fighters are citizens.  The real crime fighters are people who are proud of their neighborhoods, and feel empowered to take care of their neighborhoods, who will not tolerate misbehavior in their neighborhoods.”

Wendell Young will serve out the remainder of Cole’s term which ends November 30, 2011 at which point Cole would have become ineligible to run again due to term limits.

“When you look at our core city one of the things that makes it attractive is the belief that we’re going to eventually get to the place where one day where people don’t have to own a car to get around, that public transportation will be good enough to get around, and that the goods and services they really want will many times will be within walking distance.”

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati to celebrate 115th German Day this weekend

The German-American Citizens League (GACL) will be celebrating the 115th Anniversary of the celebration of German Day this weekend in Cincinnati’s center city which has also historically served as the heart of Cincinnati’s German heritage along with the nation’s.

“The celebration is one of the oldest German Day celebrations in the United States, which is not surprising since Cincinnati is one of the three major German heritage urban centers along with Milwaukee and St. Louis,” explained Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzman, President, GACL.

The festivities will kick off on Saturday, June 5 at 11am at historic Findlay Market (map) in Over-the-Rhine with the annual parade and opening ceremonies. The ceremonies will include representatives from Cincinnati-area German-American societies, a discussion on the German heritage of Findlay Market, and German dance and singing performances.

The weekend celebrations will continue on Sunday at Hofbräuhaus Newport (map) where the GACL will offer hourly raffle prizes throughout the day, and a grand raffle at 5:30pm.  All proceeds from the raffle will go to benefit the German Heritage Museum.

Categories
Development News Transportation

Cincinnati installs new bicycle racks inside Fountain Square Garage

Photo by Thadd Fiala
Photo by Thadd Fiala

As part of Cincinnati’s commitment to improving the city’s bicycling community, the City has installed a new mounted bicycle rack inside of the Fountain Square Parking Garage in downtown Cincinnati. The bicycle rack is the first of what will be a wave of new bicycle parking facilities inside existing City-owned garages.

In February, Cincinnati’s Planning Commission approved a bicycle parking ordinance that will require all new or expanded parking garages to provide bicycle parking. The ordinance would specifically require that one bicycle parking space be provided for every 20 motor vehicle spaces. The ratio is comparable to those found in other cities like Portland, New York City, Charlotte, San Francisco, Kansas City and Denver which have all recently implemented similar ordinances.

The Fountain Square Parking Garage currently holds 635 parking spaces for automobiles which would mean should it be constructed today, the garage would be required to provide 24 bicycle parking spaces due to the 24-space cap included in the new ordinance for large parking garages. The new bicycle parking ordinance is the first of its kind in the region and is intended to tackle the problem of a lack of secured, covered bicycle parking spaces in Cincinnati’s center city.

The new rack inside the Fountain Square Parking Garage holds 12 bicycles, cost approximately $1,400 and was paid for through the City’s existing Bicycle Transportation Program. Officials from the City’s Department of Transportation & Engineering say that preliminary discussions are underway to incorporate more of these racks in other City-owned garages, but that public feedback would be helpful as officials determine where to locate them next.

Please share your thoughts on where the City should install these bicycle racks next in the comment section below, by filling out a form on the City’s website, or by calling (513) 591-6000.


View City-Owned Parking Garages in a larger map