Category: Month in Review

A look back at the top posts on UrbanCincy.

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Month in Review

Month in Review – November 2013

There was a bounty of news in Cincinnati last month as elections ushered in a new mayor and city council, major projects were either scuttled or advanced, and new political movements fighting those new politicians took root. In case you missed it, here’s a look back at our five most popular stories in November.

    1. Get Over It, Then Get Ready
      In this guest editorial, longtime political activist Don Mooney weighs in with his thoughts and advice for dejected liberals in Cincinnati following the recent election.
    2. Those “streetcar” rails going down on Elm Street are actually light rail tracks
      We’ve all heard complaints that the streetcar doesn’t go far enough, and that light rail should be pursued instead. In this guest editorial, John Schneider explains how those rails on Elm Street will serve as the backbone for a regional light rail system.
    3. Project Executive Estimates Cost to Cancel Streetcar Would Far Exceed $100M
      John Deatrick gave a presentation to Cincinnati City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee to outline the anticipated costs, time frame risks associated with canceling or temporarily stopping work on the $133M project.
    4. University of Cincinnati Moves Forward With Two Demolition Projects
      The storied Wilson Auditorium on UC’s main campus along Clifton Avenue came down, and another iconic structure in Uptown may also soon meet the wrecking ball.
    5. Cincinnati’s New-Found Buzz Helping Attract Retailers to Region
      Since taking office eight years ago, Mark Mallory had been on an aggressive campaign to change Cincinnati’s national image. Part of the intent was to attract new commercial investment, which seems to have payed off.

 

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Month in Review

Month in Review – September 2013

In September, we released two episodes of The UrbanCincy Podcast, discussing recent developments in the urban core and talking to Alex Ihnen about St. Louis’ urbanism movement.

Our  top 5 most popular stories for September were:

    1. Dîner en Blanc – A Social Experiment
      This editorial from Paige Malott generated a lot of conversation about the Dîner en Blanc event held this year in Washington Park.
    2. Metro Art Shelters Project to Transform Eyesores into Literary Canvasses
      City Council’s vote to ban advertising in public right-of-way was supposed to rid the city of eyesores, but it unintentionally degraded the appearance of Metro bus shelters. A new ArtWork project seeks to remedy the situation.
    3. Public Meetings Set for $200M Western Hills Viaduct Replacement
      The City’s Department of Transportation and Engineering is studying replacements for the iconic art deco viaduct.
    4. Construction Work Picking Up Steam on Streetcar’s $133M First Phase
      As you can see from our photo gallery, construction of the Cincinnati Streetcar is well underway on Elm Street, and the first rails are scheduled to be set into place in about two weeks.
    5. Mayor Mallory, Agenda 360 Hosting Transit Oriented Development Workshops This Week
      In an event held last week, experts gave a presentations on aligning transportation investments with long-term goals of growing a city.

 

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Month in Review

Month in Review – August 2013

5th Street Exterior - Image Provided by ImageFiction.

During the month of August, UrbanCincy covered several new developments and events in the city’s urban core. We also published two editorials that generated much response from our readers and the local community. Our  top 5 most popular stories for August 2013 were:

    1. Final Designs Revealed for $125M Dunnhumby Centre Tower
      The long-awaited renderings for the Dunnhumby Centre at Fifth and Race have been released.
    2. It’s Time to Consolidate Local Governments in Hamilton County
      This editorial by Randy Simes has generated over 100 comments on UrbanCincy. Randy was also invited onto 700 WLW to discuss the idea with Scott Sloan, and the Cincinnati Business Courier also provided their own analysis of the idea.
    3. Over-the-Rhine Impresses More Than 30,000 Spectators for LumenoCity
      Paige Malott and John Yung provide photos from the event that attracted over 30,000 visitors to Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
    4. Cincinnati Eliminates Center City Parking Requirements, Neighborhoods Next
      Randy Simes analyses the city’s move to deregulate parking within the urban core.
    5. Greg Landsman: Riding the Cincinnati Streetcar to Success
      In this editorial, City Council candidate Greg Landsman explains why he supports the Streetcar and why it should be extended to Uptown.

 

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Month in Review

Month in Review – July 2013

Mayor Mallory Addresses the Crowd

This month, UrbanCincy covered new developments in the Central Business District, Over-the-Rhine, and Evanston. Contributor  looked at how the city’s parking modernization plan relates to similar programs in other cities. We also released two new podcast episodes, discussing Cincinnati’s transportation history and the role of craft beer in our city, and posted a video of contributor Jake Mecklenborg’s bike ride from Cincinnati to Columbus.

Our  top 5 most popular stories for July 2013 were:

    1. Cincinnati To Grow Taller in the Coming Years
      Cincinnati is now poised to add 15 towers to its collection this decade, putting it dead even with how many the city added in the 1970s. Since many of these will be completed within the first half of this decade, it may be safe to assume that the city will add even more by decade’s end and approach the 1980s rate of tower construction.
    2. Industry Experts Believe a ‘Parking Revolution’ is Sweeping America
      Cincinnati’s recently approved Parking Modernization & Lease Program appears to apply these top trends by moving toward technologies that improve access control, payment automation, and real-time communication of pricing and availability to user’s mobile devices.
    3. Grandin Properties Completes $1.6M Renovation of 135-Year-Old Hummel Building
      The Hummel Building is the second of seven projects to be completed during the fifth phase of 3DCDC’s redevelopment work in Over-the-Rhine. The building is now home to a 1,900 square-foot restaurant space and four condominiums priced from $270,000 to $375,000, is also the first Over-the-Rhine project for Grandin Properties.
    4. Demolition of Evanston’s Long-Troubled St. Leger Place Begins
      The apartment building known as St. Leger was built in 1905 and is situated at the intersection of Gilbert Avenue and St. Leger Place. The building has long been known as a problem property in the city, but is now being redeveloped by The Model Group.
    5. Promise of Streetcar Driving Occupancy Rates at Hanke Exchange
      The owners of The Hanke Exchange – a collection of five buildings in Over-the-Rhine between Reading Road and Michael Bany Way – have announced that Teach for America will open their Cincinnati office at the Jupiter Building at 1110 Main Street.

 

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Month in Review

Month in Review – November 2010

This month, UrbanCincy covered a number of new businesses and new living spaces in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. We also shared news on the modern streetcar that visited Fountain Square, and guest author Zachary Schunn shared his thoughts on good architecture in our city. Our top 5 most popular articles for November 2010 were:

  1. Historic loft renovation project starts anew in downtown Cincinnati
    The redevelopment of downtown Cincinnati’s former industrial buildings continues with the McFarland Lofts, a seven-unit condominium project under construction in a circa 1901 wagon livery and horse stable.
  2. Modern streetcar to be on display in downtown Cincinnati through 11/10
    If you have not been one of the hundreds of Cincinnatians to make the trip to Portland to see modern streetcars in action, or visit one of the many global cities with them in operation, then tomorrow is a great chance to see one up close and in person.
  3. Sushi Bears a new vegan option at Findlay Market
    A new vegan and vegetarian focused Japanese food stand has opened at Findlay Market. Sushi Bears is a food concept run by chef Dan Wells and his business partner Steve Hauck.

  4. Yoga Row creating new business unions along Main Street
    A visit to Main Street between 8th and Liberty streets nowadays reveals a neighborhood not only on the mend, but on the rise. The owners of Main Street Yoga, Yoga Bar, You Do Yoga, and the Joyful Life Yoga Center have collaborated together to form a new project, nicknamed “Yoga Row.”
  5. Successful urban design sets stage for successful cities
    When it comes to local architecture, Cincinnati deserves good design. But with architecture (and urban planning, or any other design-based field for that matter), there is never one particular thing that separates “good” design from “bad” design.