Category: News

Original stories from the UrbanCincy team.

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News

Cincinnati Bockfest 2009

In case you haven’t heard already, the annual Bockfest celebrations are taking place this weekend (3/6 – 3/8) starting with the opening of Bockfest Hall (formerly Jefferson Hall) at 4pm on Friday, followed by the Bockfest Parade at 6pm.

Bockfest started in Cincinnati in the 1800s and is the world’s oldest Bock festival. The celebrations stem from the glory days of Cincinnati’s many brewers (at one time producing more beer per capita than any other city in the U.S.). During that time a tradition developed amongst the brewers to release all of their bock beer on the same day – marking the end of the winter brewing season and the beginning of the spring.

This year’s celebration will include sub-subterranean tours of Cincinnati’s prohibition past (all 13 sold out), subway tours (all 3 sold out), the parade, glass blowing, Sausage Queen competition, book signing, live music, and of course lots of beer drinking at some of the best German bars in the city.

Click image for larger version – Parade Route = Green, Public Parking = Blue, Participating Venues = Red, Free Shuttle Route = Orange

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News

NolaCycle Bike Map Project

New Orleans, and its residents, are working to make the city a better place post-Katrina. One of those efforts is the creation of a “high-quality cycling map of New Orleans” that has engaged the community in a way that is truly special.

Lauren Sullivan, a soon to be School of Planning graduate, has been working closely members of the community, fellow bicyclists and Planners from the New Orleans area and started the whole project. Much work has already been completed and before the end of this year free maps will be available in print and online to help cyclists navigate New Orleans.

The final maps will include information about pavement quality, car travel speeds, lane widths, and other special caution areas for cyclists. This comprehensive data collection process was made possible through the help of volunteers that primarily participated in mapping events that made the whole process more of a social gathering. Volunteers also participated in the innovative NolaCycle DIY mapping (think wiki-style involvement in the real world) – see video below for more details.

The grassroots project has already garnered national attention and is currently in the process of applying for grants to help fund the remaining work. At this stage the group could use your help in receiving a $500 micro-credit loan through New Orleans’ Crescent City Farmers Market. The Farmers Market has opened the process up to voting, and you can help the NolaCycle cause by voting for the project.

The process is fascinating as it employs an innovative way to gather and engage community support. In the end, the community will have complete ownership, of the project, and will have also poured in tons of hours to help make it reality. This engagement organizes a group of people to create a new community asset for no cost at all to the taxpayers of New Orleans. For more on the project check out this brief video from The Times-Picayune.


UPDATE: NolaCycle was one of three winners of the $500 micro-credit loan

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Arts & Entertainment News

Thanks for the memories Huggs

A brief tribute video for former Bearcats basketball coach Bob Huggins. Huggins was back in town to play the Bearcats with his West Virginia Mountaineers team on Thursday. The tribute was gracious – the game not so much as the Bearcats went on to beat the Mountaineers and improve to 18-10 overall and 8-7 in the Big East.

Hopefully this is a cathartic moment for the many basketball fans that never really got over the departure of Huggins. Mick Cronin has done a heck of a job and has achieved success earlier that what many people thought possible.

Thanks for the memories Huggs. Go Bearcats!

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News

Mr. Mallory and the Streetcar

In Cincinnati’s annual State of the City address, Mayor Mark Mallory took an early opportunity to vaunt about the proposed streetcar system, stating in a lofty voice that “the benefits of the Streetcar system are too significant to allow the naysayers to derail our efforts. The facts are clear. Streetcars must be a part of Cincinnati’s future and we will fight to make it happen.”

His charged comments drew one of the largest applause from the crowd of 600 at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Mallory stated that streetcars and fixed-rail investments will spur new development along its proposed route, citing that the first phase of the streetcar would connect two of Cincinnati’s largest employment bases: uptown and downtown, and cut through the heart of Over-the-Rhine. Mallory cited Tampa’s TECO Line Streetcar System, which has attracted more than $900 million in new investment and development along the line and Charlotte’s streetcar and the LYNX light rail line that has attracted over $1 billion in new investment along the corridor. It goes without saying that the role model for Cincinnati is Portland, where over $2.8 billion has been invested along its streetcar network.

According to HDR Consulting, a modest investment of $102 million to construct phase one of Cincinnati’s streetcar would generate $1.4 billion in new investment along the line. While a lot of the funding is in place for phase one, Mallory submitted a request for more than $60 million from President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package with the hope that some, if not all of the requested funding will be received.

If the funding is received, it is conceivable that phase one of the Cincinnati streetcar project can become reality in the next two years. The Cincinnati Streetcar Blog has constructed a map that shows the various alignments proposed, with their mileage and cost labeled. It can also be seen below:


View Larger Map

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News

Share your thoughts on the Ensemble Theatre

Are you one of the many people who have taken in a show or performance at the Ensemble Theatre? Do you look forward to the theatre’s future in Over-the-Rhine and the Gateway Quarter?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you should TAKE THE QUICK SURVEY to let the ETC know what you think about their productions, place in the community and what your ideas are for their ongoing capital campaign to improve the theatre and its facilities.

The survey is available now, and will be up until April 28th. It honestly only takes a couple of minutes and will go a long way in shaping the future operations and physical appearance of the ETC.

Ensemble Theatre expansion news/information on Building Cincinnati