On their map each dot was assigned one of five colors based on the racial and ethnic affiliation. Whites are blue; African-Americans, green; Asians, red; Hispanics, orange; and all other racial categories are coded as brown. Cable used publicly available 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
When viewed in its entirety from afar, the map makes cities look like integrated places with a merging of all the colors to create a purple shade. This, however, is not the most accurate portrait of the racial segregation found throughout American cities.
When viewing Cincinnati at a more detailed level, for example, one can see the clear separation of White, Black, Hispanic and Asian populations.
The dots are evenly distributed throughout their assigned Census Block, so some dots (or people) appear to be living in areas where they cannot (i.e. parks, water, streets).
The specific areas of interest inside Cincinnati city limits are several Uptown neighborhoods where a dense cluster of Asian individuals live, and the Lower Price Hill and East Price Hill area where a small concentration of Hispanic individuals call home.
When looking elsewhere around the region it is also interesting to observe the Hispanic population cluster in Butler County near in and around the City of Hamilton.
A family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness will take place this weekend at Washington Park in historic Over-the-Rhine.
Cincinnati Maker Faire, inspired by the national Maker Faire by MAKE Magazine, will exhibit over 90 inventors and their trades. Scientists, engineers, artists, performers and crafters are among those showcased in the event.
Event organizers tout that the event will include a drum set that shoots fireballs, one-man concert played entirely on Nintendo Gameboys, power tool drag race, working robots and R2D2s, and a hands-on workshop with an international team of plush artists.
Part science fair, part county fair, Cincinnati Maker Faire is anticipated to be the greatest show (and tell) on Earth. The free event will take place this Saturday, October 19 and will run from 12pm to 10pm.
It’s a common misconception that urban life only appeals to young people. This idea has been repeated many times in recent weeks with regards to the upcoming mayoral and city council election in Cincinnati. Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes said on Twitter that the purpose of the streetcar project is “to please ‘milennials'” (sic), and the Enquirer recently published a letter-to-the-editor claiming that the upcoming election is about “Millennials vs. Baby Boomers.”
However, a recent Washington Post article sheds light on this issue, and finds that an increasing number of Baby Boomers are opting for urban life. Once the kids have moved out of the house, Boomers don’t need as much space, and prefer the amenities that cities and new urbanist developments offer. More from the Washington Post:
“The millennials and the boomers are looking for the same thing,” said Amy Levner, manager of AARP’s Livable Communities. […]
“The spirit on the streets, there’s a kind of vitality, a regeneration,” Harold Closter said, adding that most people in their building are younger than they are. “We’ve made a lot of new friends, and we’ve found that it’s a lot easier for our friends to get to us, because we’re right on the Metro. . . . Our (adult) son and his friends think this is pretty cool as well.” […]
“I don’t have to spend my time taking care of the house, replacing the gutter, sealing the driveway,” he said. “After you make the move, it’s like a big rock lifted off the back of your neck.”
The stretch of Ludlow Avenue from Whitfield Avenue to the west to Ormond Avenue to the east has a decidedly suburban form different from the rest of the gaslight district between Ormond Avenue and Clifton Avenue. This western stretch is part of a two-block commercial main street that is arguably the “most complete neighborhood commercial district in the city,” according to Aaron Renn.
Just being a commercial main street, however, has not been enough to preserve the pedestrian-oriented nature of the street for the entire western half of the district on the south side of Ludlow, and a key gap on the north side of Ludlow at Ormond.
The southern stretch could be described as the Clifton financial district. Between Whitfield and the CVS are three banks – US Bank, PNC and Columbia Savings Bank – all with their own independent access and parking lots surrounding the buildings.
Looking East
Bank and CVS parking and access, notice the loss of onstreet spaces compared to north side of street
Columbia Savings Bank
PNC (left) and US Bank
North side of Ludlow at Ormond
North side of Ludlow at Ormond
The oddity is not that banks have their own access and parking, but that you have auto-oriented suburban development on a historic commercial main street. This is not a unique problem, but a pedestrian streets ordinance, perhaps modeled after Chicago’s, could help correct faulty land use decisions like this one.
The theory behind such an ordinance is that you have an A and B street hierarchy, with A streets having a high standard of spatial definition and pedestrian interest in a continuous network, and B streets having lower standards for parking lots, drive-thru’s, muffler shops, etc.
This is a neoliberal approach typical of New Urbanism, It compromises for many areas and gives businesses a design choice based on location: a pedestrian main street (A), or an auto-oriented B street.
Chicago’s pedestrian streets ordinance seeks “to preserve and enhance the character of streets and intersections that are widely recognized as Chicago’s best examples of pedestrian-oriented shopping districts. The regulations are intended to promote transit, economic vitality and pedestrian safety and comfort.”
The ordinance then sets the criteria for the pedestrian street designation, lists all street segments within the city that have been deemed pedestrian streets subject to the ordinance, and sets standards for build-to lines, transparency and pedestrian access.
Of particular importance is what it says about parking and driveways:
Parking Location. All off-street parking spaces must be enclosed or located to the rear of the principal building and not be visible from the right-of-way of a pedestrian street.
Driveways and Vehicle Access. Vehicle access to lots located along pedestrian streets must come from an alley. No curb cuts or driveways are allowed from a pedestrian street.
If this the stretch of Ludlow Avenue had a pedestrian streets ordinance, at such time these banks wish to make improvements or redevelopment, these standards would then kick in and require the banks to reconsider their vehicular access, possibly to the point of eliminating driveways and consolidating parking and access off Whitfield.
More realistically, however, the ordinance would help guard other commercial main streets from the auto-oriented nature of drug stores, banks and restaurants without the need for a short-term Interim Development Controls (IDC) district or historic district protections.
It turns out that while China has been gaining ground, it still has a long way to go to catch up with America’s economic prowess. In fact, recent numbers show that the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, alone, have a higher GDP than China. When looking at Ohio, Cincinnati, Columbus Cleveland ($320 billion) tally a combined GDP just higher than Denmark ($314 billion) and just lower than the United Arab Emirates ($359 billion). More from Business Journals:
A recent Pew Research Center survey of 38,000 people in 39 nations found widespread expectations that China will soon surpass the United States. Respondents in just six of those 39 countries are still placing their bets on the U.S. The current numbers, however, suggest something different.
China’s total output of goods and services, better known as its gross domestic product (GDP), climbed to an impressive $8.23 trillion last year, according to the latest estimates from the International Monetary Fund. But the United States is still far in the lead with GDP of $15.68 trillion, roughly 90 percent higher than China’s total.
