LincolnKennedy

^Dude, these places are 1970s and later boomtowns. These places aren't Cairo, or Beirut, or Jerusalem. These places have on very recently been well and continuously inhabited. The average American small town is a hundred years older than these places. You know what the locals do in Qatar? They go to the mall, just like we do in the suburbs.

^Alabama ExPat, great post. Dan Hurley is awesome. I'd like to get a look at those McLaughlin designs for the flower stand.

I don't think liberals are keeping public schools from instituting more rigorous physical education requirements. Let's not forget that it was the Reagan administration that attempt to define ketchup as a vegetable in order to spend less money on the national school lunch program. Most school cafeteria food is the same type of food they serve at prisons. There is a fine article in a recent past New Yorker about the efforts of a woman to serve healthier lunches in the Oakland Public Schools. These types of meals typically cost a lot more than how much each current meal does. That's usually why people go to private schools- people who can afford it like to buy nice stuff for themselves. I attended high school in the Cincinnati Public Schools and recall some year when the levy didn't pass and everyone who participate in athletics had to pay like $200 to do so that year. I'm sure the kids who couldn't afford it were accomodated in some way. Of course, we all had to register with the Communist Party and give a self-criticism on the last day of the month of Thermidor, but we were happy to participate in the Hundred Flowers Campaign to combat Rightist Thinking so long as we could still play sports. WALNUT LAX RULES! In other words, as amusing as this back-and-forth has been for me, I feel like it's gotten to the point of rudeness to the other contributors, so I'm done, though jmeck, feel free to respond.

I left DC in December of 2000 after living there for three & one half years. If I may make a suggestion, the Metro needs a "Florida Avenue" loop or something like it, that will take you between the commuter avenue lines without having to go downtown. For a city with a rather extensive rail system, it was essentially an automobile functioning town. I had a car there for my last year and half, getting tons of Zone 2 parking tickets simply because there was no other convenient way to travel between Rosslyn & Georgetown. Of course towards the end of my time there my parallel parking skills were immaculate. Good times.

Yeah, I was referring to William Wordsworth, who helped launch Romanticism in Britain and therefore throughout the English-speaking world. That's where you first start to see a major intellectual, "back to nature" push in English, though Rousseau and Goethe were doing that sort of thing a bit eartlier on the Continent. The major American figure for that type of thing is of course Henry David Thoreau. A friend of mine called Thoreau a phony because she said Thoreau's mother cooked for him when he was living at Walden Pond. Well, maybe. But that was a picture of the Place Dauphine, on the Ile de la Cite, in Paris, much of which was torn down by Haussman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haussmann%27s_renovation_of_Paris, and check out the maps of the transformation of the Ile de la Cite on the right) during the mid to late 19th Century. Those apartments probably aren't more than 130 years old, comparative to a decent number of buildings in Cincinnati. I wouldn't be surprised if all those buildings didn't date from the same year, or even the same builder. Anyway, I wasn't suggesting that the spot be copied in detail, but rather that the aesthetic of the entire ensemble drive l'esprit de contruction. Now who's the Romantic? It seems you just lean more to Turnvater Jahn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_Jahn) than Wordsworth.

^So jmecklenborg doesn't like William Wordsworth. Understandable. But aren't the pictures pretty?

Maybe it would help if I provided a link: http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0610/feature3/index.html Good lookin out, Cramer.

Here's what the Banks should look like if they want to build residential: In fact, everyone should just check out the pictures and text of this article about the parks of Paris, from whence I stole the image.

What do you expect from her? There hasn't been a decent Italian poet since Boccaccio. I haven't seen it either, but I think they should have just kept the rough brown brick in a fantail pattern that they had on the south end of the square. That had the virtues of hiding dirt and being completely walkable when wet (unlike that goofy stone or faux stone they used for the square at the Newport Levee Mall). These chuckleheads at 3CDC and their corporate masters are silly. The square is about creating a gathering space, and they would have done that best by demolishing the north building and making the whole place level. Nobody's going to be looking at the damn ground after the dedication ceremony.

What's the name of that street in Mt. Auburn with all the cool row houses? I think it starts with a "C". It's pretty ghetto, but certainly a unique block in Cincinnati. I've also always loved that block of buildings between Sycamore & Broadway, Liberty & SCPA. Great houses, Mansard roofs (rooves?) an old public bathhouse, and a few old barns converted to garages in the alleys.

Aside from the point that people don't shop at department stores nowadays in the numbers that they used to (and that is pretty much the fault of the department stores), let's look at the numbers once again. How many downtown department stores does Cincinnati have? Two. Atlanta has zero. They have a little memorial to Rich's, which was their version of Shillito's in the old Rich's building that is now the Federal Building in Atlanta. Anyone in Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Indy, Louisville, or any other city want to give a count of how many downtown department stores their city has? And to be fair, they have to be downtown, not just urban, so if you're in New York, you can't count any higher than 14th street, or go past Wacker Dr. and the river if you're in Chicago, for example.

That's actually a pretty good line-up of black artists with local roots. I'm impressed.

^Let's all please recall that the only reason that this area is "undeveloped" is because it was destroyed, by the city and the county working together. We bought numerous Christmas trees and had plenty of Spaghetti dinners down there, and the Riverwalk hike that Den 3 (Knox Presbyterian Church) took in the Fall of '88 was just as fun as it would have been if a park was at the foot of the Suspension Bridge instead of Fries Brothers. Look, I want to see the Banks completed as much as anyone else. And by that I mean I think that when it comes down to it, there are legitimate claims to greater priorities for the future of the region. First and foremost, increasing government revenues (both for the city and county) by practically any means necessary. I don't see how increasing both downtown and City residential population can be honestly encouraged without at least some movement toward competent and convenient rail transport that links the two major employment centers of downtown & Clifton with each other and the airport. I fear that by ignoring the pressing and relevant questions about revenue and transportation, at least concurrently with the project, it will be D.O.A., if it ever gets built.

One of the most insidious thing about modern starchitecture is how it seems focused entirely on single, signature buildings that create a statement (usually that only people in the know "get"). Anyone have any examples of a modern area or neighborhood that creates a "true urban aesthetic"?

I always thought that there were plenty of great old, demolished buildings in Cincinnati that should simply be rebuilt when the need for them arises again (e.g. the old Cincinnati Workhouse for the new jail). One would think the old specs would be available at the county recorder's or engineer's offices, or at the library, or UC. I suppose they couldn't build it (nor would they want to) the way it was built originally but if you're going to fake something, at least fake something iconic. That's cute. I remember going there as a kid, and thinking how classy it was. My first introduction to both waiting for a table and having cocktails before dinner, though mine was simply 7up and grenadine.

I'm sorry but, Leslie Ghiz is an idiot....what is she trying to say by "We have a city that is burning".....what do we need better fire protection? I get what she is trying to say, but why not just say our city is crumbling/deteriorating or something along those lines. I don't think we're at the point where it is 'burning'. I think she just likes to use colorful words/comments to draw attention to herself/her issues. She is a joke! I'm glad someone else called out this twit for making this ridiculous statement. As a friend of mine said, she's the new Alicia Reece when it comes to grandstanding. Anyone with the opportunity should not vote for Ms. Ghiz simply for the above statement. Speaking of grandstanding, I think it's typical that no one in the media gets on Ghiz for making a ridiculous comment like this the way they would have for a similar comment by a councilor from, say, Bond Hill. Is it because Ghiz is white? I suspect that it is. I say this as someone who hasn't been to the beach since July 2004.

Does anyone know how big the Banks site is? I suspect it is smaller than 138 acres. Monte's skepticism is certainly justified. And the question of the parking garage revenue remains unresolved. The real shame of it all is that there is absolutely no coordination with other relevent things in the city, like the explosion of the downtown housing market, the constant hunger for new corporate workers downtown, the insatiable need for new sources of revenue for the city, and the incorporation of streetcar lines or other types of public rail transit. Despite the fact that they talk about how this development will be a catalyst for other development no one ever bothers to lay the necessary groundwork for that to happen. It's really frustrating. Also, anyone else catch the fact that that Enquirer assclown Newberry described the (two block) stretch of 4th Street from Walnut to Race as, "littered with vacant storefronts"? As far as I'm aware, the only vacant storefront is where the old Frisch's used to be on the corner. Any other possible contenders are "vacant" simply because they are converting the old office/McAlpin's space into condominiums and there is construction going on.

As one who grimaces with pain everytime I have to calculate 20% on a restaurant check, I have to ask, isn't Marsokis right here? Both Louisville and Indianapolis have united county-city governments, meaning that there are more Louisvilliards and Indianapolites than there are Cincinnatians. So, if my thinking is correct, by saying ___ violent crimes per 100,000 persons you are by the nature of the calculation making it look like Cincinnati has more violent crime than you would if you just took the average. Am I right about this?

^But it obviously doesn't connect any of that, in part because none of it exists except the transit center itself. Has anyone here actually used the transit center for it's intended purpose? There are no attempts at "intermodal" transit on the drawing board, and certainly nothing like the light rail line shown in the pretty drawing which dates from when The Banks project was conceived in the mid to late 90's and you could see also those lovely pictures on www.riverfrontplanning.org. I'm going to stop complaining about this.

Yeah, I always wondered why the put that transit Center under 2nd Street when 3rd Street was an obviously better location for the very reasons you mentioned (also a transit center on the 3rd Street side could connect to Dixie Terminal one of the gems of Cincinnati architecture). Frankly, since they aren't going to get any downtown underground rail transit anytime soon they should d/x the transit center and increase parking. This is a perfect example of why it's far more important that these project are built correctly, taking in mind all possibilities, than that they are simply built because we can build them. Like Michigan Stadium was. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Stadium#History I don't know why this last part is in boldface.

Frankly, I don't understand how anyone can buy Blackwell's proposal's. First, he has to be hurt by the fact that Ohio has by all standards fallen behind relative to other states since the Republicans have had total control over state government (1994). Competition is the most sacred ideal in the Republican Party's rhetorical canon, and they have, by any and all measures, failed that test. But on top of that, I don't understand how anyone can buy the idea that spending caps or tax cuts will make Ohio more competitive (tax cuts are the means by which Republicans believe their ideal of competition can be attained). Adding value is what creates wealth, that is why when an individual wants more money, he works more hours, gets a second job, or improves his education. Simply reducing personal expenditure won't make you wealthier, you'll just increase your liquidity. Public schools are bad, public transit is bad (except roads and highways I suppose, which is once again simply a means) services are bad, attracting immigration is bad. Aside from law enforcement, I can't figure out what traditional state functions this guy wants to fund. He has no theory of state action or expenditure, two of the main rights of states.

^I guess I'm cautiously optimistic. I'd be curious as to how they think they'll proceed. In this layman's opinion, it strikes me that after building the parking garages, building up one or two blocks at a time and then seeing what the reaction for the public is might be the best way to go. Also, are the parking garages below going to 1) be a source of revenue to develop the project, 2) the parking space that gets people to move to the Banks, 3) the space for people to come down and do their shopping at the retail attractions (e.g. Atlantic Station) or all three? I'd be surprised if it could manage all three. I'd opt for #1, let people who want it and can afford to to rent spots in the garage long-term and try to incorporate some sort of riverfront-downtown-OTR streetcar line in the mix, to at least make the gesture toward a car free urban lifestyle, but I don't see that happening.

Roger. I've been working for Army for the past 3 years. 2 more to go. I actually walk to work here as well, but since I'm not in middle of a city it sucks. I'd love to be back in OTR. I'm hooked on walking to work. Now I just need to get things together so I don't have a boss and I'll be set.

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I'll chime in anyway. I lived without a car for nearly six months in Cincinnati, from December 2002 to July 2003, and it wasn't as big a hassle as one might guess. I walked to work, which, alongside with being ones own boss, is THE gift you give to yourself that keeps on giving. Lived at 12th & Walnut, worked at 9th & Main, Library was at 9th and Walnut, the bar was on Main between 13th & 14th. On Sundays if I wasn't too hung over I'd catch the bus at Gov't Square and head out to my grandmother's in Mariemont, and I'd drive her to church in her car. Catch the bus or simply walk back to my parent's house in Mt. Lookout, and figure out things from there. Of course, my roommate still had a car, but I'd only occasionally ride with him to get certain groceries that were easier to get at the Hyde Park Kroger (the refurbished OTR Kroger was nice but didn't carry certain essential items, hummus for me, soy milk for him) or occasionally on a Saturday to Findlay. Avril's on Court is solid gold, and Shadeau Bread on Main is well known to those of the discerning palate. Once the Coffee Emporium moved into the Emery HP Kroger became nearly irrelevant. I can't say that I felt any more a part of my community but if I had enjoyed my job and that bartendress at Mr. Pitiful's had been more forthcoming it would have been perfect.

Read Dante.