Geographies of Neoliberal Regulation and the Everyday Urban Experience: A Case Study of Over-The-Rhine, Cincinnati

 

Author: Addie, Jean-Paul 

 

Abstract:

"This thesis analyses the impacts of neoliberal urbanism through conducting a qualitative case study of the inner-city neighbourhood of Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati. Drawing upon the geographic concept of 'actually existing' neoliberalism, combined with in-depth interviews with neighbourhood organisations, community advocacy groups and residents in Over-the-Rhine, I explore the complex, often contradictory and dialectical relationships between neoliberal regulatory-institutional restructuring, the production of urban space, and the practices of everyday life. Played out against a background of racial tension and civil unrest, the creation of a new, neoliberal institutional landscape in Over-the-Rhine politically and economically disenfranchises the most marginalised neighbourhood inhabitants through re-articulating urban and political space, and re-imagining the ideological form and function of the inner city and the urban poor. I assert the significance of place-based studies to explore the place-specific articulations of neoliberal urbanism and in doing so, present directions for future research"

 

link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"My concern is that right now, the whole Elm Street corridor; that where

ReSTOC has all there properties and it.s just a crime haven. Nobody lives

in those buildings but there is a drug deal a minute, there is prostitution

and all these bad things and that whole corridor is all a complete mess and

where are these people going to go? I think I can guarantee you with

3CDC.s muscle behind that district, crime is not going to stay there,

it.s going to leave there as it doesn.t disappear, it doesn.t evaporate. My

suspicion is. because you.ve got all these great areas; you.ve got Main

Street, Pendleton, you.ve got the Art Academy, SCPA, Washington Park

. where are all those places located? There are all south of Liberty. So I

think if you look at Over-the-Rhine in 10 years, you.re going to have

this cool, funky, artist neighbourhood called .Southern Over-the-

Rhine. or .Downtown North. and then all the problems that were

formally associated with Over-the-Rhine are now going to be

concentrated in this little basin between I-75, Mount Auburn, Clifton

and Liberty and that.s bad for the Brewery District and that.s bad for

Findlay Market. Those are two very important areas for north Over-the-

Rhine and I don.t know what the solutions could be

-- (Property Developer)."

 

 

(There is also an informative discussion on the operations of the OTR drug trade starting on page 32)

 

 

 

 

all the problems that were formally associated with Over-the-Rhine are now going to be concentrated in this little basin between I-75, Mount Auburn, Clifton

and Liberty and that.s bad for the Brewery District and that.s bad for

Findlay Market.

I strongly disagree with this.  Your thinking is that the border (and correct me if I am wrong here) is Liberty.  This is an easily definable natural boundry of OTR.  But try looking at the map in a different way.  Follow Main St north, past Liberty and west into the brewery dist and then connecting it into Findlay.  We see development following this route in both directions, not just in a lineal path from the south to the north on any street OTR.

Also, look at the topography.  Hillsides=views=redevelopment Look at Prospect Hill, Mulberry, Dorsey etc.  This development is pushing downward into Peete and E. Clifton.  E. Clifton is in a squeeze play between Lang and Frintz and McMicken will fall when E. Clifton is cleaned up (and CPOP is working on that now).

OTR is complicated and development does not just follow the straight lines you have identified. 

The map showing development seems to be based on the OTR summer tour and what places were showcased in that and somehow this shows all of the concentrated development in Pendleton, oh not true.  Drive down 13th and whatever in Pendleton and then drive down Milton, compare and contrast.

your thinking is that the border (and correct me if I am wrong here) is Liberty.

 

The cite was a quote from a developer interviewed by the author of the thesis.  The author's maps indicate that OTR continues north of Liberty, up along Central Parkway to the northwest.

 

 

not that I mean that this is the "border" of OTR but the border for development.  And I know that was phrased as if it were directed towards you, but I did mean the author.

Imagine that some of the most influential and moneyed local businessmen form a developmentcorporation that gets the go-ahead from your city to take charge of redeveloping yourneighborhood.

They don’t ask what your neighborhood should look like or what you think of how they want to go about changing it, even though Fountain Square, which they’re also redeveloping, gets a series of hearings for public input.

 

Anyone go to these things?

OVER-THE-RHINE - More than 100 people gathered at Memorial Hall on Thursday night to start developing a master plan for an expanded and revitalized Washington Park.

 

OVER-THE-RHINE – A proposed Music Hall garage stirred strong reactions from preservationist groups tonight after details were unveiled for the first time at an Over-the-Rhine community meeting organized by Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC).

 

Big change in Over-the-Rhine starts with small groups.

That was the message brought to about 100 supporters and residents of Cincinnati's troubled neighborhood, as they gathered to begin a conversation with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, or 3CDC, about what they would like to see changed or improved there.

 

Staff members of Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation - or 3CDC - explained the plan at Memorial Hall to an audience of about 50 people who included neighborhood and business leaders, residents and other business persons.

 

It is like beating your head against a wall sometimes to get things done down here.  It does not matter who you are, or what you plan to do, there is always someone who wants to blame the evil developer.

Anyone go to these things?

OVER-THE-RHINE - More than 100 people gathered at Memorial Hall on Thursday night to start developing a master plan for an expanded and revitalized Washington Park.

 

I go. 

 

My questions;

what is:

...neoliberal urbanism compared to 'actually existing' neoliberalism...

 

and what are:

...the complex, often contradictory and dialectical relationships between neoliberal regulatory-institutional restructuring, the production of urban space, and the practices of everyday life.

 

And what is: 

re-articulating urban and political space, and re-imagining the ideological form and function of the inner city and the urban poor.

I have not gone to any of those meetings but there is a video of part of one here.

http://blip.tv/file/get/TheCincinnatiBeacon-3CDCPublicInputBeforeThePresentation177.mp4

The masters thesis writer is into some high fallutin' lnguage.

With fear, I tried the full text link but, probably fortunately, it didn't work.

My point is that even today, people say that 3CDC has asked for no public input-they have. I can not question the language, perhaps he is writing the thesis for english (I wrote one on campaign finance reform and even I can not understand a word I wrote) but I do disagree with some of his observations and assesments of both where OTR is today and where development will be in the future.

All that being said, I am happy to see him taking such an intrest in the area and hope he continues to do so. OTR is a case study in potential and frustration. I learned more from his thesis through outside perceptions of OTR than I did in actual facts of OTR but this is very important. People need to be informed about the innerworkings of developments and internal politics so that they can understand that things may not be as they seem from the outside.