The project could not proceed immediately after the stadiums were finished because of the terms of the Bengals' lease, especially as it pertained to parking, overruns and corruption related to Paul Brown Stadium, and because if the brief but critical flatlining of county sales tax receipts in 2001-2002. 

 

 

As I have pointed out various times, if the Bengals had not been awarded a new practice field adjacent to the stadium, The Banks would have been much farther developed by now, even with the brief 2001 recession.  That seemingly insignificant part of the deal caused what would have been 1,000+ cheap surface spots that could have satisfied Bengals parking requirements to instead be built as exponentially more expensive parking decks. 

 

 

 

^ Or a guy who isn't prone to blind optimism. Daytonnatian's question was valid. This project has dragged on for thirteen years, and all we have to show is a couple cranes. REK got smart at a time when it wasn't called for.

 

a couple of cranes is where a project like this gets it start, they're not going to put up more than they can use.  it was a lazy question bc it could have taken 13 seconds to find the answer to and got responded to in a smartass way that was funny.  chill out, it's not blind optimism, its enthusiasm for what one may feel as the city making progressive, beneficial moves... it's the easy and popular thing to bash the city and the opposite to support it.  get your own thoughts instead of being told them

Women taking on high-profile roles at Cincinnati's Banks project

 

In everything from design work to engineering to scheduling the construction itself, women are playing critical roles in building the Banks on Cincinnati’s riverfront.

 

Big-ticket local construction projects have for years employed women as laborers and women-owned firms as subcontractors. But industry insiders say they’re hard-pressed to recall a project with as many women in key roles on the development team itself as the nearly $1 billion Banks project.

 

Full story text is available at

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/02/09/story6.html

Does anyone here play World of Warcraft? There's a forum for that game called ElitistJerks.com. Like UrbanOhio, it's considered one of the best sources of information on its topic. One of the posting rules includes an immediate ban of anyone who posts to a thread announcing that they are too lazy to read what people have already spent time researching and posting.

 

They even take the post and move it to a special thread of stupid posts.

 

I just thought that was funny.

 

Does anyone here play World of Warcraft? There's a forum for that game called ElitistJerks.com. Like UrbanOhio, it's considered one of the best sources of information on its topic. One of the posting rules includes an immediate ban of anyone who posts to a thread announcing that they are too lazy to read what people have already spent time researching and posting.

 

They even take the post and move it to a special thread of stupid posts.

 

I just thought that was funny.

 

 

Yeah, that would probably be a good idea for here, but unfortunatley I had a lot of things to do that day and I just wanted to make sure the economy hadn't derailed this project yet.

 

Although there was much sarcasm scattered throughout I assume it is going in a timely fashion and the first stage of housing, stores, offices, etc. will be complete by 2011? This will be really cool for all of S.W. Ohio, and put a new face on Daytonnati's (apologies if "Daytonnati" offends anyone) status as the 14th largest metro area in the nation, once it's complete.

 

So... Cool!!!!  Thanks for the update, everyone!

'Daytonnati' definitely offends me.

 

They are two distinct metro's, albiet with a bunch of sprawly crap connecting them.

^ Or a guy who isn't prone to blind optimism.  Daytonnatian's question was valid.  This project has dragged on for thirteen years, and all we have to show is a couple cranes.  REK got smart at a time when it wasn't called for.

 

a couple of cranes is where a project like this gets it start, they're not going to put up more than they can use.  it was a lazy question bc it could have taken 13 seconds to find the answer to and got responded to in a smartass way that was funny.  chill out, it's not blind optimism, its enthusiasm for what one may feel as the city making progressive, beneficial moves... it's the easy and popular thing to bash the city and the opposite to support it.  get your own thoughts instead of being told them

 

The bottom line is, the city and county completely mishandled the riverfront development plan from 1996-present.  If people are wondering whether this project will ever get built, they aren't wrong to be tired of waiting.  I think you're confusing progressive politics with progress.  The Banks finally under "construction" is progress, but I wouldn't consider the 13-year wait and uninspired architecture progressive politics.  The blind optimism comment was for thomasbw.  There is no proof that the city has been able to revitalize its downtown, core neighborhoods or establish efficient public transportation.  In fact, there's plenty of proof to the contrary, but he seems to believe the city is capable of pulling off such things in a timely and successful manner that fulfills the promise of the visions fed to the public.  Basically, know the history and form your own opinions, even when the masses (in this case, UO) don't agree with you.

 

What is this ideal that thinking outside the box is easier than not?  The City and County proposed a flawed plan, and most people on here are running with it til the end.  Admirable, but hardly difficult.

Well Thomasbw is working hard (not just on this forum) to make sure that the streetcar does happen, and that it happens quickly.  What the hell are you doing besides criticizing and making tired remarks about how nothing gets done in this town.  I feel your frustrations, believe me I do, but working to make something happen is the only way this city will improve. It is ridiculous that it has taken this long for the Banks to get going, but it's going now, so let's move on.

Nothing is flawed until proven flawed.  The proof of a revitalized downtown is when you walk the streets of downtown and become a part of the cause.  Anyone who can't see all the foot traffic happening is clearly blind and skeptical of true progress in general.  Those are the people that remain ridiculously skeptical until progress hits them in the face.  They aren't happy unless it happens overnight.

Nothing is flawed until proven flawed. The proof of a revitalized downtown is when you walk the streets of downtown and become a part of the cause. Anyone who can't see all the foot traffic happening is clearly blind and skeptical of true progress in general. Those are the people that remain ridiculously skeptical until progress hits them in the face. They aren't happy unless it happens overnight.

 

Quoted for truth.

 

There are people who still complain of Pullman Square in Huntington (W.Va.), for instance. People cried foul when Chi-Chi's shut its doors (after being paid $1 million for their tiny parcel, then abruptly going into bankruptcy). People cried foul over the loss of two city square blocks of surface lots. People cried foul when a new hotel opened. People cried foul when the new stadium-seat movie theater opened. And on, and on, and on.

 

You know what happened? Numerous restaurants replaced Chi-Chi's (much better, I might add). Some are the best performing in their respective chains or divisions. Surface parking was replaced with parking garages with buildings stacked on top -- all for $1 for four hours. The new hotel has an occupancy rate of over 80%. The new theater caused one historic theater to close, but it's being restored into its original function: a performing arts center. Another theater is now a second-run, and another is a studio.

 

But, people still whine and complain. You can't please everyone, nor should you. They will continue to rant and rave about every perceived failed opportunity or development, but will never take in any positive aspects of a particular location.

BETTER THEN CHI CHI'S???!!! You've lost all credibly.

 

Nothing is flawed until proven flawed. The proof of a revitalized downtown is when you walk the streets of downtown and become a part of the cause. Anyone who can't see all the foot traffic happening is clearly blind and skeptical of true progress in general. Those are the people that remain ridiculously skeptical until progress hits them in the face. They aren't happy unless it happens overnight.

 

Quoted for truth.

 

There are people who still complain of Pullman Square in Huntington (W.Va.), for instance. People cried foul when Chi-Chi's shut its doors (after being paid $1 million for their tiny parcel, then abruptly going into bankruptcy). People cried foul over the loss of two city square blocks of surface lots. People cried foul when a new hotel opened. People cried foul when the new stadium-seat movie theater opened. And on, and on, and on.

 

You know what happened? Numerous restaurants replaced Chi-Chi's (much better, I might add). Some are the best performing in their respective chains or divisions. Surface parking was replaced with parking garages with buildings stacked on top -- all for $1 for four hours. The new hotel has an occupancy rate of over 80%. The new theater caused one historic theater to close, but it's being restored into its original function: a performing arts center. Another theater is now a second-run, and another is a studio.

 

But, people still whine and complain. You can't please everyone, nor should you. They will continue to rant and rave about every perceived failed opportunity or development, but will never take in any positive aspects of a particular location.

Well Thomasbw is working hard (not just on this forum) to make sure that the streetcar does happen, and that it happens quickly.  What the hell are you doing besides criticizing and making tired remarks about how nothing gets done in this town.  I feel your frustrations, believe me I do, but working to make something happen is the only way this city will improve. It is ridiculous that it has taken this long for the Banks to get going, but it's going now, so let's move on.

 

You could have asked before the "what the hell" came out.  This isn't necessarily what I do, but I do work for urban solutions based on empirical research in the way they do. 

 

http://www.cgdev.org/files/9136_file_WP94.pdf

 

Our city is in bad shape, and somebody has to be honest about facing that reality.  Change won't happen overnight, and hasn't happened in quite a while.  Remember DT leading up to the riots?  I'll reserve my right to hold my applause for City Hall.

Yeah, I do remember downtown and the city before the riots.  The momentum now cannot even be compared to what was going on back then.  Fountain Square has been renovated and has caused a huge increase in businesses and pedestrian activity downtown, the city is gaining population, the Banks has started, two new stadiums have been completed, a new riverfront park is about to break ground, the city's tallest skyscraper is under construction, the Zaha Hadid CAC has been built, the Freedom Center has been built, government square has been redone, significant investment has gone into West 4th St, the Convention Center has been expanded, 3CDC has literally transformed lower Vine St. and it's only continuing, and we are very seriously going after a streetcar to completely revitalize OTR.  Not to mention, since the riots, race has at least been discussed and not ignored like it was before, and while there is still a lot of room for improvement there, at least it is being discussed.  I, for one, would like to at least call to attention these significant improvements made to our downtown, and give City Hall a little credit.

 

I didn't mean to insult your professional life, but when you come on to a board of Cincinnati enthusiasts, spewing typical doomsday, 700 WLW shit, you're going to be questioned and called out. Personally, I don't think our city is in that bad of shape, especially considering the shape that most of this country is in, and I'm sick of these unfounded claims bashing the city.

I'm going to change my avatar to Better than Chi-Chi's.

I'm right with you Edale.  The problem people have with Cincy is this prolonged thought of it never gaining population.  They live in the nagative.  Now, given, our city councel has FINALLY come together.  We're on our way now.  The other obstacle we have to overcome is this small city laid back type attitude.  A lot of old timers and old fashioned people live here and they don't want it to get bigger.  They view the Banks, streetcars, tall skyscrapers etc. as this horrible force that will destroy our city.  What they fail to realize is our city was growing as fast as NYC and Chicago at one point.  Over 40,000 lived in OTR alone.  These people would rather look out the window and see tumbleweeds than to see a bustling downtown.  Truth is, Cincy is growing.

Crime is down, Blight is down, Dining is incomperable (9 of Cincinnati Magazine's Top Ten were in the City the other was the Japanese place in Ky built for the toyota execs) shopping will be the last thing to recover.

Yeah, I do remember downtown and the city before the riots.  The momentum now cannot even be compared to what was going on back then.  Fountain Square has been renovated and has caused a huge increase in businesses and pedestrian activity downtown, the city is gaining population, the Banks has started, two new stadiums have been completed, a new riverfront park is about to break ground, the city's tallest skyscraper is under construction, the Zaha Hadid CAC has been built, the Freedom Center has been built, government square has been redone, significant investment has gone into West 4th St, the Convention Center has been expanded, 3CDC has literally transformed lower Vine St. and it's only continuing, and we are very seriously going after a streetcar to completely revitalize OTR.  Not to mention, since the riots, race has at least been discussed and not ignored like it was before, and while there is still a lot of room for improvement there, at least it is being discussed.  I, for one, would like to at least call to attention these significant improvements made to our downtown, and give City Hall a little credit.

 

I didn't mean to insult your professional life, but when you come on to a board of Cincinnati enthusiasts, spewing typical doomsday, 700 WLW sh!t, you're going to be questioned and called out. Personally, I don't think our city is in that bad of shape, especially considering the shape that most of this country is in, and I'm sick of these unfounded claims bashing the city.

 

Try looking at the city from a realist point of view.  OTR and the surrounding areas are still festering slums, the PBS deal has crippled the county budget and canceled untold resources that would have went to our poor, the Freedom Center needs a seven-figure bailout annually because the Banks has took so long.  The streetcar will completely revitalize OTR like the Rapid has kept Cleveland from falling into disrepair?  Some of you guys need to get real about what you think changes a major city.  That's education, jobs and home ownership by those who previously could not claim quality on any of those fronts.  The people who will move along this streetcar won't be that at all.  Those people will be stuck in Evanston and Seven Hills, poor as ever.

 

Until something is done about the clear socio-racial divide in our city, you are saluting lip service, congratulations.  What's really funny is, you think you're calling me out by ignoring the issues that can't be ignored, and that's what 700 does best.  You give them a topic like welfare, and they'll simplify it down to people that are plain lazy that shouldn't be U.S. citizens instead of looking deeper into the situation of generational poverty, something Cincinnati has a whole lot of.

 

When this city catches up, I'll give City Hall their due.  Until then, keep the shortsightedness coming guys...

 

 

Crime is down, Blight is down, Dining is incomperable (9 of Cincinnati Magazine's Top Ten were in the City the other was the Japanese place in Ky built for the toyota execs) shopping will be the last thing to recover.

 

Cincinnati is a very bad place compared to most cities.  Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati flow together like a hot dog with chili and cheese on it..

Yep, Cincinnati has real problems. I think the point everyone here is trying to make is that recent developments appear to be headed in the right direction where in the past that couldn't always be said. Additionally, I think people want to try and be part of that positive development instead of sitting back and saying well once you show me the perfect city I'll say good job.

Yep, Cincinnati has real problems. I think the point everyone here is trying to make is that recent developments appear to be headed in the right direction where in the past that couldn't always be said. Additionally, I think people want to try and be part of that positive development instead of sitting back and saying well once you show me the perfect city I'll say good job.

 

The Banks+centralized streetcar+livelier downtown doesn't make Cincinnati anywhere near perfect.  It's almost the same place, except more to do.  I've been behind this city my whole life and this will not change, but frankly I'm tired of City Hall and Hamilton County dropping the ball every chance they get.

Crime is down, Blight is down, Dining is incomperable (9 of Cincinnati Magazine's Top Ten were in the City the other was the Japanese place in Ky built for the toyota execs) shopping will be the last thing to recover.

 

Cincinnati is a very bad place compared to most cities. Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati flow together like a hot dog with chili and cheese on it..

 

What are "most cities"?  And maybe you can give us some criteria that you're basing it on?  Otherwise, it seems you are just making sweeping pronouncements about what an awful place Cincinnati is. 

I'm tired of it to, but now that some projects are actually moving forward I choose to be cautiously optimistic and hope that maybe we finally have some people in the right positions to make some positive changes. I'd venture to say that is the attitude of most of the people you are arguing with on here. Like you, we're behind the city, I guess we just haven't reached the same level of jaded.

Crime is down, Blight is down, Dining is incomperable (9 of Cincinnati Magazine's Top Ten were in the City the other was the Japanese place in Ky built for the toyota execs) shopping will be the last thing to recover.

 

Cincinnati is a very bad place compared to most cities. Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati flow together like a hot dog with chili and cheese on it..

 

What are "most cities"? And maybe you can give us some criteria that you're basing it on? Otherwise, it seems you are just making sweeping pronouncements about what an awful place Cincinnati is.

 

Let's look at some critical urban issues - education, transportation, poverty, segregation, minority representation, budgets, corruption, crime and the most important of all, entertainment.  Now let's look at some comparable cities that perform poorly in almost every category:

 

-Detroit.  Nuff said...

-Cleveland.  Though they have decent transportation, and don't struggle as much to have their minority voice to be heard and acknowledged as representing equal citizenry.

-St. Louis.  Better transportation, cleaner, safer downtown without panhandling, downtown casinos, and no slum like OTR/West End.  Astounding homicide is a black eye on the city, though.

-Baltimore.  Not great transportation, but more than what we have here.  Better schools, better executed plans for their stadiums, their Banks project is already built and nationally known (Inner Harbor) despite a terrible homicide epidemic that exceeds our own

-Pittsburgh.  No comparison, take Pgh.

 

Cincinnati doesn't match up well, thus it's no secret why we fall at the bottom of every poll and research study documenting where people want to live and visit and where people should live and visit based on opportunity and offerings.

I'm tired of it to, but now that some projects are actually moving forward I choose to be cautiously optimistic and hope that maybe we finally have some people in the right positions to make some positive changes. I'd venture to say that is the attitude of most of the people you are arguing with on here. Like you, we're behind the city, I guess we just haven't reached the same level of jaded.

 

I appreciate your candor.  I only wish people respect my opinion, as I respect the optimistic zeal over our changing city.

I'll respect you, but it apes so many of the common tropes about ALL post-urban crisis cities in America. Cincinnati has its own problems, but considering the cities you list have all lost substantially larger percentages of their population it seems that Cincy ends doing alright. Detroit - down 1 million, Cleveland - down about at least 500K, St. Louis - down nearly 650K, Baltimore - down about 300k (though the city is really bad shape except for the core area and it is quickly falling back because of the collapse of the D.C. real estate market), Pittsburgh - off by 550k. Cincy is off by 250k roughly.

 

What is this Seven Hills neighborhood you refer to?

Cincinnati is only down by 170k

The biggest change I would like to see is for the people to step up and realize they are Citizens and are ultimately accountable for the city's success or failure.

I'm a historian not a math major. . . that makes the comparison even better. Cincinnati's challenge is that it's culture and economy has tended toward stability with cyclical progress and decline for more than 130 years, which can be frustrating for some.

I sure appreciate City Blight's contributions to the site. Healthy dialogue and conversation is critical when problem-solving. Every city has its issues and eradicating itself of them completely is an unrealistic goal. I don't think anyone on here thinks the Banks or any other project is going to be a magic wand that cures all of Cincinnati's ills. But collectively these projects can work together to repopulate the urban core, shift common perceptions, and begin to solve some of the critical issues City Blight mentions. In my opinion, it is both appropriate and necessary to celebrate the baby steps.

 

And I don't like the business of comparing Cincinnati to other cities. Cincinnati is not Detroit, it's not Cleveland, it's not New York, it's not San Francisco, it's not St. Louis. Cincinnati is Cincinnati. If I wanted Cincinnati to be those other cities, I would save myself a lot of trouble and just move there. Sure we can learn lessons from those cities, but Cincinnati has a unique history, unique resources, and unique problems that require a unique set of solutions..

 

 

You can't compare the Cleveland Rapid lines with the proposed Cincinnati streetcar -- obviously forces well outside Cleveland's control have contributed to its overall decline and for the most part the Rapid's stations are in mediocre locations.  It doesn't really serve any neighborhood similar to Over-the-Rhine and has stations at random residential spots instead of under established commercial areas like a subway cold have.   

I think the key issue you're missing here CB, is that we're talking about REPOPULATING THE URBAN CORE. What we're NOT talking about is curing all of the demographic ills that have befallen ALL US cities, not just Cincinnati.

 

One thing that bringing more people into the city will have a direct impact on is the school system. Providing a higher quality of public education will got a long way towards helping the least of us break the cycle of poverty.

 

The Banks will go a long ways towards all of your Critical Urban Issues, minus the ones about minority representation and segregation, which aren't the purpose of either the banks or the streetcar.

I want to start by saying, thank you so it goes, dmerkow and Flying Dutchman for not writing me off as some kook.  Now let's get down to business...Cinci is one of the original powers in this country.  You have to go to NY, Philly or Beantown to find areas similar to OTR's mystique.  With that said, the city stagnated in the late 19th century and never received that huge turn of the centry boom Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and others received.  One could argue it was due to our slum index and boss politics, but whatever it was, we fell pretty far because of it.  I don't think there's any question that Cincinnati fell as far, if not farther than most of the cities I compared ours to.  I don't like comparisons either, but it's all we have to go by, especially in cities with similar roots to Cincinnati, for ex. Budweiser could have just as easily been a Cincinnati beer if not for Eberhard Anheuser moving to St. Louis from OTR.

 

jmecklenborg, Cleveland has suffered in part because of the Fed and the State (like all cities), but still doesn't stack up well on a local level if you factor those hierarchies out.  Cleveland has ran itself into the ground just like any other stagnant city.  The Rapid isn't the model for urban transportation, but it is major transportation, and it does support residential neighborhoods over flashy commercial lines.  I believe in a blend of both.

 

REK, I understand revitalization is the key.  What I can't understand is, why can't we use a little common sense to get other projects going in the meantime?  Central Pkwy could be a "New Brighton" with ornate walkups just like Central Ave.  What about the history in Walnut Hills, and I don't mean by Ursuline.  The Incline District in Price Hill is a good idea, but why not push a little harder for functional inclines in places like Price Hill and Mt. Adams (connected to Eden and our cultural centers, continued up the Eastside)?  I think the Harrison loft project is crucial to the future of this city, much more so than the Banks.  Imagine what we could do with this city if the areas around OTR weren't Mayan ruins?  I have ideas for this city, I just don't know if anyone downtown is listening.

I can't say a lot about most of the cities you mentioned but having lived in St. Louis, I will say there are certainly slums like OTR/West End, especially if you include East St. Louis. Parts of St. Louis are in worse shape than anything in Cincinnati, the buildings aren't just empty, they've collapsed. Blocks and blocks of deteriorating crime ridden neighborhoods, I know because I worked in them.

 

I guess my point is that perspective changes a lot. Your more intimate knowledge of Cincinnati means you know more about the bad and the good than you know in other places and that sometimes the perceptions of Cincinnati might not match what's on the ground. We've got a ways to go but maybe we've started to turn the corner.

I can't say a lot about most of the cities you mentioned but having lived in St. Louis, I will say there are certainly slums like OTR/West End, especially if you include East St. Louis. Parts of St. Louis are in worse shape than anything in Cincinnati, the buildings aren't just empty, they've collapsed. Blocks and blocks of deteriorating crime ridden neighborhoods, I know because I worked in them.

 

I guess my point is that perspective changes a lot. Your more intimate knowledge of Cincinnati means you know more about the bad and the good than you know in other places and that sometimes the perceptions of Cincinnati might not match what's on the ground. We've got a ways to go but maybe we've started to turn the corner.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but I'm pretty familiar with St. Louis, not to the point of a resident obviously, but the scale of Cincinnati's downtown neighborhoods along with heavy blight isn't really found in St. Louis.  You hit the nail though, there are blocks and blocks of abandonment in STL, particularly along the river.  ESL and the Illinois side of St. Louis is one of the darkest, deadest places I've ever been.  There is NOTHING going on, including standing buildings and actual neighborhoods at the riverfront of ESL.  Cincinnati's riverfront is much more developed than that of St. Louis, that's for sure.  My specific comparison of OTR to other slums is the scale of 2-6 story buildings shaping the cityscape.

City Blights, I think you're comparison of the streetcar proposal to Cleveland's Rapid is unfair, or at the very least, inaccurate.  First, they're different types of transit systems serving different functions.  Other than running on rails, they're not similar.  The comparison you've made is a bit like saying that Vine Street and I-75 are the same because cars drive on both.  Second, Cincinnati's city council isn't using the Rapid as their model for the proposed system, they're emulating Portland's streetcar specifically.  So if you're going to compare anything, compare Cincy to Portland or our proposed route to their route. 

 

Also, none of this discussion belongs in The Banks thread.  Isn't there a more appropriate Cincinnati thread this could be taking place in?

j3shafer, in the Midwest, St. Louis passed Cincinnati, then Chicago, and later, Cleveland and Detroit by 1910.  Buffalo and Pittsburgh passed Cincinnati.  Railroads had a big effect on the economy, yes, but proclaiming Chicago as the sole reason Cincinnati stagnated unlike any other city of our demographic and era is erroneous. 

This is getting too far off topic.

One of the problems Cincy confronts is that it had a very short heyday but hasn't really managed to keep up (the question that I think many Cincinnatians have thought over the years is, is so what?) Any, the reason Cincy couldn't compete after the Civil War was two absolutely inalterable and fundamental shifts in the American economy and geography - Cincinnati serviced the slave plantations of the South, it was the key North-South hub and all its business connections went in that direction. The second was even more incontrolable - the frontier moved west. St. Louis and Chicago became gateways to the west - because well they are further west and all the Mississippi and Great Lakes respectively - there is nothing Cincy could have done about that. Our only hope would have been if Toledo could have beat Chicago to the punch and the Miami-Ohio Canal becomes the dominant connection between the Great Lakes and the Ohio/Mississippi Valley and points south. It didn't happen.

 

If we want to have a productive discussion of Cincy's relative success/failure, I'd say let's look since WWII at the earliest and perhaps even 1960 or 1970. What has happen over the last half-century is more important than what happened more than a century ago.

This is getting too far off topic.

 

I don't think they took your hint.  Can we get back to talking about the development of the banks?  This history of Cincinnati et al is fascinating, but doesn't fit the topic.

 

So how many cranes are up?

 

 

This is getting too far off topic.

 

I don't think they took your hint. Can we get back to talking about the development of the banks?   This history of Cincinnati et al is fascinating, but doesn't fit the topic.

 

So how many cranes are up?

 

 

 

I agree. Rando, can you clean this up? I keep coming back to expect more news on the banks, but it turns out to be Cincy History Lessons.

 

The topic is an interesting one though, so can we move it to a 'City Discussion' thread?

unclerando: hatchet man

ANybody know how many piling have been drilled so far?

Also Dave, because of its topography, Cincinnati had to change from being an east/west city (river trade) to being a north/south city (railroads, interstates) while the traditional east/west traffic more or less collapsed.  In short there wouldn't have been a major city where Cincinnati is if it had been founded after 1850, whereas there would have where Chicago sits.  And essentially that is what happened. 

The Banks is a prism through which to view Cincy's present, past, and future. It's winter, they are pouring concrete, the economy is in the crapper.

I don't get why moderators don't create more new topics after they start to deviate. They mostly resort to a quick erasure (except for UncleRando in some cases) They usually make for interesting conversations, people just get carried away and don't realize it has little to do with the thread's main topic. I'd like to see a Cincinnati history/geography thread as well.

^ agreed.  Will we ever talk about the Banks as a project again in this thread?????  PICTURES!  Someone post some new pictures of the Banks!  Anything!!!  LOL

The Banks Blog

Ah----great link about the Banks.  Thank you for posting it.

Nice idea, and I am all for the regional cooperation, but where was NKY when the stadium issue came up?  Their stance was we are all for it, but want both of them on the riverfront and aren't going to help pay for it.

 

 

Planners see both sides of riverfront

Officials in Ky., Ohio want to cooperate on development projects

By Mike Rutledge • [email protected] • February 16, 2009

 

 

 

COVINGTON - As Covington designs the central and eastern parts of its riverfront, Northern Kentuckians hope to meet soon with their Ohio counterparts working on the proposed Banks development to see how they might coordinate their projects.

 

That way, they can improve the odds of launching an integrated regional riverfront development, officials on both shores say.

 

Full story text is available at

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090216/NEWS0103/902160316

Interesting that the water taxi discussion comes back up a week after I did my comprehensive article on a potential water taxi system for Cincinnati/Nky on UrbanCincy.

 

http://www.urbancincy.com/2009/02/cincinnati-water-taxis.html

(second result for "cincinnati water taxi" on Google search)