Citirama is sort of a home show for urban regeneration.  In this case it was featuring what was going on in UD’s “student ghetto”, south of the campus up to the Oakwood city limit on Irving.

 

Entrance under the big tent, which had all sorts of interesting stuff. 

 

 

On of the things that impressed me was the commitment to urban regeneration and social justice that is coming from UD.  This is an activist college in the best sense, and it appears that old Catholic commitment to social activism that one sometimes sees is alive and well at UD.  No more wisecracks from me about UD being this preppy “Buffy and Jody school”.  This place is a community asset and is doing good work in Dayton.

 

One of these efforts is the Fitz Center, which apparently involves students in neighborhood planning and in working internships with social services groups. 

 

 

 

One of the initiatives of the Fitz Center is a Neighborhood School Center project, where elementary schools in the city become community centers of sorts, with social services available to the neighborhood at the school.   

 

There was also info here on Community Action Partnership, “Rebuilding Together”, and a flyer for the “Rally on Poverty: The Unnatural Disaster”, among other social services/activist things.

 

There was a lot of stuff about the “Rubicon Park” (the really should call it “The South Side”) planning effort and the Fairgrounds Neighborhood.  This area is were its going to come back for Dayton.  It is really exciting what is happening in this part of town.  This is an excellent example of “big picture planning”, then drilling down to the neighborhood level for specific projects.  And they are executing it too.

 

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I really like their logo.  You can see the big round barn (1850s) in the background.

 

 

South Park also had a great booth showing what the AIA was recommending for the neighborhood.  South Park will be featured later in the year when they hold their Rehabarama.

 

What is happening in this neighborhood is a mix of new construction and remodeling.  This is all student housing.  UD decided not to wipe everything out and build big dorm complexes, but use the “frat house” concept and use these old houses as little group quarters, with shared kitchens and baths, while doing some infill too.  This is pretty innovative, providing student housing and doing “historic preservation” at the same time. I don’t think I’ve seen this before, as a matter of housing policy for a college. 

 

This is the new infill, which is a row house, but the massing is designed to work within a streetscape of single family houses close together.  At certain angles it ‘reads’ that way, too. 

 

 

 

Some of the older remodeled houses.  Some of these are for upperclassmen.  The level of finishes and room sizes are more generous for juniors and seniors.

 

 

 

“The Castle”.  This is a neighborhood landmark, and was featured in press reports on Citirama.

 

 

Interiors are pretty spartan, and note the low-maintenance burner top on that stove.

 

 

 

And, finally, Art Street.  I was so impressed by this ensemble that I took tons of pix, and will be posting a separate thread on it in the “Architecture” sub forum later on.  This was one of the more fun buildings to go up in Dayton recently.  I was dimly aware of it, but now after walking through it and around it, it is now one of my favorites in the city.

 

 

The two units on the end were open for tours, as was the public spaces deeper in the complex

 

 

 

 

Pretty nice for a "Ghetto".

Ugh.. Dan Curran..

looks ok, but the interior, of the unit show, leaves a lot to be desired.

You have to remember.. these are college houses.. my house at UD was a hole.. but it's college, that's what makes it fun.

Living in a house like one of these in college would have definitely messed up my scene.  I think my head would have exploded.

 

Dayton is too much of a party school for nice houses like this.  My friends lived in Artstreet my junior year and we TRASHED that place.. like holes in the walls, broken doors, etc.  It's just not practical on a college campus.

Hmm. The way I look at it, college is one of the few times in a persons life when being broke is the norm and socially accepted. So why not save your money and live in an older dumpy place? Besides, new construction isn't the best place to throw parties, the way beer gets spilled everywhere and holes end up in walls.

 

^ Edit: My bad, I typed this before you posted that. Sorry for the redundancy.

Little piece of info that most people don't know unless you went there:

 

All those houses are owned by the school, there is less then 5% landlord in the area, so you have to go through the school via a lottery system based on class standing and # of credits.  So you pretty much pay the same amount, a bit more, nothing huge though.  All the utilities are part of the semester of housing fee aka run the water and never turn off the lights.

That's incredibly lame and biased. One of the things I hated about living in a dorm was our water-saver sinks. Im all about conserving but it was damn near impossible to wash my face with the tiny amount of water that would come out of those things. Even if lights were left on, it was still incredibly efficient on utilities having 4 people living in a room that was probably 20x12 feet or something like that. Not to mention a/c literally didn't work in that building.

the moniker is pretty silly today true, unless you just take it as a typical student neighborhood "ghetto," but it used to live up to it's nickname in looks and actions believe me. i visited and experienced it during the couch burning days years ago.

 

we drove around a bit and took a peek at all this redevelopment after we went to milanos recently.

 

ps -- my bro-in-law told me that kramer's got sold, but that its still open and still the same, is that true (fingers crossed)?

 

you seem to be assuming that some of those things didnt happen just because i didnt go into the typical c-dawg detail that you do  :wink:

party school? lmao. Upper crust alcoholic Catholics don't make for a party school, just a depressing enviroment. Ah, all the people who've never partied on a Wednesday at OU...

 

You're right.. I'm so upset I went to a private school who wouldn't let any yahoo in.. I only wish I could have went to a school that had a great Wednesday bar scene.. damn was I stupid..

 

Please explain how being an upper crust catholic is depressing? 

You're right.. I should have went to a college in a cornfield.. because we all know employers care more about your BAC then GPA..

Please explain how being an upper crust catholic is depressing?

 

Moeller, Elder, St. Xavier, St. John's, St. Francis, St. Urslut, Urslut Academy, St. Ignatius, etc.

 

I'm not sure that response actually gives an answer to that question.  You listed off a bunch of Catholic High Schools...what does that explain about UD being depressing or any Catholic school being depressing?

 

You're right.. I should have went to a college in a cornfield.. because we all know employers care more about your BAC then GPA..

 

Zing!

 

 

you seem to be assuming that some of those things didnt happen just because i didnt go into the typical c-dawg detail that you do

 

They don't happen on a regular basis like they do at OU. They are rarer and more random, not scheduled events.

 

 

 

in ogther words to you scheduled fun is more better than spontaneous fun.

 

^What scheduled fun? Schedule 3 narcotics?

You're right.. I should have went to a college in a cornfield.. because we all know employers care more about your BAC then GPA..

 

You win.

We used to call the student neighborhood near UofK (between Rose and Woodland, campus and Maxewell Street) the student ghetto, too.  That one was more run-down.  This place in Dayton is looking better with the renovation work they are doing.

 

The point is sort of getting lost here is that this is part of a bigger effort on Dayton's south side to really put some planning and investment in urban regeneration, being done by individuals but also large insitutions like Miami Valley Hospital and UD, in various ways.  This is UDs contribution, as a model approach to student housing, but as a demonstration project for infill architecture and rehabiltitated housing.

 

As for UD and its students.  I know one has to have some money to go to school there, but the college itself seems to have an progressive/activist philosophy or approach to urban affairs, which is pretty neat for a private college with an affluent student base, as one might not expect that.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff, if you are interested in the Fitz Center, there is a good article that was published in the Journal of Metropolitan Universities that explains the history and philosophy of the Fitz Center.  It is available here.

C-dawg, have you ever been to UD?

Just stumbled on this thread now....

 

 

Living in a house like one of these in college would have definitely messed up my scene.  I think my head would have exploded.

 

You actually do the same things in the nice houses as you would do in a s--- house.  That's why the interiors are so spartan.

 

party school? lmao. Upper crust alcoholic Catholics don't make for a party school, just a depressing enviroment. Ah, all the people who've never partied on a Wednesday at OU...

 

That's a very very uninformed statement. 

 

ps -- my bro-in-law told me that kramer's got sold, but that its still open and still the same, is that true (fingers crossed)?

 

True, as of last February.

You listed off a bunch of Catholic High Schools...what does that explain about UD being depressing or any Catholic school being depressing?

 

Schools like that in general are depressing, disgusting places and they pump heavily into UD.

 

That still doesn't explain the reason why you consider them "depressing" and "disgusting."  I went to public school, so I have no reason to defend these places, but at the same time I wouldn't call a school like St. Xavier depressing or disgusting.  You must be using different definitions for those words than what I'm used to.

 

 

in ogther words to you scheduled fun is more better than spontaneous fun.

 

A Court Street sex toy party can't happen randomly, nor can events like Palmerfest and Mill Fest. Until you've seen what the girls at OU do, you can't understand the culture of Athens.

 

 

only if you assume i or anyone else hasn't been to athens for those kinds of things -- partying at ou and others schools wasn't invented the moment you set foot on the campus.

 

To be honest I have a big beef with catholic/private highschools as well. They tend to promote segregation both racially and economically, and they are a waste of resources. The alumni also donates a hell of a lot more money to their alma mater, perpetuating the problem. The end result is can be less qualified teachers and a lack of AP options available in our inner city schools. On the other hand, private universities offer a lot of scholarships to people with a good academic record and low income students. If you go to an elitist unviersity, I think your parents have to be relatively well off for you pay full price. And if not, atleast you usually have access to loans.

Americans on average have half the debt as those in Japan. It's not a big deal, it's an investment. 20k dollars of debt is nothing. I know people over 100k in debt. That's why people with bachelors degrees usually start out at over 40k. The high prices justify why MBA grads from Harvard make 160k immediately afterwards, and top law firms pay up to 160k for people fresh out of law school without any practical experience. Everyone has massive debt to pay off and it's causing people to work longer and harder.

To be honest I have a big beef with catholic/private highschools as well. They tend to promote segregation both racially and economically, and they are a waste of resources. The alumni also donates a hell of a lot more money to their alma mater, perpetuating the problem. The end result is can be less qualified teachers and a lack of AP options available in our inner city schools. On the other hand, private universities offer a lot of scholarships to people with a good academic record and low income students. If you go to an elitist unviersity, I think your parents have to be relatively well off for you pay full price. And if not, atleast you usually have access to loans.

 

How do private schools promote racial segregation? Many private schools actively recruit in the inner city and give full scholarships to kids that can't afford it as an effort to increase diversity, both racially and economically. I don't understand hostility towards private schools.  They (usually) offer better environments for learning than the kids in public school that have to deal with fights, funding problems, and run down facilities.  Also, the alumni of these schools do look out for each other which can help greatly when trying to get into a school or get a job.  Plus, the name of some of these schools give kids a competitive edge when getting into college.

It's not like private schools are the only option.. if you can't afford them, you send your kids to public schools.  Not everyone can afford college.. therefore some people get a job after high school.

To be honest I have a big beef with catholic/private highschools as well. They tend to promote segregation both racially and economically, and they are a waste of resources. The alumni also donates a hell of a lot more money to their alma mater, perpetuating the problem. The end result is can be less qualified teachers and a lack of AP options available in our inner city schools. On the other hand, private universities offer a lot of scholarships to people with a good academic record and low income students. If you go to an elitist unviersity, I think your parents have to be relatively well off for you pay full price. And if not, atleast you usually have access to loans.

 

How do private schools promote racial segregation? Many private schools actively recruit in the inner city and give full scholarships to kids that can't afford it as an effort to increase diversity, both racially and economically. I don't understand hostility towards private schools.  They (usually) offer better environments for learning than the kids in public school that have to deal with fights, funding problems, and run down facilities.  Also, the alumni of these schools do look out for each other which can help greatly when trying to get into a school or get a job.  Plus, the name of some of these schools give kids a competitive edge when getting into college.

I've already argued about this. The majority of people that can afford a private education are middle and upperclass white people. Look at the demographics of people in private high schools, it's not rocket science. If they gave out enough scholarships to make the place truely diverse, it would defeat the purpose of why most people go to them (and it's not because of their religion).

I've already argued about this. The majority of people that can afford a private education are middle and upperclass white people. Look at the demographics of people in private high schools, it's not rocket science. If they gave out enough scholarships to make the place truely diverse, it would defeat the purpose of why most people go to them (and it's not because of their religion).

 

Who are you to say why people go to private schools?  I know plenty of people who send their children to Catholic schools because they want religion as part of their upbringing, and that's something that is obviously not possible at a public school.

Of course there IS people that go for that reason but most of the people I know that went to them, went because their parents didn't want them going to an inferior public school. I don't like arguing about this because I know a lot of people don't agree with me but I still stand by my argument.

Of course there IS people that go for that reason but most of the people I know that went to them, went because their parents didn't want them going to an inferior public school. I don't like arguing about this because I know a lot of people don't agree with me but I still stand by my argument.

 

You just disproved your entire argument.. if the parents feel the public school district isn't up to par in their opinion, aren't they within their rights to find their child the best education possible? 

Yes, and if they don't feel crime rate in the city is up to par they should move to a gated community where they don't have to worry about it (which of course increases concentrated poverty in the city, but who cares?). Unfortunately (and fortunately I guess) I was forced to move a lot during high school, I've went to Walnut and some pretty sh**ty highschools in Cincinnati and Columbus. I can tell you there's a stark difference in opinion depending on where you are.

I understand your point and agree with you to an extent.. but you can't make people send their children to a public school or live in an area they don't feel is safe simply because of the side effects it may have on an area.  They have every right guaranteed by this country to move if they so choose.

Most innner city public schools are more segregated than most of the private schools.  See Hughes, Woodward, Aiken, Withrow, etc.