why aren't we attracting new people?

I was recently reading a blog post on The Urbanophile about Michigan losing so much of its educated citizens and it got me thinking.

According to the Urbanophile, there are three sources of talent for Mid-western cities:
1. People who stay
2. Boomerangers who left and came back
3. Those new to the city

I think Cincinnati does well with attracting "boomerangers". There are quite a few locals I have met who lived in other parts of the country, but then returned when they started cranking out babies and wanted to be closer to their families.

As far as brain drain goes, I think we're not quite as strong as we are attracting boomerangers. There are, of course, a few college grads who stay (me included). As most of us know, however, many of them leave the city once they graduate from high school or from a local university like UC, Xavier or Miami.

Images from bousinka, cincyimages | click to enlarge

What about number 3, attracting those that are new to the city and have no prior connection? Most cities that are doing well, excel at this. Think about it. The cities that are constantly referred to as some sort of super cool hipster city that every body loves and is moving to in hoards **cough Portland cough** are attracting people who never lived in that particular city before.

I also have to add, many of these rock star cities I find physically boring, with mega sprawl and zero history. Houston and Phoenix, I'm looking at you. Also, other than the mountains and nature in general, Portland's surroundings and neighborhoods aren't anything special. In fact, most of its architecture is boring. But I digress...

Back on track... This quote from The Urbanophile got my attention:

"...to [attract talent] you can't just copy Seattle or Portland or Denver or Austin. Tackling those cities at their strongest point by trying to beat them at their own game is a fool's errand. And they've more or less decided to focus only on the educated elite. Instead, you have to think hard, get creative, dig deep and find a unique, compelling, and truly local vision for an environment that will appeal to a segment of the educated classes. It is an absolute imperative. Because smart, talented, ambitious, educated people, the kind who start companies or work in new economy businesses, want to live in a place where the civic aspirations match their personal aspirations."

It got me thinking. Then something that had been floating around in my head resurfaced. The one thing that sets Cincinnati apart from almost ALL Mid-west cities is its history, architecture and dense, walkable neighborhoods.

Why aren't we using this to attract new talent, fresh faces with new ideas and those willing to work on a grassroots level?

Images from cincyimages, rustbot82 | click to enlarge

There should be a local program created to find urban pioneers and historic preservationists. I'm not suggesting recruiting local citizens, since we all know that would fail. I'm talkin' a national search. Looking for people who want to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Who want to move someplace new and be part of its renaissance. A program that helps them purchase buildings, gives them advice should they need it, resources for tools and supplies, a place to live while they are renovating...

Why isn't the city doing this? I'm scratching my head.

Comments

[john]

i scratch my head right there with you -

[visualingual]

Drew, I've been asking myself a similar question lately, "What if I love Cincinnati more than it loves me?" For me personally, being able to live a semi-self-satisfied life in this city has entailed creating my own opportunities, because there is very little of the kind of creative, challenging opportunity that I seek already here. That's not the worst path and, when I accomplish something, it's entirely mine, but it does make for many tough days of wondering why I'm trying so hard to be here, when I know that my life and career would be much easier to manage and grow elsewhere.

[Casey]

interesting points, both in the Urbanist and above. I seemed to recall starting down that path back in November with this whYPe piece (below), but I didn't really flesh otu this angle. Perhaps time to revisit anew.

http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/39soapdish.aspx

[matt.a]

I think part of the great thing about being here is that while the city is not always the most welcoming to new things, the barriers to entry to create them are pretty low which is pretty enabling for anyone looking to start up. I think that we don't really highlight or nurture things that really make us unique as a city. You always see things in advertising about restaurants, museums, sports teams, theater. But every city beyond a certain size has these things; its more expected and maybe if we didn't have them it would be a detraction. We could try to highlight whats unique about OUR things, but we don't really do that. Like Austin has a big live music and performance bent, as well a large liberal streak (especially given its location). Most of the popular cities have a "vibe" and things that make them famous and attractive. I had considered making a blog that highlights things that actually make cincinnati unique and suggestions on how we can enhance them...Things like capitalizing on the hills and actually restoring some of the many overgrown steps that go up and down the hills to enhance the views and get people walking around the town. Architecture is a huge one, which I think lots of people are thinking about, but without the most successful solutions. I think doing something that would bring in outside talent (or just retain the people coming from outside to go to school here, creatives in DAAP and CCM and the many others at UC, Xavier, Oxford...not like they are finding jobs anyways) would be immensely helpful, and might introduce some decently progressive thinking instead of the army of naysayers that seem to veto any idea on how to move Cincinnati into the 21st century. The thing you always hear is how much potential is here, I think the hardest point is trying to find the catalyst that will really get everything going. Things are changing, but perhaps with the right initiatives (look at how hard Michigan is pushing their entrepreneur incentives to get people there) and the right self-promotion the city can position itself uniquely in the country's mind instead of being another generic Ohio C-town.

[visualingual]

Matt's right. From my completely skewed perspective, which really focuses on independent design, I notice a real lack of local media coverage of so many of the things and people who I think are doing interesting things in this city [I think this is true in local art and music as well]. There's definitely a corporate slant and, while those efforts have larger-reaching impact, they're not necessarily the most innovative or interesting, and certainly aren't the only things going on. I think that contributes to the chronic desire to get the hell out of Dodge in order to build a practice.

[Kurt]

What about Scripps starting a new HGTV show about renovating historic properities in Cincinnati. They could make it a contest between three or four groups of people. Run it for a season. If it is successful keep it going. It would bring interest and a positive image to Cincinnati.

[Paul Willham]

As someone who 'chose' Cincinnati over several other cities to relocate our historic consulting and design studio too, from Indianapolis, where frankly all our historic neighborhoods are done I can tell you that Cincinnati's architecture is its biggest selling point.

The first day I came down and saw Findlay Market I said to myself "Do these people know what they have"? I have lived in Charleston SC, Louisville KY,and San Francisco and Cincinnati has architecture on par , or superior, to any of those cities.

OTR for example, could be the equavalent to the "Slave Market" and King Street in Charleston SC, high end shops, Boutique hotels , galleries and nightclubs.

Areas like Fairmount, Price Hill are equivalent to the hill neighborhoods of SF where small cottages go for insane amounts of money.

Avondale and Walnut Hills? Louisville's Historic 3rd and 4 th street.

So many people are now not "office dependent". They can live anywhere. Internet access and teleconferencing means they can live and work anywhere. Why not Cincinnati? Those are the people, people with money who want to live in a house they could only dream of owning in their own city. That is Cincinnatis Hook ' The greatest architecture in the nation at a price you can afford".

[Eric]

I really like this idea. I think Paul Willham is right about a lot of natives not realizing the beauty that is here. I've heard all kinds of stupid things said about OTR, like turning it into a jail, demolishing it, etc.

I don't understand all the politics that go into revitalizing a building, but I've heard that Cincinnati has a lot of stupid hurdles. Cincinnati should make it really easy and give incentives to revitalize OTR and then put in some money to advertise the area as the "revitalization center of the midwest" to the right market.

I would like to see renovations in all the other neighborhoods mentioned as well, but OTR is at the center of the city and the most vital to focus on at the moment. Mark Mallory, are you reading this?

[D R E W]

wow, thanks everyone for all your comments!

Maya- I think you are correct. I think there are many here who care more about the city than the city cares about them. Why should we have to try so hard? Shouldn't it be easier?

Casey- This would make a great Soapbox article and would probably reach more people.

Matt- Yes, I agree that hearing the same old things about museums, theater, sports doesn't work since every other city has those things. The people in charge of promoting the city can't seem to find what's unique. I think it's funny, and sad, that they can't see what we see.

Maya- The local media completely sucks, although it probably does in most mid-sized cities. I think that's why local blogs are way more interesting. I don't even watch or read local news.

Kurt- A reality show is a fun idea. Not sure how that would happen or where the money would come from, etc.

Paul- I think you found our new slogan, "The greatest architecture in the nation at a price you can afford". I also read on The Urbanist a while ago that Cincinnati is the city "that does less with more."

Eric- The way locals view OTR is the reason why I am suggesting bringing in outside people- they have no preconceived ideas. Also, I'm not sure what it takes to renovate a building as far as the city is concerned. All I know is they aren't helping by razing building after building.

[visualingual]

Isn't it sort of tragic that Cincinnati, which is sort of the epicenter of branding, can't figure out its own uniquely compelling brand?

Drew, you're right about local media [and the way online outlets have filled the vast print void].

Not to get snarky but, about a year ago, I contacted Soapbox with some information about the independent design that's happening in the area, thinking that their interest in this story would be a no-brainer [obviously, I included VL in this, but also all the other cool studios as well]. I do believe that's one of the cool aspects of Cincinnati. I got a "thanks, but no thanks" -- maybe I should be the one writing about this stuff!

[The Urbanophile]

Thanks for the links. I'll say it again, "Cities are about people, not just buildings". All the great buildings in the world will never take Cincinnati to the next level. Only its people can do that. Of course, the historic architecture of Cincy is an amazing asset. I've long puzzled about it. Cincinnati probably done less with more than almost any city in the Midwest. It's assets are numerous and top notch, but the city has done nothing with them. Very curious.

[Casey]

maya...send it to my attention...and snarky works just fine. But then again, I get to put my spin on it...which is kind of like a double-snark snarkathonious rex, which would then cancel out the snarkiness. Email them again and say it's for me. I was thinking about riffing on something in that realm.

"Cool studios" you say? Some of my best friends are cool studios...they still owe me money.No...wait....

[D R E W]

Urbanophile- You are correct about cities being about people and not buildings. I am suggesting that the city use architecture and renovation as a way to attract talent and progressive minded people. I've always said that Cincinnati needs a massive influx of outsiders to reach its full potential.

[visualingual]

I do have to add that feeling like I'm in on some secret by living here has its benefits, too, like being into that underground band before anyone else has heard of them! ;)

[Casey]

That's right. Be careful what you wish for.

When I lived in Detroit I was naturally drawn to the architecture there as well, the scarred rust belt landscape, hulking Albert Kahn plants, abandoned but still gleaming Daniel Burnham towers, clutching our dogeared copes of W. Hawkins Ferry's seminal tome "Buildings of Detroit."... back in the day when the Packard Plant was still a fine place to have a techno party, and urban spelunking was more of a rarity. rapelling down the (since demo'd) Statler Hilton elevator shafts and scaling the oxidized pryamids high atop the (then abandoned) Book-Cadillac Hotel were wild excursions. But there was still a goal of preservation, restoration and renewal (at least in theory). Now it's proto-euro tourists with GPS and Alpine walking sticks queuing up in the Roosevelt Book Depository basement next to thrillseeking burbanite hipsters with cans of PBR waiting to tour the Michigan Central Station. A fair share of the nouveau urbex crowd is less interested in preservation than they are in blogging and/or tagging their experience, and it's become something of a post-industrial thrill ride through the rust belt Acropolis as helmed by Camilo Vergara.

I agree that the architecture can be a catalyst to attract talented and progressive minded people, I just don't want to see it devolve into another gawker slowdown on the crumbling urban highway to ruination. I don't see that here, which is good. I like knowing about the underground band before anyone else....but there is a sense of validation when things become more widespread I suppose.

[Bob Prokop]

Great post -- and it echoes the recent white paper I sent to members of our local Westwood community organizations and the mayor and council:

.......

FROM THE GARDEN STATE TO THE QUEEN CITY: An Outsider’s View

My fiancée, Laura, and I moved to Westwood in December of 2006. We are New Jersey natives—I am from the northern part of the state, near Manhattan, and Laura is from the central portion, near Princeton. Soapbox Media included us, along with another couple, in “Why They Chose Cincinnati” in the November 16, 2008 edition.

We have no family in Cincinnati, and although we have made friends since moving, we had none to draw us here. No job transfer forced our relocation. In fact, neither of us had ever visited Cincinnati prior to beginning our house search.

So, why did we come? What drew us to Cincinnati—and in particular to Westwood?

Affordable housing prices, historic architecture, and vintage homes. It is uncommon to find simultaneous examples of these things in New Jersey—a state where both the housing prices and property taxes make it extremely difficult for first-time homebuyers to enter the marketplace. And although the “my Mercedes is better than your Lexus” attitude of the East Side of Cincinnati is more akin to what we knew back home, we chose Westwood because it offered the same charming housing stock as Hyde Park—but for half the price.

.......

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN: Westwood’s Future Lies in Her Past

The single most attractive aspect of our community is its tremendous collection of historic architecture and vintage housing stock. The preservation of these homes—and the marketing of them to people outside the tri-state area—must be part of any long-term strategic plan for Westwood.

Laura and I were floored by the abundance of historic architecture and vintage homes in Cincinnati when we began researching the area—and even more so on our initial visit to the city. We had no idea that the streets and communities of Cincinnati wove such a rich tapestry of American architectural history.

Colonial, Mission, Georgian, and Tudor Revivals, Italianate, Victorian, Craftsman, Prairie, mid-Century Modern, and English Cottage: Westwood has wonderful examples of all these American house styles. It is rare to find such a diverse in situ grouping of vintage homes contained within the borders of a single community.

These buildings define our neighborhood with their structure and distribution; the rise and fall of their rooflines, the careful attention paid to their placement and position, the consonance found in repeated use of local building materials, and the familiar comfort expressed by their proportioned facades—they are the living fabric from which we fashion our daily lives.

During a recent Westwood Civic Association meeting, I overheard someone say “there isn’t enough money in the world to restore all of these old homes”—and that’s true if you define the world as strictly consisting of Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Indiana. There are plenty of old-home enthusiasts in other parts of the country who would love to get their hands on these homes at such attractive prices—but they simply have no idea that Cincinnati contains such an incredible inventory of vintage housing stock.

You’ve got a secret here that you’ve been keeping for far too long. It is time to share it with the world. The city of Cincinnati—and the West side in particular—has seen the same families living here for generations. That is a source of pride and has been good for our community because it means homes have been well-maintained as they are passed from one generation to the next.
But the amount of work to be done in order to restore our neighborhood demands an infusion of fresh faces: new people, new perspectives, new energy, and new resources.

Laura and I would not have moved here if it weren’t for the availability and affordability of our 1938 Tudor Revival/English Cottage home. At the same Civic Association meeting mentioned previously, Rick Boyd of the Westwood Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (WestCURC) expressed the idea that Westwood’s future is dependent upon the construction of new, super high-energy efficient homes. While this directive of building green/net-zero homes is admirable, forward-thinking, and worthy of pursuit, it is unlikely to draw much investment from outside the tri-state area.

More important is the rehabilitation, retrofitting, and preservation of our irreplaceable vintage housing stock. Westwood’s strategic plan should include a joint project that combines the resources of the Westwood Civic Association, WestCURC, the Westwood Historical Society, and Westwood Concern to purchase, rehabilitate, and green one (or more) of our vintage homes. The approach must be sensitive and responsible as it is unfair to expect a historic structure to meet the same energy efficiency standards as new construction.

These homes should be marketed as prototypes to attract outside investment in our community. The project would also help educate current homeowners who are interested in applying the same type of thoughtful energy retrofit to their own vintage homes. Local businesses would be engaged to donate materials and skilled labor; residents would be sought to volunteer whenever possible. The entire process should be documented with photographs, video, detailed plans—even a blog. These homes would be the featured stop on all of Westwood’s historic home tours. This idea is not new or groundbreaking; organizations such as the Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative have been successfully pursuing this strategy for years.

Consideration should be given to hiring an architectural historian to catalog Westwood’s inventory of vintage homes. A partnership between the Westwood Historical Society and the Cincinnati Preservation Association could self-publish the results of such a study using a web-based service like Blurb. It would be a permanent testament to the current state of our architectural heritage and a long-overdue update to 1932’s “Achievement in Western Hills” (which was endorsed by the Westwood Civic Association along with many other community associations of the time)—not to mention a great resource/reward for all the homeowners of our community who take such pride in maintaining their properties.

Laura and I are not ostriches with our heads in the sand—we realize the serious challenges Westwood faces from more immediate concerns: an overabundance of Section 8 housing, a grossly disproportionate amount of sexual predators being housed in filthy apartment complexes, the sad decline of the once-proud gateway corridors of Harrison and Queen City avenues, and the increased crime associated with all of the above.

We fully support all efforts to demolish blighted apartment buildings and share in the frustration of the “how did this happen to Westwood?” and “why doesn’t the city do something to help?” mindset.

Some make the argument that first you’ve got to clean up the mess before you can get others to invest in the community—but we’re living proof that this isn’t so. While we are big believers in the Single Broken Window theory, we also know that there is strength in numbers: attract enough outside investment from people like us and the inertia can be turned on its head.

This influx of new citizens—particularly the indefatigable nature of old-house preservationists—will become a self-perpetuating cycle.

If the city itself would adopt such a strategy—if Cincinnati would finally embrace the rich architectural history that makes her unique among all Midwestern cities—the future of the Queen City would be ensured for generations. Our sleepy manufacturing facilities would be re-awakened with companies specializing in historic reproduction fixtures and hardware. Restoration consultants and historical architects would thrive. Stores would spring up in business districts catering to the new demand for vintage goods. Skilled trades would be in such high demand that new training programs and ateliers would be created to educate the next generation of craftsmen. Visitors would travel from far and wide to explore the city and its vast inventory of newly-restored housing stock and historic architecture. Cincinnati would become a living classroom for preservationists, architectural historians, and old-house enthusiasts.

At the April 21, 2009, Westwood Civic Association meeting, Dan Oerther of the University of Cincinnati provided an overview of the Urban Farms program. The purpose of the program is to convert vacant, city-owned lots into urban farms. Imagine if UC offered a strong historic preservation degree program similar to the one offered by the Savannah College of Art & Design and then applied the urban garden philosophy to historic restoration. Teams of UC students working toward their undergraduate/graduate degrees in historic preservation could adopt city-owned homes in various neighborhoods and spend a semester rehabilitating these vintage structures as a requirement for graduation. The university would reap the full monetary benefits upon the sale of these properties—and neighborhoods would grow strong again as house-by-house, street-by-street, block-by-block, they regained their once gracious stature.

As you can see, we dream big in New Jersey, and for good reason…

.......

QUEEN OF THE SEASIDE RESORTS: How the “Battle of Cape May” Was Won

At the southern tip of New Jersey, just below the Mason-Dixon Line, lies the nation’s oldest seaside resort—Cape May, the “Queen of the Seaside Resorts”. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has proclaimed that Cape May contains “…one of the best, if not the best, single unified area of Victorian architecture in the state, if not the country…” This opinion hasn’t always been universal, however. By the late 1950s, Cape May had been forgotten by all but the most loyal patrons; most of the beach-going crowd now favored the modern honky-tonk of nearby towns such as Atlantic City and Wildwood.

After nearly succumbing to the Great March Storm of 1962, Cape May was a city in desperate need of both state and federal funds. City government applied for and received a federal grant from the Urban Renewal Administration in 1963. Cape May City Hall established a local Urban Renewal office and officials promised the residents of Cape May “a bonanza of improvements…not just a restored village, but street improvements, storm sewers, and downtown revitalization…all impossible with purely local funds.”

The Urban Renewal plan traveled a rough road, however, as the city’s residents were not unified in their vision for the future of Cape May. Clear battle lines were drawn in the war to save the city, with the preservationists on one side and a group that became known as the “ratables” on the other. The preservationists wanted the entire city restored to its former glory, while the ratables wished to demolish the aging structures and replace them with modern motels in order to better compete with neighboring shore towns such as Wildwood.

For a time, it seemed as if the ratables were going to get their wish, as the city seemed hell-bent on increasing tax revenue. Demolitions proceeded at an increasingly rapid pace. The federal money came with pre-conditions, however—one of them being that Cape May hire a qualified architectural historian to catalog all of the buildings in the grant area.

Carolyn Pitts was given the task and approached it with a Mary Kuhl-like intensity. Pitts faced an uphill battle because she knew that many of Cape May’s full-time residents did not understand the historic nature of these buildings; indeed most considered them to be eyesores and ugly reminders of how far behind-the-times the city was in comparison to its more modern rivals to the north.

By 1970, Pitts had catalogued the majority of historic structures in Cape May. Working cooperatively with a local preservation committee member, she was able to get the entire town listed on the federal government’s National Register of Historic Places—without the knowledge or consent of the city’s mayor, congressman, or governor. Pitts later recalled this incredible turn of events: “…we sneaked it past them…we had to. It was register the town, or see it leveled and turned into another seashore honky-tonk…”

The powers-that-be did their best to overturn the designation, but their efforts were in vain. Although the mayor threatened to sue the individuals responsible for the city’s designation as a National Historic Site, the threats never amounted to much. In 1976, Cape May received the grand designation of National Historic Landmark.

Today, Cape May has become one of the nation’s premier seaside retreats. The preservationists’ work resulted in the safeguarding of over 600 examples of historic Victorian architecture. Reborn, re-crowned, and no longer only a summer resort, Cape May has now become a year-‘round destination with a surging tourist economy. The “Battle of Cape May” was won because of a small group of forward-thinking preservationists who understood the value of the city’s historic architecture and vintage homes.

.......

2918 WERK ROAD: Saving the Gamble Estate

The fate of Werk Castle was sealed upon its demolition in 1939. The future of Casimir Elsa (the Werk Mansion) is uncertain and its sale is now pending. What will become of the long-time home of Westwood’s true patriarch, James N. Gamble, located at 2918 Werk Road?

This impressive Gothic Revival/Italianate home overlooks approximately 21 acres in one of the most beautiful areas of Westwood. Its peeling yellow paint, pale green roof, and strong, square tower are familiar to all residents of our community.

Has anyone discussed the future of our most important historical structure with the current owner of record, Ms. Louise Nippert, or any of her relatives/family members? Have we included the possible future acquisition and preservation of this property during the preparation of the Westwood Strategic Plan?

The Gamble family name is intertwined so strongly with the history of Cincinnati that it is hard to imagine Westwood not being proactive in developing a sound strategy for obtaining and restoring this architectural and historical treasure.

James N. Gamble provided us with the streets and sidewalks we traverse daily; his wife gave us the trees, shrubs, and flowers that today identify Westwood as a well-established, mature community.

As a resident of Westwood for over sixty years, Gamble’s role in our community cannot be overstated. He was the ultimate civic leader.

The proper acquisition, restoration, and greening of this property could prove to be the turning point for our neighborhood. The James N. Gamble Museum Center and Memorial Park would be a source of tremendous pride for all the Western Hills, and particularly for Westwood. It would tell the story of our community, and convey how incredibly important the Gamble family was in shaping the “Capital of the West Side”.

Tours of the restored home would be offered. Garden pathways would carry visitors through a renovated landscape full of Mrs. Gamble’s favored plantings. Actors in period costume would portray members of the Gamble family and interact with patrons. A proud statue of Mr. Gamble would grace a newly constructed courtyard, welcoming visitors and encouraging them to learn about the community he cared so deeply for.

Wedding receptions and corporate gatherings would be held in the restored outbuildings. During the holiday season the house and grounds would come alive with festive decorations. Westwood would have a true event destination equal to any in all of Cincinnati.

A pledge drive could be launched with generous corporate sponsorship from Procter & Gamble—after all, how could they publicly refuse to be part of a living monument to the man who was responsible for making the P&G brand a household name?

A model of this type of restoration is the Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May. Completed in 1879, the Emlen Physick Estate is one of the most magnificent examples of Stick Style architecture in the country. By the 1960s the home and grounds had fallen into a terrible state of disrepair, and the building was slated for demolition. Several members of the same group of preservations that fought the “Battle of Cape May” formed the nonprofit Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) in 1970 and managed to save the property from the wrecking ball. MAC is now housed on-site and works to promote restoration throughout Cape May.

You might consider this the overzealous pipe-dream of a crazy outsider who doesn’t know any better. I would ask you to consider the alternative: another Westwood landmark lost to modernity.

At the very least, we should discuss getting the property listed on the National Historic Register. Consider the following property evaluation criteria from the NR website:

-> Age and Integrity. Is the property old enough to be considered historic (generally at least 50 years old) and does it still look much the way it did in the past?

-> Significance. Is the property associated with events, activities, or developments that were important in the past? With the lives of people who were important in the past? With significant architectural history, landscape history, or engineering achievements? Does it have the potential to yield information through archeological investigation about our past?

SUMMARY

-> Consider hiring an architectural historian to catalog Westwood’s inventory of vintage homes and historic structures. Solicit cooperation from the Cincinnati Preservation Association to complete the process and self-publish the results of this study.

-> Acquire one (or more) of Westwood’s vintage homes for restoration and sensitive energy-efficiency retrofitting. Engage local businesses for donations of materials and labor, and fully document the entire process. Offer on-site seminars for residents interested in beginning their own vintage home energy retrofit. Market these homes to a wide audience outside the tri-state area. Spotlight these homes as the featured attraction during the Westwood Historical Society’s historic house tours.

-> Encourage UC to expand their historic preservation certificate program and to apply the “Urban Farm” philosophy to vintage home restoration. Partner with them to ensure that Westwood is home to the pilot project.

-> Proactively work for the future acquisition, preservation, and greening of the Gamble Estate. Engage Procter & Gamble to fund the project. Get the property listed as a National Historic Landmark.

.......

Our local Westwood community organizations have reacted enthusiastically to many of these ideas; the response from city government has been dismal. Matt Jones, aide to Leslie Ghiz, thought the thoughts were excellent and promised to review the paper with Leslie. David Crowley sent a short "thank you for your letter" e-mail. Other than that, I've heard nothing. Which doesn't surprise me.

Sometimes I wonder if Cincinnati will ever get its act together...

[Casey]

good post Bob. As coincidence would have it, my wife and I were the "other couple" in that November 16 Soapbox article.

http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/40choosingcincinnati.aspx

Interesting that you brought up the Werk Mansion, as that just resurfaced in connection with a home in our neighborhood in North Avondale. See the blog link for a play-by-play.

http://victorianantiquitiesanddesign.blogspot.com/

[Melissa]

I am a designer with kids with family in Ohio (even though I grew up in L.A.). I've been thinking of moving to the Cincy area for a while now. How does one find the cutting edge architecture firms and interior designers that are hiring? I'd rather not go back to working for a large architecture firm designing casinos, warehouses and big box stores. Anyone have any connections to help a girl find a job? I've been wanting to buy a house in Price Hill or Clifton since I was eight. Reading this post and the comments makes me happy to know there is an art life in Cincinnati. (The fear would be to move there and be surrounded by a bunch of reds!)

[liz]

fascinating post and comments. you guys have some really interesting thoughts on how to make the city unique and the architecture is really a significant aspect of cincinnati's personality in my opinion as a non-native. re: branding the city, i totally agree re: the p&g/corporate thing... there is too much of that going on and not enough actual creativity and expression of the city's true personality.

i'm going to direct the cincinnati imports crowd here.

[Adam Siemiginowski]

NYTimes covers Detroits potential revival as a 'bicycle utopia'
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/opinion/05barlow.html

With a friend recently moving to Detroit to, of all things, embark on a career in wine sales, it's interesting to hear about the revival attempts of Detroit, and the impact the corporate lust had on its neighborhoods.

Fortunately, Cincinnati is much more diversified in its corporate footprint and those corporations are often driving a large portion of the 'cultural events.' While they may feel impersonal, they truly are the big, beefy 'chicken' before the 'egg' which downtown and OTR will need to make their mark, and become a hub, as opposed to an alternative to suburbs. Note the wheel design and commentary on Ford with a bicycle towards the end of the article.

Adam

[Donna]

I am in the process of boomeranging back into Cincinnati along with my DH, who has never lived in Ohio. Westwood has some of the loveliest and most affordable homes in the Queen City. I must say, that I agree with those who posted about the rich architectural history of Cincinnati. There are so many older neighborhoods with stunning, solid homes that can be purchased at a fraction of the price of shoddy, bland, look-alike, new construction. It took us a year to find our dream house - but we finally found it in Westwood. We're moving from a country setting on a dirt road, doing a 180, and going urban. I'm really looking forward to the move - but I'll miss the brilliant stars in the night skies of Ontario.

[becky]

Hmmm, how exactly would the city do this? Are there other cities you can think of and particular programs they put in place to do such a thing? Well, I'm thinking of one small town in Eastern KY (name escapes me at the moment) that managed to attract a lot of artists with studio space, but other than that, what are the logistics of such an idea? I like the broad idea, but I'm not sure of the reality of executing it. I'd love to hear about particular things specific cities have done to accomplish this.

[Chantal]

As a New Yorker who left Cincinnati when I graduated from Withrow High School I have to confess that is this exactly this sort of thinking and dialog that makes me extremely reluctant to boomerang back. Calling for urban pioneering, really? As though the people of Cincinnati are a group of savage natives who need civilizing by outside forces. And post after post after post lauding gentrification and displacement of people. It's nauseating.

Cincinnati is a failure as a city because it is an epicenter of cluelessness and finger-pointing. It's going to take a lot more than pretty houses to lure people to look past the crime, the racial segregation and resentment, the barely veiled bigotry, the schools that don't work for most, the fact that it is hours and hours away from any other city of significance, the lack of a downtown core, the lack of amenities in basically every black neighborhood, the continued population loss, and on and on and on. No intellectual elite is going to sweep in to deal with that mess and it's not even needed. What is needed is for Cincinnatians to reinvest in their own city. Though it constantly attracts newcomers, New York was not saved from its '70s - '80s nadir by new immigrant floods. It was saved by New Yorkers who decided that they were going to take their city back and who created something newcomers wanted to participate in. So until Cincinnatians decide to pull together as a city and stop wishing away the underlying issues of race and class the cheap gorgeous housing will moulder.