the

of themedenvironmentsinover.the.rhine

geography

Hilary BrooksMathias DetamoreBen HensonColeman Kane

To consider theming in the urban environmentas market exploitation of cultural symbols that endsin the inability for social cohesion and economicsustainability. Thanks to corporate marketing andour wholesale suburbanization of the environment,themes in a modern environment arevapid fantasies with false senses ofcommunity and culture. To compete with thesuburbs economically, many cities have recentlybrought the ideals of theming into their developmentschemes in an attempt to promote tourism.

INTENTIONAL THEMING OF URBAN ENVIRONMENTS:INTENTIONAL THEMING OF URBAN ENVIRONMENTS:

themedenvironments

Authentic:score between 0 - 25Authentic toward Themed:score between 26 - 50Themed toward Authentic:score between 51 - 75Themed:score between 76 - 100

We found clusters of themed establishments andclusters of unthemed establishments. These are moredense on Main Street and less dense on VIne. This could be due tothe level of development on each. We do find, that where there arethemed establishments that they do happen primarily on Main St,where the unthemed, or authentic establishments seemmore free to be on either Main or Vine. Twelth St seems to be thelinking corridor between Main and Vine. Along this link there is aninteresting push - pull between the major theme cluster and one ofthe unthemed clusters. Along Vine Street, there is a gradation ofunthemed environments. Along Main, there is a heavily themed nodeon one end, a mildly themed node on the other and gradations ofauthentic in between.

FindingsFindings

Examining Emptiness MicheleWildeboer

Population, Employment, & vacancyPopulation, Employment, & vacancy

The combination of the population decline over many decadesand the continual vacancy of housing units throughoutOver.the.Rhine has produced the overwhelming sense ofEMPTINESS

Just like any city Over.the.Rhine is a study inorganized complexity," all varying simultaneouslyand in subtly interconnected ways,"(Jacobs, 433).

There is no substitute for lively streets, (Jacobs, 120). When thepopulation is declining and the buildings are empty, it becomesvery difficult for the streets to be lively.

The portion of the population unemployed and not in the labor force under any label is considerablymore than the employed population. Individuals over age 16 are considered for the labor statistics.Once a year of unemployment has passed an individual is no longer counted as unemployed.

www.census.gov city of cincinnati OTR master Plan - www.cincinnati-oh.gov Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities

30323 31221 27577 15025 11914 9509 7638

The Context of Music Hall

7th Street

6th Street

5th Street

8th Street

9th Street

Vine Street

Race Street

Main Street

Sycamore Street

Broadway

Walnut Street

Plum Street

Elm Street

Race Street

Central Avenue

John Street

Mound Avenue

Central Parkw

ay

12th Street

Ezzard Charles

14th Street

Charles Stree

t

Clark Street

Chestnut Stre

et

Elizabeth Street

Clark Street

TaftHigh School

Music Hall

WGUC& WCET

CPDHQ

Washington ParkElementary

WashingtonPark

Comparison of Suggested Parking Venues

Parking at theAronoff Center isspread throughout avariety of garagesnear the facility.Parking for MusicHall is housed solelyin a parking garageacross CentralParkway. Access isprovided over themain road via apedestrian bridge,likely in order toshield patrons fromthe street life inOver the Rhine.

2002

2003

2004 as of 10.31

Local crime statistics corroborate, at least on acertain level, the level of distrust and concern forsafety associated with Over the Rhine. What isunclear is the demographic nature of the crimescommitted, and whether the audience membersof Music Hall have ever been targeted.

The Cincinnati Arts Association offers no diningsuggestions for restaurants near Music Hall. Insteadthey offer the same restaurants that are within walkingdistance of the Aronoff Center, which are not alsoreasonably walkable from Music Hall.

FEAR, PARKING, AND THE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCECincinnati's Music Hall is a cultural institution located in what is perceived to be adangerous area. As a result of this, its conditions of access and experience are skewedwhen viewed in comparison to other cultural facilities of similar prominence within the cityof Cincinnati. This study examines this buildings relationship with its surroundings andthe public image of the institution that governs it.

Recommended Dining Establishments

Crime Statistics

A successful intervention into this site would need toaddress special aspects of experience in thecontext surrounding Music Hall. Dining, parking,street lighting are important considerations.Existing facilities for the homeless will need to beaccommodated in a fashion that does not intrudeon the experience of concert attendance, or there willbe no life on the streets surrounding Music Hall.

The Question of intervention

Aerial Image from USGS-10.20.2000Diagram by author according to www.cincinnatiarts.org

Suggested Parking facility

Destination

Landmark

SHAYNEPintur

Aronoff CenterCAC

P&GFifth/ThirdBank

FountainSquare

7th Street

6th Street

5th Street

8th Street

9th Street

Vine Street

Race Street

Main Street

Sycamore Street

Broadway

Walnut Street

FountainSquareFountainSquare

Aerial Image from USGS-10.20.2000Diagram by author according to

www.cincinnatiarts.org

Suggested Restaurants

Note: Suggested Restaurants forMusic Hall are the exactly the same

Aronoff CenterCAC P&GFifth/ThirdBank

edge

How to Define the Edge of a Historic Neighborhood

KatieHunter

What is the Current Condition of the Southern Edge of the Over.the.rhine Neighborhood?AERIAL Map

Ground-figure

Map

Figure-Ground

Elevation

The western side of the boundary isprimarily ground parking lotswith the YMCA building as the onlyanchor. The new School for Creativeand Performing Arts is proposedacross Elm Street. The new structurewill help establish the western edge.

The Central portion of the CentralParway boundary is somewhatdefined, but still has a number ofparking lots making it difficult toestablish as a gateway.The eastern edge is fairly well defined.The smaller buildings change incharacter and help transition fromthe central business district to thehistoric Over.the.Rhine area.

What is the Social Situation in the Area?1. Along Central Pkwy, between Plum and Vine, the areahas low residential property values and high vacancy rates.Home ownership is low and the median family income issignificantly below poverty level. The area is about 70%black and 30% white.

2. Between Vine and Sycamore, residential property valuesare very low. As much as a third of the housing in this areais vacant. Nearly all of the residential in this area rent.The median family income is below poverty level, however,it is more than twice as high as in the area between Plumand Vine. The racial composition is approximately 70/30,prodominately black.

3. East of Sycamore, the Pendleton area has much higherresidential property values, averaging over $150,000.Almost one tenth of the residents own. More than 80% arehighschool graduates and 16% hold a bachelors degree orhigher. The racial mix is 80% black, 16% white, and 4%other.

Conclusions and RecommendationsFuture development along Central Pkwy must be cognizant of theedge condition of this historic neighborhood. Pedestrian andvehicular gateways to the neighborhood should be clearilydenoted.

New or rennovated housing in this area shoud be required toinclude some units for affordable housing to ensurethat the current residents will still have a place in the neighborhoodas it becomes more affluent. Services for the poor must still belocated near the housing.

Some kind of language of street furnishings, lighting andsignage should be considered for the OTR nieghborhood toidentify the neighborhood, buildings, and sites as historic.

edge reinforcer filter gate protector wall

Findlay MarketHeather

Ferrell-Lipp

A seed for ChangeA seed for Change

The Real AgendaThe real vision underlying all of the planning is arepopulation of the area with residents that can affordto put money back into the economic system. Thisis a further perpetuation of the existing cycle oflow-income evacuation. One obvious piece of evidenceto this is the sort of vendors Findlay Market listson its web site. The list includes, wine shops,coffee shops, ethnic take-out, chocolatier/confectionerpatisserie, specialty meats, organic foods and ajuice bar. All of the vendors mentioned providespeciality items that would cater to a higher-incomepopulation. In addition, the lowest vender standsrental costs are higher than the average apartmentrental costs in the area.

Another clear indicator is the basic horseshoe formof the market. The market is increasingly not aboutthe neighborhood. People come into the parking lotand are funneled onto the market. When they arefinished they go right back out again the way theycame in. There is no meandering in the surroundingarea looking in the shops.

Challenges to maintain a mixed income population7Revitalization raises property values and the low income population

can not afford the cost7Difference between property owners and renters

3Property owners want a return on their investment3Renters want stabilized rents

- Provide incentives and controls to ensure thatdevelopment does not push out the current population

Challenges to increasing ownership7 Ownership is only 5% compared to 38% citywide

- Renovate existing housing stock for purchase- Conversion of existing brewery and industrial buildings

7 Prohibitive investment for rehabilitation costs and thebuildings require a lot of work to bring them up to current code

- Provide incentive for developers, gap financing, lowincome tax credits, federal historic tax credits, lowinterest loans, and city grants.

The 2002 OTR Comprehensive PlanThe 2002 OTR Comprehensive Plan

Prospect Hill StephanieWinters

A

The Anatomy & History of an Urban VillageThe Anatomy & History of an Urban Village

Total Population: 6,247White: 6,228African American: 19Native: 3,976Foreign: 2,271

1870 Titus Map1870 Titus Map 1904 Sanborn Map1904 Sanborn Map

Total Population: 8,469White:8,252African American: 217Native: 6,842Foreign: 1,627

1904-1930 Sanborn Map1904-1930 Sanborn Map

Total Population: 5,199White: 5,169African American: 30Native: 3,268Foreign/Mixed Parentage: 1,416

Total Population: 5,433White: 4,632African American: 789Other Races: 12

1960-1980 Sanborn Map1960-1980 Sanborn Map

Total Population:1,985White: 929African American: 971Occupied Housing Units: 856Owner: 292Renter: 564

New Construction

2004 Cagis Map2004 Cagis Map

Creating Community:The Role of a

community

Creating Community:The Role of a

communityAndreaVan Ausdall

"Increasingly, our schoolsare critical to bringing ourcommunities together. Wewant them to serve thepublic not just during theschool hours: to functionas vital communitycenters. places forrecreation and learning,positive places wherechildren can be when theycan't be at home andschool is no longer goingon; gathering places foryou young people andadults alike."

99%0%0%0%1%

18%<1%1%2%79%

99%

Student Economic Level

% of students receivingfree or reduced lunch 99% 37%

Washington Park Elementary,115 West 14th Street

Building Assessment SummaryDate of Construction 1958Existing Square Footage 73,466Current Square Footage per Student 173

Washington Park Elementary School