New Urbanism and Its Influences in the Cincinnati Region
On May 15, new urbanists will gather in Cincinnati for CNU 32—with the chance to check out the city’s abundant urbanism for a few days. Unlike cities like Charlotte that have built a lot of New Urbanism in the suburbs, Cincinnati is all about infill.
The Queen City boasts impressive examples of New Urbanism infill on a neighborhood scale built over the last two decades, in addition to historic urban fabric that has been revitalized. The Google map New Urbanism and Its Influences in the Cincinnati Region highlights 27 New Urbanism-related sites that visitors may check out on their own or see with the many organized tours at CNU 32.
Some destinations are within walking distance of the downtown hotel where CNU 32 is taking place—the most famous is Over-the-Rhine, one of the nation’s foremost collections of Italianate architecture. Public Square reported on the complex history and controversy in the renovation and gentrification of this neighborhood, and CNU attendees will learn more.
Immediately south of downtown, the new urban Banks Neighborhood is being built on a former urban wasteland on the riverfront. The neighborhood includes parks, concert venues, living spaces, and commercial uses, and it grew out of a transformative 1996 Riverfront Master Plan spearheaded by former Mayor Roxanne Qualls, who also served on the CNU board for eight years.
Just a mile from downtown, City West is a major redevelopment of public housing, creating a new neighborhood with a new urbanist design. The redevelopment of older public housing projects includes more than 1,000 residential units with a mix of housing types on a network of blocks, streets, and public spaces on 34 acres in Cincinnati's West End.
A few other highlights may be mentioned: Factory 52 in Norwood, an enclave in northeast Cincinnati, is redeveloping the former United States Playing Card Company factory. The project, largely built but still under construction, is reimagined as a major mixed-use development with breweries, restaurants, active living facilities, living spaces, and more.
No urbanist tour of Cincinnati would be complete without a short trip to Mariemont, a village designed by John Nolen and 25 leading architects, breaking ground in 1923. The town still has much to teach regarding urban design, and new buildings that align with Nolen's vision are still being completed.
Those examples are only the beginning, as Cincinnati is a city of neighborhoods, many of which have been revitalized with new buildings and historic renovation that is worth seeing. Covington, Kentucky, has a great main street district and adjacent neighborhoods right across the river. I look forward to seeing everyone at CNU 32!
