Walnut Hills' Five Point Alley event encourages community input

Saturday, Walnut Hills and the University of Cincinnati’s MetroLAB hosted an event to gather community input on the future of Five Points Alley. The neighborhood’s goal is to continue transforming the alleys into a community gathering space, as well as a space for public art.
 
“We wanted to hear the community’s honest opinions,” says Sarah Dotter, events coordinator for Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation. “We wanted to know what they want to see here, and what their ideas are for the space. We wanted them to feel like they’re part of the changes that are happening here.”
 
MetroLAB developed a way for residents to feel involved in the future of Five Points, which is the convergence of Sedalia, Pana, Finch, London and Lindsay alleys between Gilbert Avenue and Copelen Street. The students interpreted the buildings in the area in a different way, and made plexiglass ornaments that represent each of the five overarching themes of the space—play, make, exchange, work and connect.
 
“These are five ways that the space can be used,” Dotter says. “Five Points is a place where people can gather, and it can be whatever they want it to be.”
 
Residents placed the ornaments on a chandelier, which will eventually be hung in Five Points. Based on resident input, MetroLAB will design and implement both permanent and temporary improvements to the space.
 
Throughout the summer, Five Points Alley will be highly programmed by WHRF. Events will include the popular biergartens, neighborhood grill outs, concerts and more.
 
Plans for the future of Five Points will start this summer and continue into the fall, when much of the space’s landscaping will begin.
 
The Five Points project is supported by The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation and an ArtsWave grant that will help fund public art for the space.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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