Bridging Broadway opens first of three community engagement sessions

Bridging Broadway, an organization that evolved out of the anticipated development of a downtown casino site, is hosting the first of three community dialogues this Saturday, from 12:30-4pm, at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine. Saturday’s half-day session is designed to gather feedback from residents, businesses and landowners of the historic neighborhoods surrounding Broadway Commons with the goal of contributing to the recommendations ultimately made to the city.No ordinary design charette, the session includes a guided walking tour of Pendleton developed by University of Cincinnati Professor and Planning Commissioner, Michaele Pride.  Pride says the walking tour, which will take several different routes to ensure all aspects of the study area are observed, is an important part of the process. “The idea comes from an established body of best practices from the community development industry and is used as a tool for residents and stakeholders together, to inventory the possibilities, problems and opportunities of their neighborhood. The tours will concentrate on areas that are within a direct impact zone of the casino development and are the greatest to benefit from – and also to be concerned about – the kinds of new interests and attention that will come with the casino’s development.”Rather than just gathering information from census data and aerial photos and GIF databases, we acknowledge the role of personal, direct experience, directed view and feel as a valid dataset and so we’re mining the experience and views and perspectives of the community.”Later, groups will discuss their observations in small groups and synthesize their findings. Jeffrey Stec, Executive Director of Citizens for Civic Renewal, will help to integrate and conclude this part of the process. The second and third dialogues, taking place this winter, will focus on what residents, business and landowners.  Pride, an Over-the-Rhine resident, noted the importance of these early sessions.”The process helps build community capacity for addressing change,” she said.The community dialogue is free and open to the public and takes place Saturday October 23 from 1-4pm at Memorial Hall. You can register here. Writer: Sean RhineyPhotography by provided