Wanted: GOOD designers to work on city issues

In Silicon Valley, GOOD Ideas for Cities spurred development of new transit plans for buses with wi-fi, comfy seats and bike racks traveling business-friendly express routes. In Los Angeles and New York, and just this month in Portland, Ore., like-minded sessions have paired the area’s top design minds with pressing city concerns in an effort to reinvigorate civic problem-solving.

Cincinnati marks the next stop of the GOOD Ideas for Cities tour, which pairs designers with city problems proposed by urban leaders and spotlights solutions at public forums. The University of Cincinnati’s Niehoff Urban Studio hosts the program, which will culminate with a public event May 16.

“Cincinnati is the perfect city for us to go to next as part of the GOOD Ideas for Cities program,” says Alissa Walker, Los Angeles-based writer and community members at GOOD. “We're seeing many of the challenges there that other mid-sized cities are facing, issues around urban renewal, transportation, and fresh food access. But there's also such a vibrant and established creative community that's already so engaged in the city.”

Frank Russell, director of the Niehoff Urban Studio, has begun looking for civic-minded designers who want to be a part of the program. “Cincinnati has the benefit of a tremendous pool of design talent due to its place as a design and brand hub as well as its world-class design educational institutions,” he says. “I am excited to invite these emerging leaders to engage with GOOD to envision creative solutions for Cincinnati.”

Since 2008, GOOD has hosted 10 of these events in three cities and at three schools. Last year, GOOD added the urban think tank CEOs for Cities to the mix and changed the name to GOOD Ideas for Cities. This year’s outreach into five mid-sized cities is funded in part by ArtPlace, a collaboration of national foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts and other federal agencies.

“We hope GOOD Ideas for Cities will be able to connect these creatives with local urban leaders to design some innovative and exciting ideas for Cincinnati,” Walker says. “We also hope to see some of those ideas become reality, as we've seen happen at several of our events across the country so far.”

For examples of previous GOOD Ideas for Cities projects, click here.

To apply to be one of Cincinnati’s GOOD Ideas for Cities’ civic-minded designers or design teams, email Frank Russell.

By Elissa Yancey
Follow Elissa on Twitter.