This expansive neighborhood borders Over-the-Rhine in the shape of a sliver. Mostly residential, it has a rich history and diverse inhabitants, a beauty discovered by only the most discerning eye. The Dayton Street Historical District, a cluster of houses built mostly in the late 1800s, is on the National Register of Historic Places. City West, a mixed-income housing development just north of downtown in the neighborhood's southern-most point, is the biggest housing development in Cincinnati since World War II. The quiet streets have come alive with additions like the Mockbee across Central Parkway and a church renovation that will yield a climbing gym.
Watching television shows and movies online just became even easier—and free—as a result of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s recent addition of streaming services like Hoopla and Freegal Movies into its collection.
Livability.com named Cincinnati one of the Top 100 Best Places to Live.
In an effort to make more data sets available to the public and to put them in the hands of organizations that can make use of them, OpenDataCincy is engaging community members in the Nonprofit Data Challenge.
As we continue to reprise our four-part Demand Better series, we take a look at innovations and ideas that empower and support neighbors here and around the country—and offer some key demands for Cincinnati's future as election day approaches.
Damian Hoskins, director of collaborative action at The Strive Partnership, is helping to lead the Read On! Campaign in an effort to dramatically improve third-grade reading levels in the region.
This week marks the launch of a new Soapbox series: Demand Better Cincinnati. We'll explore a new issue each week and sift through what's been done, what's being done and how we can push our current and future leaders to, well, demand better.
You’ll want to add the Betts House to your list of must-see historical places—it's the oldest brick building in Cincinnati. The Betts House, which was built in 1804, has withstood the test of time. It still stands today as a center that recognizes and celebrates the history of Cincinnati’s built environment. “It has a unique place in our history and in the state of Ohio,” says Dayle Deardurff, interim executive director at the Betts House. “It’s an example of some of the earliest architecture in Ohio and early manufacturing of bricks—the bricks were made by the man who built it, and earthquakes, tornados, storms, and 200 years of people moving in and out of this place stayed. So it’s a wonderful example of architectural stability and preservation.” To commemorate the shifts in our city’s history over the past 200 years, the Betts House showcases a timeline to remind current residents and visitors of the movement beyond the home that has occurred and continues to evolve. But recognizing the art of brickmaking and the effort that is needed to construct a lasting structure is also important, so each summer, the Betts House offers a summer youth program called Bond at the Betts House, which teaches children and young people about the skills and tools needed to perform jobs as architects, bricklayers and construction workers. “I’m one of those parents who takes her kids to historical places all around the country, so my family and I have done Williamsburg, Gettysburg—we stop and visit these kinds of places—and I think it’s a great opportunity to help showcase a site in Cincinnati that a lot of people probably don’t know about,” Deardurff says. “If I can do something to help make it more visible and people can come here and we can partner with other organizations to put on exhibits and children’s activities—bringing in a lot of families who otherwise wouldn’t have known this place existed—I think that is fun and personally rewarding.” Do Good: • Support the Betts House by joining or donating. • Visit the Betts House to see upcoming exhibits architeXploration and Bricks, Barrel Vaults & Beer: The Architectural Legacy of Cincinnati Breweries. • Like the Betts House on Facebook. By Brittany York Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
On July 24, the City of Cincinnati adopted Nextdoor, a free, private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. The goal is to improve community engagement between the City and its residents, and foster neighbor-to-neighbor communications. Each of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods will have its own private Nextdoor neighborhood website, which is accessible only to residents of that neighborhood. City administrations and several city departments will also use Nextdoor to share important news, services, programs, free events and emergency notifications to residents, but they won’t be able to see who is registered to use the site or the conversations among residents. Founded in 2010 in San Francisco, Nextdoor’s mission is to bring back a sense of community to the neighborhood. The site was tested in 175 neighborhoods across the country, and results showed that neighborhoods had some of the same issues, plus a variety of different issues. “We all remember what our neighborhood experience was like as kids, when everyone knew each other, looked out for one another and stayed in the community longer," says Sarah Leary, co-founder of Nextdoor. “We want to invoke that nostalgia for neighborhoods.” To date, Nextdoor is being used by about 17,000 neighborhoods across the country. In June, Nextdoor partnered with New York City and Mayor Bloomberg to communicate with the city’s 8.3 million residents. The site plans to roll out in other major cities like Cincinnati over the course of the next several months. Nextdoor also recently released its iPhone app. “We’re really putting the lifeline of the neighborhood into the palm of the residents’ hands,” says Leary. “The common thread is an interest in using technology to make connections with neighbors. But it doesn’t stop there—once people have an easy way to communicate, they’re more likely to get together in the real world.” You can sign up for Nextdoor on its website, or download the app in the App Store. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
Many city-dwellers are continuously faced with the arduous task of budgeting their quarters between two priorities: bus fare and laundromats.
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