A Year in Review

An Energized Cincinnati

Inspiration from the civic commons in 2023

Candidates for elected office in Cincinnati joined a group of one hundred people as they cycled through the city connecting with their constituents. Image courtesy Tri-State Trails.

Be inspired in the new year with reflections from cities across the country using their civic assets to build trust, connect people of all backgrounds and deliver more resilient communities. Today, the seventh in our series of photo essays reflecting on the past year of progress features the civic commons work in Cincinnati.

The existing Mill Creek Greenway meanders between neighborhoods, the Mill Creek and highway I-75. Recent investments in public space along the Lick Run Greenway, which would connect to a completed Mill Creek Greenway, provide an opportunity to connect more neighborhoods in the Mill Creek Valley and Beekman commercial corridor. Image courtesy Tri-State Trails.

Prioritizing underserved neighborhoods

In Cincinnati’s effort to build the CROWN 34-mile trail loop, Tri-State Trails is convening partners in the Mill Creek Valley to advocate for improved active transportation connections with an intent to complete the Mill Creek Greenway. Communities along the Greenway were bisected from downtown by the construction of I-75 and I-74 in the 1960s and 1970s, suffering from divestment ever since. Completing the Mill Creek Greenway presents an opportunity to link several public spaces and reconnect the neighborhoods to each other, to the urban stream and to Cincinnati’s two largest employment hubs—Downtown and Uptown.

“The trail will be a fantastic way to get around, without seeing traffic all the time. It will change your perspective of the city. It won’t happen overnight, but when it does, people will really enjoy it.” — Derrick Feagin, president, South Cumminsville Community Council

Lick Run Greenway, a recent major stormwater project to daylight a stream and create a park, will tie into the future Western Hills Viaduct. This viaduct and the Hopple Street Viaduct were seen during a community walk along the proposed Mill Creek Greenway route. Image courtesy Tri-State Trails.

Leveraging major infrastructure investments

Several significant infrastructure investments are slated to take place in the Mill Creek Valley in the next decade: I-75 and I-74 widening and reconfiguration (underway), $356 million Western Hills Viaduct replacement, $3.6 billion I-75 Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, and $20 million State to Central Building Better Neighborhoods road diet project. Through Cincinnati’s Reimagining the Civic Commons collaboration, community groups are advocating for outcomes that connect sidewalks, bike lanes, trails, and parks to benefit residents’ mobility within their neighborhoods. The Mill Creek Greenway is a missing link that will connect pathways in each of these infrastructure projects and form a linear park in neighborhoods that have been disinvested for decades.

“The infrastructure investments planned in the Beekman Corridor are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconnect Cincinnati’s neighborhoods. We must prioritize making it safe for residents to walk and bike, or we will have missed the mark.” — City of Cincinnati Councilmember Meeka Owens

·Residents of South Cumminsville and North Fairmount walked the existing Mill Creek Greenway trail to identify areas for improvement and build awareness for the opportunities of the trail. Image courtesy Tri-State Trails.

Civic engagement on the Mill Creek Greenway

Cincinnati is using the Reimagining the Civic Commons framework to center the voices of residents in the planning and decision-making process for the Mill Creek Greenway. Tri-State Trails has formed a working group that includes neighborhood councils, community development corporations, nonprofit organizations, and local government agencies. With funding from the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, the group has prioritized several small scale investments along the existing Mill Creek Greenway trail and surrounding parks that were identified by residents.

“I’m excited about the work day to get the Northside-South Cumminsville segment more welcoming.” — Heather Sayre, South Fairmount resident

Residents and local partners tended to trails and open spaces along the Mill Creek, clearing litter and overgrowth, as well as planting new trees and installing signage. Image courtesy: Tri-State Trails.

Collaborating on stewardship

In October, Tri-State Trails partnered with Mill Creek Alliance, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Common Orchard Project, and Groundwork Ohio River Valley to organize a community clean up day along the Mill Creek. With over 80 sets of helping hands from the neighborhood, including Northsiders Engaged in Sustainable Transformation, Working in Neighborhoods and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, overgrowth was pulled back from the trail, trees and shrubs were planted, litter was cleaned up, and temporary trail wayfinding signage was installed.

Tri-State Trails executive director Wade Johnson and Council Member Meeka Owens cycle through Cincinnati during Tri-State Trails “Meet the Candidates” ride, including a stop at City Hall. Partners included Red Bike, Queen City Bike and Mobo Bike Co-op. Images courtesy: Tri-State Trails.

Guiding resident advocacy

Through experiential learning opportunities like learning journeys to other cities and bike rides in our own back yard, Cincinnati has its sights set on a transformative project. Residents are advocating for what they want to see happen in their own neighborhoods, and community organizations are collaborating to help them realize that vision.

View the next photo essay in the series.

Reimagining the Civic Commons is a collaboration of The JPB Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and local partners.