Cincinnati’s urban revolution
New Phase 1 renderings were released this week by the developers of The Banks project – Carter Real Estate and the Harold A. Dawson Co.
Hi-resolution images area available for Block 16, Block 26, and Freedom Way. Are these going to be a glimpse of the final look and feel for The Banks?
Only time will tell.
Based on this story from the Business Courier of Cincinnati, Downtown Cincinnati might be receiving a proper grocery store. This is significant because Downtown Cincy needs a grocer to nudge along the urban transformation beyond the superficial towards a truly holistic re-invention.
The first place I lived in Cincinnati was Downtown. As an urban transplant to Cincinnati, Downtown was the clear place I was going to live. Downtown Cincinnati had so much going for it.
My colleagues faught traffic commuting to work while I breezed to the office in a few minutes. Downtown owns the nightlife with Reds games, fine restaurants, and a cultural institutions like the Aronoff Center and Taft Museum. Downtown hosts the corporate headquarters of Fortune 500’s.
Sports, Culture, Money, and Fine Food. Whats not to love?!
Things became clearer after 3 weeks of driving 20 minutes just to buy fresh fruit. I couldn’t see Downtown as my permanent home. Downtown weekdays are busy and bustling, but anyone who has lived downtown can tell you that most of the city closes at 5:00 on weeknights. Downtown Cincinnati had been successfully developed into a the destination for business and entertainment, but there’s a long way to go in becoming a living, breathing community.
Up to that point, the city had been developed into a shell of a city. Pretty on the outside, but hollow on the inside – like those big chocolate Easter bunnies.
This new grocery store will start to fill in whats been missing from the heart of Downtown. The grocery store is going to be the goodwill ambassador for The Banks project. The market serves as a community meeting place. A common denominator for all of an area’s residents. An everyday destination humming with activity morning, noon, and night. A place filled with delicious smells that will bring a new quality to the Downtown skyscrapers.
Can you imagine seeing people walk down Walnut St carrying grocery bags? Scenes like this will be a subtle reminder that the city is human.
The Banks project has a chance to be the domino that turns a city currently operating from 8-5 five days a week to a 24/7 thriving community. The Banks is Cincinnati’s opportunity to create a city in which to live and not just to work. It’s this grand potential that has inspired this blog.
