OTR was a significant contributor to Cincinnati's industrial image in the mid-19th century, being a residential neighborhood for workers where small businesses thrived, notably the many breweries and saloons.

Prohibition, suburbanization, a lack of economic opportunities, and demographic changes fostered a decline that would continue for decades throughout the 20th century.

The level of frustration among the city's black residents was demonstrated in 2001 when violent rioting took over the streets of OTR, following the fatal shooting of Timothy Thomas. An image of a crime-ridden, troubled OTR became the national perception of the city at large.

Eager to change Cincinnati's image, corporations have contributed targeted investments which have spurred a completely changed sense of place and new OTR experience; an urban experience that is made to feel unique due the abundant historic buildings that line the streets, contributed by past German immigrant residents, and because you will not find any chain stores or restaurants in any of the redeveloped spaces. 

Thinking about how the physical setting, perceptions, and activities available in a place contribute to its overall image, and given the fact that OTR's building stock and changed perception over time are well documented, what about changes to the activities?  

By mapping categorized commercial uses, as they existed in OTR during three historical years, and comparing the data with what exists today, we can better understand how changes to the activities available, within the appropriate context (population changes, planning policies, etc.), have contributed to a changed sense of place. 

The maps shown below were created by referencing historic business directories and digitizing historic building footprints, as provided by the physical maps produced by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company. 

To help digest the many business listings, the businesses have been categorized based on the products sold:

Fun = department store, fashion, leisure goods, etc. 

Run = grocery, drugstore, convenient store goods, etc. 

Destination = home goods, services like a barber or bank, hardware, etc. 

Destination stores make up the largest allocation of commercial space, by square feet. Run businesses, including grocery stores, follow closely as second most prominent type of commercial use. 

Since 1930, bars/restaurants and parking have increased in their amount of square feet occupied by 100%. Fun uses have decreased by 60%, and run uses are down by 45%. 

Since 1960, OTR's population has gone down by 65% and total occupied commercial space has decreased by 48%. Meanwhile, the amount of surface parking available and in operation has increased by 66%. 

Since 1990, the population has fallen another 40%, yet the total commercial space occupied has increased by 26%. This is due to an increase in the square footage of bars/restaurants at 200% higher than what existed in 1993. Fun uses have since increased by 144%, and parking has gone up by 93%.  

The maps and data analysis demonstrates a concentration of emerging commercial uses, specifically bars/restaurants, fun stores, and parking. There is a new pattern of bars and restaurants being clustered together, or found in close proximity to one another. Furthermore, we see a shift from services and daily goods being predominate commercial uses, to the experiential offerings, like bars/restaurants and fashion/leisure stores, dominating the commercial landscape. 

HOW SHOULD THE EVOLUTION CONTINUE?

The increase in opportunities for consumption-based activities should be balanced with opportunities to be involved in the production of goods, and their distribution. The potential for this is beginning to take shape, with venues like Findlay Kitchen (findlaykitchen.org), which offers aspiring chefs a chance to develop the skill. Other production-based opportunities lie in creating the fashion items that people wear and fill their homes with, or fostering the maker movement that generates a wide range of products. A focus on developing spaces that gets local hands involved in creating and moving the products contributing to the experience economy can be an exciting opportunity, one that will help ensure OTR sees ongoing success for years to come.