This past Spring a multi-disciplinary group of students from UC looked at the impact our school has had on the evolution and growth of the surrounding communities. Students from the English Department, Environmental Studies, Geography, and the School of Planning used their own specialized skills to analyze Uptown greenspace and try to understand what role these spaces play in their respective neighborhoods. Contrary to popular belief, the area surrounding UC is not all “Clifton.” Uptown is an overarching umbrella term that refers to the five neighborhoods adjacent to campus: Clifton, Corryville, Avondale, Mt Auburn, and CUF (pictured to the right).
Members from the cohort within the School of Planning have recently compiled their findings and recommendations into a report entitled “Re-Imagining Uptown’s Greener Future.” Their goal, as the title implies, was to imagine a more active and utilitarian greenspace for each neighborhood within Uptown that best satisfies the needs of that community’s residents. Each of these communities is unique, with its own diverse histories and current needs. As such, it was important for the group to acquaint themselves with the intricate dynamics of this relationship between each community and their greenspace, and how that relationship has evolved over time. To tackle that task the class broke up into 5 separate groups, one for each neighborhood. They each researched the history of their respective community and “ground-truthed” their findings by visiting the neighborhoods and interacting with stakeholders and current residents. This research was compiled into a neighborhood history, inventory, and analysis which makes up the first half of the report, embedded at the bottom of this article.
Following their research, the teams divided further to focus on projects that they felt would demonstrably increase the quality and maximize the use of one or multiple spaces within each neighborhood. These proposals show the variety and differing scope of programs that can enhance public space for residents in need.
A group in Avondale sought to combat the neighborhood’s current standing as a “food desert” through a process of “edible greening,” planting food forests, urban farms, and community gardens on underutilized vacant spaces and throughout parks.
In Clifton, the focus became education and ecological design. Both Bowdle and Dunore park lie along the steep incline of Ludlow Avenue. Each has a great deal of underutilized space perfect for innovative design practices capturing run-off from the surrounding hillside in rain gardens and bioswales while educating the community on ecological biodiversity and green infrastructure practices.
Corryville sought to energize the community by introducing green space along the fringes: at street corners and as part of the Short Vine district's many parking lots. The group identified that this neighborhood ranked near the bottom of the city’s urban tree canopy coverage lists. As a result, they suggested that an increase in street trees and biophilic design among larger yard spaces would greatly benefit community residents. These changes would provide ecosystem services from reduction of urban heat island effect to natural aesthetic beauty and documented psychological boons as well.
Finally, the group working with CUF was inspired by neighborhood calls to close down the round-a-bout driveway at Bellevue Park. At community meetings, many residents shared negative experiences with a glut of idling cars clogging up the driveway and emitting sound and air pollution that detracted from the park's serenity and distracted from its incredible view. The group took this movement to close the driveway one step further and recommended a program to maximize the asset of Bellevue’s vista, drawing upon the historical precedent of a hilltop resort at the site to propose a Biergarten.
Check out the report below to learn more about the research behind these proposals and to find out how you can potentially help push forward any of these programs that you believe would enhance the quality of life for Uptown residents.