Fairmount Presenting The Neighborhood

Presenting the Neighborhood

FAIRMOUNT

Max Adams, Ella Lisac, & Laura Masur PLAN 1012 TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CONTENTS Fairmount’s Location 4

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Lick Run Greenway

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Neighborhood Impression

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Understanding Fairmount

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Unraveling Roots

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Telling A Story With Numbers

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A Deeper Analysis of Fairmount

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Issues and Opportunities

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Plan of Action

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Business Revitalization

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Identity & Connectivity

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Improving the Pedestrian Experience

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Wrapping It All Up

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WHERE: Fairmount’s Location A Neighborhood On the Mill Creek

The Mill Creek is a 28-mile stream in southwestern Ohio, that flows through several townships and the city of Cincinnati in Butler and Hamilton Counties. Mill Creek was important to the development of The Cincinnati Area, with neighborhoods centered around industrial factories plopping up along the stretch of the stream.

However, with industrial growth came neglect of the natural quality of the creek, with factories dumping their waste into the Mill Creek. Fairmount was a site of industrial growth, with factories and breweries alike calling Fairmount home.

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LOCATION Fairmount is located in the Mill Creek Valley, with its western border marked by the banks of the creek.

The neighborhood topography is hilly, with most of the neighborhood’s development placed in the less steep, South Fairmount. Beyond its hills lies Cincinnati’s west side. It is boarded

by Price Hill to the south and English Woods to the north.

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LOCATION OF NORTH + SOUTH FAIRMOUNT IN CINCINNATI

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Lick Run Greenway

Lick Run Greenway

THE PROJECT The Lick Run Project began in 2013 and was completed in 2021. The project aimed to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Mill Creek. The Lick Run uses green infrastructure, bioswales, and stream restoration to prevent runoff from entering the Mill Creek and the Ohio River. This project runs directly through the center of South Fairmount, separating Queen City and Westwood Avenues.

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THE FUTURE The West Side of Cincinnati has historically lacked investment. The Lick Run is an example of giving new value to west side neighborhoods. However, the direction that the Lick Run will have on Fairmount is still uncertain. The project could either cause displacement in the community through gentifraction or it could increase community resources for the current residents. These polarizing futures result in two very different outcomes. The Lick Run Project is a feature that has shaped the understanding of Fairmount as we know it today and reamins a constant theme throughout this project.

South Fairmount Before Lick Run

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Neighborhood Impression Understanding Fairmount’s Image Upon traveling through North and South Fairmount, a visitor can visually understand the current state of the neighborhood. South Fairmount’s role as a thruway to Cincinnati’s West Side is apparent from the streets’ heavy traffic and multi lane roads.

Vacancies dot the streets of Fairmount, with empty businesses along Queen City and Westwood Avenues as well as desolate homes tucked away in North Fairmount’s Hills.

UNIQUE TRAITS The Lick Run Project is a large part of the initial impression of Fairmount, as it is located directly off of the Western Hills Viaduct.

Wordle

Fairmount is also houses a sizeable amount of Italian architecture, which is can be seen along its main roads.

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Neighborhood Postcards

Neighborhood Impression Map

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Understanding Fairmount A deeper look into the neighborhood’s physical traits IMAGEABILITY Major roads create congestion along Fairmount’s Queen City and Westwood Avenues. Compared to roads, the community lacks updated sidewalks. The neighborhood lacks attractions to serve as landmarks, however St. Leo Church is a resource for the community and is a historical landmark in North Fairmount.

Fairmount Imageability Map

TRAFFIC

North and South Fairmount

Most Congestion

Congestion is one of Fairmount’s most pressing issues, with more cars per day passing through than Fairmount’s population. Heavy traffic from the Western Hills Viaduct passes through South Fairmount, creating dangers for pedestrians.

Sensory Map of Traffic Congestion

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TREE COVER Fairmount has a high volume of tree cover along its hillsides.

This is great for minimizing carbon emissions, but makes for a dull neighborhood in the winter when leaves fall.

Sensory Map of Neighborhood Color in Summer vs. Winter

THE EFFECTS TOPOGRAPHY HAS ON FLOODING IN NORTH AND SOUTH FAIRMOUNT

TYPOGRAPHY Hills surround South Fairmount on either side, causing possible flooding with heavy rain. North Fairmount is located on a hillside, causing homes on lower ground to be at risk for flood.

Sensory Map of Typography and Flooding

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Unraveling Roots

A look into Fairmount’s history and the impact if left today

FOUNDING & ROOTS With Italian and German Immigrants came their devotion to catholosism, and lead to the establishment of many churches. The Italian population thrived in Fairmount for decades, until the construction of modern suburbs.

St Leo and San Antonio Church

INDUSTRY & BLIGHT By the early 1900’s, Fairmount was home to several breweries and factories. However, as factories and other industrial sites began to close, the neighborhood declined.

The transformation of Queen City and Westwood Ave. into one-way streets was the final blow, as small buisnesses were the last to close

Lukenheimer Valve Factory

NEW BEGININGS The Lick Run was buried in the late 1800s. In 2013, Fairmount became the site of the Lick Run Greenway project, which aimed to reduce flooding, daylight the stream, and provide a natural ammenity for the surronding neighborhood 12

Lick Run Greenway

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Fairmount’s Timeline

1805: Harrison Pike built, Fairmount Established

1900: Italian Immigrants seek refuge from overcrowding in Cincinnati’s downtown, settle in Fairmount

1970s: Westwood Ave and Queen City Ave converted to one-way roads

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1862: Lukenheimer Valve Factory established,

1893: Lick Run buried in a combined sewer.

Stream forgotten.

1911: St. Leo Catholic Church established

1932: Western Hills Viaduct completed

Late 1970s: Most of Italian population lost to suburbs

2019: Lick Run Project started

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Telling A Story With Numbers

Most of the current development in Fairmount has focused soley on the Lick Run Greenway, with other pockets centered around other parks.

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Area’s Targeted for Development

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EMPLOYMENT

Employment in Fairmount (1970 vs. 2019)

Employment decline in Fairmount may be attirbuted to the loss in total population, or closing of factories and warehouses. The Lick Run could possibly catalize the revitalization of Fairmounts industrial center

VACANCY

Vacancy Rates in Fairmount

Vacancy is a major issue in Fairmount. The neighborhood boasts a high home vacancy rate, and also hosts numerous vacant factories and plots

WALKABILITY Fairmount acts as one of Cincinnati’s main thruways.

Coupled with a lack of investment in infustructure that’d improve the pedestrian experince, Fairmount’s walkability score will Fairmount’s Walkability Score

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A Deeper Analysis of Fairmount Taking a deeper look into the urban analysis of a place can help one better understand their neighborhood/area better. Below we will be looking at Fairmount through maps, sketchup models, and cross sections.

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Figure Ground Map

MILL CREEK

Looking at Fairmount through a figure ground map shows all of the open space Fairmount has. It also shows all of the larger industrial buildings lining up Mill Creek, some being vacant.

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LandMap Use Map Land Use

Residential Commercial Public Use Industrial Utilities

Above is a land use map, which shows the residential, commercial, public use, industrial, and utility use of Fairmount. Fairmount is majority a residential neighborhood. Most of the population have lived in Fairmount for years; they are not new, younger residents.

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Fairmount is a very drivable community on main roads. The first cross section is a four lane street, with parking on the sides. The bottom cross section is further into residential areas, with a three lane street with parking on either side. The sidewalks are larger on wider streets, and smaller on narrower streets.

Baltimore Ave

St Leo PL

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ST. LEO Fairmount has a vast amount of tree cover, which you can see is represented in the sketchup model. Houses are fairly close together, with smaller front yards.

ST. CLAIR PARK Saint Clair Park is another destination for Fairmount residents, and is placed in an area with newer housing. The yards are larger and houses are located on a flatter plain.

LUKENHEIMER FACORY The Lukenheimer Factory is a large abandoned facility that is located right off of the Western Hills Viaduct. It is one of the first eye-catching buildings when you enter Fairmount.

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Linkages Map Fairmount Linkages Map Key Linkages Collector Roads Arterial Roads Local Roads

Intersections Major-Major Intersection St. Leo Catholic Church

Major-Minor Intersection Minor-Minor Intersection

Walksheds St. Leo Church Walkshed

Lick Run Walkshed St. Leo Church S. Fairmount Playground

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0.1

0.2

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S. Fairmount Playground

0.8 Miles

Queen City Ave. and Westwood Ave. are along Lick Run Greenway. Those two roads are connectors from downtown to the west side. Fairmount is used as a thorughway for cars to get from one place to the other, and not a destination.

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Issues and Opportunities Analyzing the traits of Fairmount

PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY The pedestrian experience is largely neglected in Fairmount. Connectivity between North and South Fairmount is neglected due to the hills. Along main roads, there lacks safe pedestrian crossings.

TRAFFIC CONGESTION Traffic from the Western Hills viaduct makes Fairmount highly congested. A large volume of cars pass through Queen City and Westwood Avenue, causing safety hazards for pedestrians and pollution.

ECOLOGICAL SERVICES

Although Fairmount has a high volume of tree cover and natural environment, it is not used for the benefit of the community.

BUSINESS REVITALIZATION Fairmount lacks a thriving business district. Queen City Avenue is an opportunity to create a vibrant main street. transformed

NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTITY Fairmount lacks a sense of identity. When entering the neighborhood, there is no indication of what neighborhood you are in. Fairmount can build pride in their community and in the lick run moving forward.

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STRENGTHS: Easy to get downtown, Western Hills Viaduct, Lick Run, Tree Cover WEAKNESSES: Traffic, Geography, Lack of Neighborhood Identity, Unused Facilities OPPORTUNITIES: Main Street, Old Architecture Appeal, Mill Creek, Lick Run THREATS: Crime within Community, Lack of Capital, Hillsides

SWOT Mapping

Weakness

Threat

Strength

Opportunity

Threat

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Weakness

Strength

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Plan of Action Transforming Fairmount into a vibrant community GROW Create business district and uses for vacant buildings

CONNECT Improve Traffic through different calming techniques Prioritize pedestrians and create links between North and South Fairmount

BELONG Develop strong sense of identity and pride in Fairmount Care for and upkeep Fairmount’s natural landscape

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ACTION BASED Action BasedPLAN PlanLOCATIONS Locations PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY TRAFFIC

A community garden will be added to create community engagement, along with cleaning up overgrown greenery.

NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTITY BUSINESS ECOLOGICAL SERVICES

Colorful sidewalk designs, shrubbery, and wall art will be added in to create a sense of community and life.

Stairs will be placed to connect North and South Fairmount smoothly and quickly.

3D crosswalks will be placed to make the connection between traffic and pedestrian safety better intertwined.

The Lukenheimer Valve Co. Factory will be re-utilized to be a community center to create community engagement.

A new Fairmount logo will be added along sidewalks through signage to create a sense of neighborhood identity.

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Heavy traffic will be diverted from Queen City Ave and Westwood Ave to other major roads like Beekman and Harrison.

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Buisness Revitalization COMMUNITY CENTER

Updated Facade

Each level converted into a different purpose open to communities along the Mill Creek.

A recreation center with basketball courts and a gym will be open for members.

The upper levels will contain a service center with resources such as financial help and education, and indoor farms, providing low cost or free food for the Fairmount community.

Car Factory into Event Center Richmond, CA

Indoor Farm Level 2 Indoor Farm

Power Plant into Library Austin, TX

Service Center Public Gym Basketball Courts

Cross-Section of Lukeinheimer Factory at two different angles

Vertical Farming

Vertical Farming

Counseling Services

Public Gym

Recreation Sports

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Identity & Connectivity Cincinnati Art Climb

HISTORY A pathway connecting North and South Fairmount, told through signs traveling up and down a staircase

Selaron Staircase, Rio

Fairmount

History Walk

BRANDING

Hyde Park Neighborhood Branding, Chicago, IL

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Because of natural topography, North and South Fairmount seem like two different neighborhoods.

Branding Fairmout with logos in street art would cultivate an identity and bring the two together

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Improving The Pedestrian Experince NATURE ARCH Providng Shade along the Lick Run. Vegitation will intertwine with the wooden structure during the warmer months

Fairmount Nature Arch

Squash Nature Arch

CROSSWALKS Crosswalks will be raised and painted in order to draw attenton to pedestrians. Alternate methonds of 3-D painted sidewalks could also be implemented.

Raised Crosswalk Raised Crosswalk- Seattle

3D Sidewalks Tibilisi, Georgia 3D Painted Sidewalks 28

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ROUNDABOUTS The Current flow of traffic on Harrison Avenue struggles, but Roundabouts create a steady flow of traffic Roundabouts on Harrison Ave

TRAFFIC CALMING TECHNIQUES

Double roundabout, Green Oak Township, Michigan

Bike/Pedestrian Path

Median

Including obstcales, such as Medians and Diagonal Street Parking, on Harrisson Ave. would help slow down traffic

Grooves

A Combination of Traffic Calming Techniques on Harrison Ave

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Wrapping up Fairmount

The future of Fairmount is uncertain, but as development opportunities arise, Fairmount has the chance to become a thriving community-oriented neighborhood.

Although Fairmount has its weaknesses, it holds a bright future for the current and future residents.

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