Urban Planning Portfolio Jake Plummer University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning Class of 2026
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Table of Contents My Info
The Tools of Planning
3-6 5 6 Resume 7-12 9 AutoCAD 10 Illustrator, Skechup 11-12 ArcGIS
Background Research 13-20 15 16 17-18 19-20 Strategical Analysis 21-26 23-24
Board of Zoning Appeals Landmark Commission Bike Analysis in OTR Rezoning Heritage Tree Regulations
25 Thematic Map 26 27-28 Writing Example 29-33 31-32 33
Infographics, Vignettes Neighborhood Analysis Writing Example Closing and Reflection
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My Info
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About Me Hello, my name is Jake Plummer and I am currently studying at the University of Cincinnati to go into my Major of Urban Planning. I have been around the city of Cincinnati my entire life, and although I live on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, this has not stopped me from feeling the effects of that Cincinnati has on the surrounding areas. I am very interested in history and particular like studying the early modern period and World War 2. What made me want to study urban planning in college is a mix of many things. For one, I have always enjoyed maps and seeing what is there to be seen on those maps. I also enjoy games that simulate a city building experience so I figured I would enjoy the real life equivalent. City Skylines is one of my favorite games to play whenever I didn’t have anything to do.
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JAKE PLUMMER URBAN PLANNER
PERSONAL INFO
EDUCATION
1520 Skye Drive Independence, Kentucky 41051
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Bachelor of Urban Planning, anticipated in May 2026 College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning Cincinnati, Ohio Participating in the Professional Practice Program, alternating semesters of classroom study with work in the field of design.
(859) 414-9546 plummejh@mail.uc.edu Portfolio https://is Linkin https://
CALVARY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL Covington, Kentucky Class of 2021 GPA: 3.7
WORK EXPERIENCE SKILLS ArcGIS AutoCAD Adobe InDesign Streetlight Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Microsoft Excel Microsoft Word Powerpoint
ACTIVITIES Archery Academic Team National Honors Society member Work with children at my church in a leadership position
AWARDS - Dean List 2021-2023 - Highest Honor Roll every year of high school
CITY OF DAYTON PLANNING Planning Intern Dayton, Ohio August, 2023 to December 2023 (full time)
▪ Prepared Staff Reports and gave presentations for the City of Dayton’s Zoning Commission and Landmarks Commission and gave the City of Dayton’s position on rezoning and landmark cases. ▪ Created and designed the new Blueprint for Rehabilitation, a landmarks and architectual standards guide. ▪ Created draft language for the City of Dayton Heritage Tree Regulations
WARREN COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Planning Intern Lebanon, Ohio January, 2023 to April 2023 (full time)
▪ Prepared Staff Reports and gave presentations for the Warren County Excutive Board that presented the Warren County Regional Planning Commission’s position and recommendation for rezonings. ▪ Created and designed the new Warren County Parks 5 Year Plan for 2023 ▪ Found data on populations within Warren County and forecasted the population change
CENGAGE LEARNING Materials Processor Independence, Kentucky May 2022 to August 2022 (full time) • Completed work in different capacities in the Special Order department UMC FOOD/AMERICORPS Preparation and Delivery Worker Covington, Kentucky May 2021 to July 2021 (full time) • Completed over 350 hours of community service CONEY ISLAND AMUSEMENT PARK Amusement Park Host and Ride Operator Cincinnati, Ohio August 2019 to September 2019 (full time)
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The Tools of Planning
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Computer Skills
An example of Contrast made in AutoCAD.
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Assignment 3 Imageability Mapping Jake Plummer
Legend Car Node
Pedestrian Node
Car/Pedestrian Node Landmark Building Edge Hard Edge Soft Edge
Districts
A city is simply a large human community. This city can be broken down into five different elements called landmarks, districts, edges, paths, and nodes. Like any city, UC’s image is made up of the overlap and layout of the five elements. The arguably easiest element to identify are landmarks. Many landmarks are large and people from the area know there way around based on landmarks. The University of Cincinnati has many landmarks, but my favorite is Crosley Tower, which is both tall and easily recognizable. The second element of the city are districts, and they tend to be the largest of the elements. Districts are separated from each other by how they are being used. UC’s districts include education, athletics, open spaces, and residential. Edges are usually the boundaries between two types of areas, but they can also be where buildings tend to completely block movement from one side to the other. Edges cam ne seem on the roads surrounding the campus and the path between Fifth Third Arena and Dabney Hall that creates a “hallway” between the two building. Paths are the area where people move from place to place. UC and its paths are not too difficult to get around because you can usually see your destination from anywhere. When you have an intersection of different paths leading to one point you have a node. Nodes in UC are on the major roads surrounding campus and inside the campus itself where pedestrians cross paths and meet.
A scene of University of Cincinnati made in SketchUP.
A map of the imageability of the University of Cincinnati made in Adobe Illustrator. Section 1 Chapter Chapter 1
Introduction
Chapter 2
HISTORY
A foundation, as its name denotes, is the basis upon which anything is constructed. A house or similar structure typically rests on a masonry foundation since masonry is nearly impervious to deterioration and can sustain great weight. While a foundation is undoubtedly a structural element, it incorporates design features which correspond to the theme and style of the building. Early construction utilized foundations made of field stone or rocks found at the site upon which the building was to be built. The stones were built up to a height of about one foot. This height prevented frame building members from rotting.
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
Warren County Parks District 5 Year Plan
BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOUNDATION
A Picture showing some foundation
By the mid-19th century, local building trades had progressed sufficiently to rely on quarried limestone or soft-baked bricks for foundation materials. Though brick was used, limestone was considerably more prevalent. Dayton stone--a white, heavily veined or marbleized limestone--was favored. As basements replaced cellars and featured windows for ventilation, coursed (uniformly sized) pieces of limestone become the standard. This presented a more formal, finished appearance, and a foundation began to contribute more to the overall theme of the building.
Introduction
The final detail a brick or stone foundation could afford was a styled mortar joint. Commonly finished joints were flush with the foundation surface. Other styles of joints include raked (recessed back from the surface) and grapevine (convex in shape and projects outward from the foundation surface).
Introduction
The first quarter of the 20th century witnessed a return to simple building designs. Poured concrete replaced limestone as the common foundation material because it was easier to work with and did not require repointing.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Picture showing some foundation
Foundation Exterior Wall Masonery Roofs Chimneys & Flues
Chapter 3
Introduction
The most common form of deterioration in a foundation is the cracking between the stones or bricks and subsequent crumbling of mortar in those joints. Replacing the mortar is done by repointing, a process that is described in Section 1.2 Exterior Walls – Masonry. Serious foundation problems, such as shifting or uneven settling, can affect the overall stability of the structure. These issues require treatment that can compensate for the movement of the foundation and prohibit any further damage. Frequently, this is accomplished by pouring concrete around the footer--the portion of the foundation below ground--since the footer is usually the first area to deteriorate. The footer reacts to movements in the earth around the structure, particularly those resulting from weather changes.
Chapter 4
Because foundation damage can be difficult to correct, consulting an expert trained in structural building design may be required.
Introduction 5
A Picture showing some foundation
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Chapter 5
Introduction
Chapter 6
Introduction
Hisey Park 4
This is a portion of the template that I created in Indesign for the Warren County Regional Planning Commission.
These pages show a section title page and section material page that I created in InDesign for the Blueprint for Rehabilitation for the City of Dayton
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Computer Skills - ArcGIS
A Land use map of North and South Fairmount made in ArcGIS
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Age of Cincinnati Buildings
North Avondale - Paddock Hills
Oakley Avondale
East Walnut Hills
Walnut Hills
West End
Years of Construction 0
Queensgate
Mt. Adams
1 - 1900
Years of Construction YEAR_BUILT
1901 - 1915
0
1916 - 1930
1 - 1900
1931 - 1945
1901 - 1915
1946 - 1960
1916 - 1930
1961 - 1975
1931 - 1945
1976 - 1997
1946 - 1960 1961 - 1975 1976 - 1997
Esri, HERE, Garmin, SafeGraph, METI/NASA, USGS, EPA, NPS, USDA
Esri Community Maps Contributors, Esri, HERE, Garmin, SafeGraph, GeoTechnologies, Inc., METI/NASA, USGS, EPA, NPS, US Census Bureau, USDA
During my first year at University of Cincinnati I placed great emphasis on the age of building and the expansion of the urban area. These maps are both from a statistics class where I was tasked with finding and comparing the age of the apartment building to its rental coastal in the Cincinnati Area. The results were inconclusive because of to many other factors affected the price such as square footage and distance from schools. 12
Background Research
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Board of Zoning Appeal and Landmark Cases
Finding the Basic detail about a site is one of the first steps when looking at any site. Finding out what it is, what it was, what is around the cite, and what is the site currently zoned being some of those details. During a rezoning or a conditional use request it is importatnt to look at the surround landuses to make sure it is compatable with the surrounding area.
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Landmarks look into the built form of the area more than the zoning matters. They Landmarks Commission looks at the surrounding buildings and compares them to the existing and new changes.
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Over-the-Rhine and Downtown A Neighborhood Bike Analysis
Legend Bike_Injuries Cincinnati_Streetcar_Stops Cincinnati_Streetcar_Route STUDY_AREA STUDY_AREA_CUF Building_Footprints Street_Centerlines
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This graphic goes over the last 3 years of police data. According to Insights Cincinnati, the number of bicycle accidents that have resulted in injuries in Over-the-Rhine is 10. The Central Business districts has a number of 13. These are the highest rates in the city. This could mean that there is a higher amount of bike going through these neighborhoods or that it is not safe to ride in these neighborhoods. The locations of these accidents could also be a clue as locations to put future bike lanes if it happens frequently in one place.
Legend Bike_Share_Stations Cincinnati_Streetcar_Stops Cincinnati_Streetcar_Route STUDY_AREA STUDY_AREA_CUF Building_Footprints Street_Centerlines
Bike Share is a rather new addition to Cincinnati. Bike Share is a system of bicycle stations that work together in order for people to get a bicycle more easily at any of the Red Bike stations. The Bike Share system is a network of 65 stations spread out across Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. With up to 600 bicycles in it’s fleet, there are enough bicycles to go around. Red Bike and Bike Share are very rapidly expanding throughout Cincinnati, increasing the availability of bike anywhere.
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Rezonings STAFF ANALYSIS – COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FLUM Designation: Suburban Residential
This is a portion of one of the staff reports I completed while working for Warren County. This map is meant to show the future land use of the subject site.
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STAFF ANALYIS – ZONING-B-3 or B-2
C-Conditional Use
STAFF ANALYIS – ZONING-B-3 or B-2
ZONING
Land Use
B-2
B-3
Automobile Oil Change
Conditional Use
Site Plan
Casino
Prohibited Use
Site Plan
Commercial Amusement or Outdoor/Drive-in Theater
Prohibited Use
Conditional Use
Racetracks
Prohibited Use
Conditional Use
Sexually-Oriented Business
Prohibited Use
Conditional Use
Conditional Use
Site Plan
Boat/Boat equipment Sales, Rental or Repair Shop
Prohibited Use
Conditional Use
Cold Storage Plant
Prohibited Use
Conditional Use
Light Manufacturing
Conditional Use
Site Plan
Residential Truck Stop
FUTURE LAND USE
Commercial
S –Site Plan Review
This is a portion of one of the staff reports I completed while working for Warren County. The applicant was attempting to rezone their parcel to B-3. This graphic (as well as the one above) show why the Warren County Regional Planning Commission believes that B-3 zoning is unnecessary for the desired land use, which were landscaping and garden center. The graphic shows different uses that could be built on the subject site in the future. We preferred if the applicant rezoned to B-2 to prevent a more intensive use in the future.
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Strategical Analysis
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Heritage Tree Regulations 150.801
150.801.1
These Heritage Tree Regulation were created a draft for the City of Dayton, both to figure out what exactly they wanted to do with the regulations and so I could introduce them to any new ideas. Heritage Tree Regulation
Purpose
Trees contribute greatly to the health, safety, and general welfare of the City’s residents and the preservation and proper maintenance of trees is a matter of city-wide concern. Trees provide significant environmental, public health, economic, and aesthetic benefits and as such, it is in the public interest to protect these assets by prohibiting unnecessary damage, removal, or destruction. Though at the same time, it is imperative that individual property rights to be protected at well. Trees provide significant benefits to cities in numerous ways. Below are the most prominent benefits from tree and tree canopy:
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(A)
Flooding and water pollution reduction
(B)
Erosion prevention
(C)
Energy savings
(D)
Lessening the impact of high heat days
(E)
Carbon reduction
(F)
Cleaner air
(G)
Better health
(H)
Higher property values
(I)
More successful business districts
(J)
Habitat for wildlife
(K)
Stronger, more vibrant communities
To accomplish this, the Heritage Tree Regulations will be made with a focus on preserving our specifically chosen heritage tree types and concentrated within zoning districts that will be most affected from the removal of heritage trees. 150.801.2
Applicability
The applicability of the Heritage Tree Regulations is split into two sections, one based on the type of tree(s) plus it diameter at breast heights and another based on the size of the lot. The type of tree(s) is the first factor that should be evaluated followed by the size of the lot that the tree(s) is located. Any protected heritage tree that is on a lot within the jurisdiction of the City of Dayton (public or private) is applicable to the regulations under 150.801.2.
Species/Common Name
Heritage Trees Types Diameter at breast height (DBH)
The second application, the size of the lot shall have a square footage of 5,000 square feet as a minimum size with the exceptions listed below: (A) Any unprotected tree of sufficiently large size (30in diameter?) that are located in (zoning districts, protected neighborhoods, adjacent/within distance of River creek?) with exceptions being if the tree type is undesired (see 150.801.5). (B)
Public Right of Way?
150.801.3
Permitting for Removal of Heritage Tree:
Any action of the director of recreation and parks may be appealed to and heard by the recreation and parks commission. To be effective, an appeal must be filed within ten (10) days after the decision of the director. The appeal shall be in writing and shall be filed with the director for placement on the commission’s agenda. The appeal shall clearly specify the reasons for which a hearing is requested. After a hearing, the recreation and parks commission shall render its decision, which shall be final unless appealed to the city council. To be
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Thematic Map Assignment 4 Thematic Mapping Jake Plummer
Legend 1910-1930 Expansion 1930-1950 Expansion 1950-1970 Expansion 1970-2020 Expansion Buildings still on campus
Build either renovated or torn down Buildings built 1910-1930
Building built 1930-1950
Building built 1950-1970 Building built 1970-2021
0 Ft.
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200 Ft.
400 Ft.
N
Infographics These are maps of the University of Cincinnati’s buildings each of their respective times.
1950’s
The Infographic below is showing a timeline when each of the University of Cincinnati Buildings were built.
Vignettes
1970’s
2020’s
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Neighborhood Analysis Lower Price Hill Typologies Sketch-Up Render
Lower Price Hill/Queensgate - Land Use Map
FigureGround )LJXUH *URXQG RI 2\OHU 6FKRRO
Legend LowerPriceHillQueensgate_LandUse ZONING Community Commercial Commercail and Services Industial Zone Public Recreation Residential Flats - Commercial Residential Flats - M Residential Flat - R Low Denstiy Housing Residential Mix Use Larger Housing Parcels_Clip
1’’=200’
)HHW
Cross Sections
1’’=20’
Street Elevation
OYLER SCHOOL
ENTRANCE
1’’=20’
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This part of Lower Price Hill is mostly residential with some small business on State Ave. The largest feature in this section of Lower Price hill is the Oyler School that can be seen as the building with the large, thin tower. This part of the neighbor is denser than most other areas in the neighbor with building being more tightly packed in. This area has a major road in it call West Eighth Street that heads right into downtown if you go far enough. This road has a bus route that allows resident to have cheap route into downtown if they need to. Olyer School has quite unique architecture and really stand out well in the neighborhood. It was built near the begin of the 1900’s and still host a large amount of students.
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0.25
0.5
1 Miles
*This is part of a group neighborhood project where I was responsible for the entirety of this page.
This map is showing the potential danger zones if a flood as bad as the 1937 flood were to happen to Cincinnati again. Lower Price Hill and Queensgate would be especially susceptible because of the Mill Creek Valley.
These area would be the most likely to be flooded in a flooded the size of 1937’s happened in Cincinnati again. This includes almost all of Lower Price Hill and Queensgate. While this is more of an approximation from elevation, the damage would still be substantial. Expecially to Lower Price Hill and Queensgate.
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Writing Example
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Writing Example Assignment 4 Thematic Mapping Jake Plummer
Legend 1910-1930 Expansion 1930-1950 Expansion 1950-1970 Expansion 1970-2020 Expansion Buildings still on campus
Build either renovated or torn down Buildings built 1910-1930
Building built 1930-1950
Building built 1950-1970 Building built 1970-2021
0 Ft.
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200 Ft.
400 Ft.
N
Why do we study history while we are at school, and why is history important? When looking at the University of Cincinnati’s past it is important to understand both that the buildings and the land have changed over time. When looking at any building on campus, there is a chance that the building was a replacement of another. Like McMicken Hall for example, before the McMicken Hall we know was built there was an older McMicken Hall that was deconstructed. There have been many buildings, some of which are still here and some which have been demolished. These demolished buildings are represented by the dashed lines on the map. I choose to color code the buildings based on the time periods when they were built. Green were built before the 1930s, blue were built from 1930 to 1950, red were built from the 1950s to the 1970s, and yellow were built from the 1970s to the present. There was a time earlier in UC’s history when we did not have quite so many buildings on campus. All these buildings were mostly centered along the west side of campus and are among some of the oldest buildings on campus. In the 1930s the old McMicken Hall was still around and was replaced with the newer McMicken Hall by the 1950s. Now moving on to the 1950s-1970s and there was a large boom of buildings built including the first two building of DAAP and several of the residential halls. Then finally by 2020 all the buildings that are here now have been built, with several construction projects around campus. This is a timeline of when all the buildings on campus were built. You can see from this infographic that there are certain periods that had massive levels of new buildings being constructed and some pockets where nothing was being built at all. While looking at the history of the campus and the buildings that were built, it is also important to look at how UC has expanded its territory. The expansion of the University of Cincinnati is not something that happened all at once. Much of the expansion happened in waves. When looking at the direction of the expansion of UC, it is clear that the expansion happened in three main directions. To the south, to the north, and to the east. When looking at all this, you may ask why is learning about UC past is important. I believe that it is important because history can inspire people to make changes now rather than doing nothing. Growth is necessary for mostly anything to develop, so UC needs to be able to know where and how to grow.
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Closing and Reflection Throughout the course of this first semester, I have learned many different skills in the art of planning. I have learned how to use my pencils and pens most effectively. Their strengths and weakness on different types of paper, because using different types of paper changes the quality of both the pencil and the pen. I have also learned many different types of programs that I could use on my computer. Some of these programs include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, SketchUp, GIS Mapping, and AutoCAD. These computer programs are most likely to be helpful in the entirety of my Urban Planning Career. During the first half of the 2021-2022 college school year, there has been many school assignments and home problems that have come up at roughly the same time. I had to learn how to manage the school/life balance and how to manage my time most effectively. I had to spend less time doing things that were unnecessary like playing games and watching TV, and spend more time doing schoolwork. I learned that I must focus my time on what is most important, my education.
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Urban Planning Portfolio Jake Plummer 1520 Skye Drive (859) 414-9546 plummejh@mail.uc.edu