Neighborhood Responds as Gentrification Concerns Spread in Cincinnati

Residents of Cincinnati's Avondale are concerned that the neighborhood could be turning into the city's next Over-the-Rhine—a hip historic neighborhood and an epicenter of urban revitalization and gentrification.

Avondale has a long way to go before it can be considered a hot bed of affluence, according to this article by Lisa Smith. "Avondale has more than 2,000 abandoned homes, and renters comprise 75% of the population." The neighborhood is also home to the city's largest population of African-Americans, and has historically faced a lack of investment compared to other parts of the city.

With "much of the neighborhood's future is still uncharted," as described by Smith, neighborhood leaders are being proactive to the potential for change, drafting a 100-page Quality of Life Plan, intended for approval by the Avondale Community Council and the city.

While the neighborhood prepares for the coming change, development dollars are already pouring in. Among the projects in the development pipeline are a $43 million mixed-use development including 75,000 square feet of commercial space and an innovation district.