Looking to the Future in Cincinnati

Aaron Betsky, director of the Cincinnati Art Museum, says that Cincinnati is in excellent shape compared to its rust-belt neighbors, but needs to make investments to prepare for an uncertain future. The city's strengths, he says, lie in the natural landscape and a strong arts scene.

Betsky writes, "So, what can planning do to build on those strengths? I believe the city should be investing in iconic attractors located strategically around this sprawling landscape. These could be visual and performing arts centers, schools (whether charter or not I leave to others for the moment), or recreational facilities, and they should be scaled from the regional or national to the local. This being a conservative city, the focus right now is on renovation of existing and often mediocre structures, while the city should be building for the future."