|
The Cincinnati Innovation Team is deep in the weeds as we enter our fourth month as a fully staffed team. Our core transportation and mobility work is wrapping up its critical first phase, with ideation and pilot initiatives just around the corner. At the same time, several additional projects and collaborations are underway.
If you haven't yet subscribed to our newsletter and would like to, you can do so here.
To see our introductory March newsletter, follow the link here.
| | Last week, the i-Team presented at a Climate, City Services, and Infrastructure Committee meeting. It was an honor to formally introduce ourselves to City Councilmembers and provide an update on our early work. | Councilmembers Meeka Owens and Ryan James listen to the presentation from the i-Team's Joshua Pine and Nia Baucke about our transportation and mobility equity work. Click on this City Beat article to learn more. Photo by Noah Jones from CityBeat | | Transportation & Mobility | | |
The i-Team’s core focus is advancing transportation and mobility equity across the city, with particular attention to neighborhoods facing disproportionate challenges.
Our process includes research to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, synthesis to better understand challenges, ideation to generate potential solutions, and (finally) the development of pilot initiatives. After several months, our research phase is coming to a close, and we look forward to sharing our findings soon!
Here is a sneak peek of just some of that research:
| | We partnered with the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence to support our qualitative data collection. We analyzed conditions citywide and identified neighborhoods experiencing disproportionate challenges as priority areas for deeper focus. One of many maps produced through this work (pictured below) highlights levels of car ownership alongside access to public transit by neighborhood. | | |
Numbers, graphs, and maps alone do not tell the full story. While transportation systems may appear effective for some neighborhoods on paper, conversations with residents reveal more nuanced, lived experiences.
We conducted interviews and focus groups with residents, community leaders, and regional stakeholders in the mobility space to better understand mobility challenges and barriers, particularly in Evanston, Walnut Hills, Northside, and East Price Hill. We want to express our deepest thanks to those who offered their time and expertise to this work!
| | Led by our Civic Designer Nia, the i-Team is now synthesizing the quantitative and qualitative data gathered over the past several months to identify the unique, and often non-obvious, challenges facing our communities. Stay tuned for our next newsletter, where we will share key findings and what comes next. | | In addition to our core mobility work, the i-Team also serves as an internal consultant for other City departments. Whether supporting focus groups, strengthening communications, or offering innovative perspectives, we’re here to help. | | In March, the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation and the Cincinnati i-Team hosted a day-long training session on public engagement and civic design. 40 City staff representing over 20 departments spent the day together engaging in stakeholder roll-playing, team building, and ideation for the fictional town of Hopkinsville. We look forward to seeing how this training session integrates into the work of City departments and to building upon this day by organizing more innovation training opportunities for this small cohort of visionary City staff. | | City of Cincinnati employees compete in teams throughout the training to come up with the best ideas for improving the fictional City of Hopkinsville. | | The BuildReady Initiative has launched, and preparations for the design competition are underway. The i-Team is supporting public engagement efforts and developing communication strategies. Visit the BuildReady webpage to learn more about how multi-family housing is evolving in Cincinnati and how you can get involved. | | I-Team Director, Joshua, moderates the BuildReady Community Information Session at Evanston Rec Center. | | More Trainings & Conferences | | The i-Team attended several other trainings, conferences, and learning opportunities throughout the month of March. | | |
Left: I-Team Civic Designer, Nia, attends a workshop on Human Centered Design in Government in Michigan.
Center: OES Director, Ollie Kroner, presents at an NRDC workshop (attend by the Cincinnati and several other i-teams) on building an inclusive economy through climate action.
Right: I-Team Community Storyteller, Rachel, attends the Midwest Climate Summit in Cleveland.
| | As we move from research into action, we’re excited to continue working alongside residents, partners, and City departments to test new ideas and improve mobility across Cincinnati. Thank you for following along. There’s much more to come! | | Get Involved or Partner with Us | | |
In the meantime, we are also beginning pilot initiatives. Pilots are an opportunity to test ideas and see if they are effective, scalable, and the right fit for a particular community. We are exploring some pilot initiatives focused on e-bike incentives and open streets. We encourage you to reach out to our team if you are interested in partnering on either of these initiatives!
Interested in collaborating with the i-Team? Contact Innovation Team Director, Joshua Pine at joshua.pine@cincinnati-oh.gov
This Summer also welcomes the first ever Cincinnati Climate Week! June 8th - 14th will be a decentralized week featuring organizations throughout the region who will host in-person and virtual events that spotlight local solutions, share expertise, and inspire a more resilient future. Start planning your event now or mark your calendar to not miss out on professional development and family-friendly events. Cincinnati Climate Week includes several key opportunities:
| | Happy Spring! - From Rachel, Joshua, & Nia | | |
The Cincinnati Innovation Team was created in partnership between the City of Cincinnati and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University.
We focus on advancing innovative, equity-centered solutions that support the City’s long-term goals. The i-Team's core portfolio of work revolves around leading efforts to make transportation more inclusive and accessible for all Cincinnati residents.
| | | | |
