ensuring its residents can take advantage of the opportunities created by these new and expanding businesses. TRANSFORMING INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXPANDING HOUSING ACCESS For Cincinnati, infrastructure investment offers an opportunity to reshape the city’s future and address past inequities. Mayor Pureval credits the bipartisan infrastructure bill as a game-changer, unlocking federal funds for monumental projects like the Brent Spence Bridge. “We secured a $1.6 billion grant, the largest in the country’s history, to finally make progress on the bridge,” he says, describing the investment as a catalyst for regional economic growth. This new bridge will connect Ohio and Kentucky along I-75 and facilitate critical reinvestment in the West End, a historically Black neighborhood disrupted by previous infrastructure projects. Another bold move by the city was the decision to sell the Cincinnati Southern Railway, a railroad asset owned by the city for over 150 years, to create a sustainable funding stream. “We sold it for $1.6 billion to create a trust fund that will generate $50 million in interest annually,” the Mayor explains. Facing a $400 million deficit in capital infrastructure needs, the city saw this as a way to address gaps in basic maintenance while freeing up funds for forward-looking projects in housing and other essential services. With this trust fund, Cincinnati has secured a perpetual revenue source to support its infrastructure, from repaving roads to maintaining public parks. Addressing Cincinnati’s housing shortage is another pressing priority for city leaders, especially as the city’s population grows. Carter explains that the pandemic accelerated efforts to convert underused office spaces into residential units, a strategy to address the housing demand in and around the downtown core. “We recognized early on that Cincinnati was facing a housing shortage, so we mobilized to incentivize office-to-residential conversions,” she says. In tandem with these conversions, the city has also established an Affordable Housing Trust Fund in partnership with the Cincinnati Development Fund, which pools public and private resources to create affordable housing. The “Connected Communities” legislative initiative recently passed through Council set a foundation for Cincinnati’s approach to housing, with plans to increase residential development throughout the city’s business districts and transit corridors. Carter bit during the Blink light-art festival in fall of 2024. Photo Credit: Kate Luebkeman. 102 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12
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