The Unslumming of West Norwood

If the conditions for generating city diversity can be introduced into a neighborhood while it is a slum, and if any indications of unslumming are encouraged rather than thwarted, I believe there is no reason that any slum need be perpetual. “Unslumming and slumming, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (p273)

It might seem like I’m working backward through The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I’ve only blogged about one of the conditions for city diversity, according to Jacobs:

1. Need for primary mixed uses
2. Need for small blocks
3. Need for aged buildings (RE: Norwood - Part 1 & Part 2)
4. Need for concentration

However, a week ago I posted about “The Slumming of West Norwood.” I really want to talk about the unslumming of West Norwood.

4,602 people lived in census tract 255, according to the 2000 US Census.

While I’m sure to come back to all of the conditions for city diversity in more detail, I’ll quickly cover the four conditions as applied to west Norwood.

1 - Primary mixed uses - I ended the post on the slumming of west Norwood with a hopeful note, linking to the websites about the newer uses in three of the buildings at the intersection of Carter and Mills:

• 1801 Mills
• Speckled Bird Cafe
• Vineyard Central

Only one corner lacks a non-residential use, though the building could still host a commercial use in the future. Unfortunately, all three uses have limited hours. Most automobile traffic - great for commercial uses for visibility and convenience - bypasses this intersection via Sherman. There are other factors at play concerning the mix of uses that will have to wait for another post.

2 - Small blocks - No matter what the city fathers attempted through the urban renewal of the early 1960s, little of what they did affected the size of the city blocks.

3 - Aged buildings - I’ve covered Norwood’s preponderance of old buildings. They are not lacking in this area. The case I made was that it should not be seen as a deficiency. Norwood does lack a mix of newer buildings, though there are some closer to the historic core, including a revamped Surrey Square, and on the east side of Norwood (closer to richer Cincinnati suburbs, such as Hyde Park).

4 - Concentration - In the census tract covering this portion of West Norwood, the population density is just shy of 15 people per acre (2000 US Census). That’s well above many suburban areas, but far, far shy of, say, New York City.

Jacobs describes the process of slumming:

[D]ull, dark, undiverse are the streets in which [slums] typically form. “Unslumming and slumming, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (p274)

The process of unslumming is a reverse of the process of slumming. Break one link, Jacobs states:

The key link in a perpetual slum is that too many people move out of it too fast—and in the meantime dream of getting out. “Unslumming and slumming, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (p271)

I met people who are choosing to move to this part of Norwood. I heard stories of their investment and improvements, and how their investment has encouraged others to reinvest in more area properties. Let’s hope that continued commercial vitality at the corner of Mills and Carter is an unaverage clue and helps provide the diversity necessary for continued unslumming.