The critical area of improvement involves housing and creation of a real neighborhood. Housing is the most important element of The Banks development. This is recognized by the Riverfront Advisors on page 13 of their report. The planning emphasis has appropriately shifted from visitors and attraction gimmicks such as virtual reality arcades to residents and real neighborhoods. This shift will likely not reduce visitor appeal or return on public investment, however, since it is well documented that sustainable tourism is actually related to creation of convivial places where people like to live.
Pedestrians are the catalyst which makes the essential qualities of communities meaningful.
The housing component of the Banks development is essential to creating a real neighborhood and a pedestrian environment. We recommend acceptance of each of the Riverfront Advisor s ten recommendations as well as additional consideration and refinement of certain aspects of the plan for The Banks related to the following nine concerns. Connection of East and West Public Realm . The Reds stadium by its scale, mass, limited use and inward orientation is not naturally supportive of public goals for connecting the city to what should be its greatest asset the river. Nor is it naturally supportive of the goal to connect the public realm on the east and west side of the stadium.