America's Fallen Cities: Cincinnati
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- Опубліковано 2 тра 2024
- Drone Footage @chrisbiela • Cincinnati, Ohio | 4K ...
Nathan Rooy’s Map: nathanrooy.github.io/posts/20...
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#urban #urbanism #ohio #cincinnati #architecture #cities
As a native Cincinnatian who has lived in multiple 100yr old homes inside the city, this video is unfortunately massively oversimplified. I walk and bike everywhere in this city. Downtown is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city and the population decline mentioned here reversed ten years ago. We recently passed a tax levy to upgrade rapid transit and are working actively to reconnect our vibrant downtown to one of the most beautiful urban parks in America along the Ohio River. Have too many cool old structures been lost and do I wish the subway had been built? Sure. But, it’s a wonderful place to live that has some of the most amazing architecture and housing stock in the country.
Shhhhhhhhh.....we are supposed to say how backwoods and weird Ohio is so people stay away
It’s definitely turned around, but it made the same mistake as a lot of America in cutting off its waterfront with interstates and now that is expensive to undo.
I hope they can convert more of the downtown buildings into housing, because demand for those offices, like the one my grandfather had in Carew Tower, is never coming back.
Going to have to get the crime rate under control before anything moves forward downtown. There’s multiple shootings daily down there and the neighborhoods around it and it’s disgusting honestly.
I’ll also agree with the last part of what you said.
@@shamrockshawttyThe crime rate does that on its own
It is just beyond any reason how America destroyed itself and imploded from that bygone glory
Cincinatti got bombed in the late 60s early 70s. Any city can come back from getting hit by an hbomb, but there is no surviving the n bomb.
Corrupt govt and corporations sold the nation out.
Well, as a native Detroiter I can definitely think of one compelling reason: racism
@@adriancarroll685 the car industry played a much bigger role
@@akjdhajkdjhaghjkadh9804 they've got to blame all their failures on whitey like the media and govt trained them to do.
I often weep at what has been lost on our great Victorian cities in the UK, as volumes have been written about it and an photographer called Francis Frith recorded much of it. Although urban planning was largely responsible we at least have an excuse of extensive World War 2 bombing. I struggle to explain how America without this reason to undertake these destructive programmes can really justify it
It was the confusion of convenience being some sort of freedom, and that nothing, not even entire neighborhoods, churches, and grand palaces, should stand against it. So we demolished, so that we could conveniently commute. That, and the exponential rise in speculation on property, saw to a vast and still ongoing campaign of demolition and throw-away mentality.
Everyone who used to live in slums near cinci union station now has a house on a half acre lot in the suburbs with a good school system. So yeah some apartment buildings that no one wants to live in were torn down but everyone who lived there generally improved their amenities.
The corporate model requires perpetual "growth", hence planned obsolescenceahd disposable everything ushered in by the propagandists like Ed Bernays. Humans are gullible and the parasites that run the world prey on that weakness.
@@mickeygraeme2201Whilst some of that is true and was the case in the UK. I am afraid the great civic buildings including librarys and Universities and commerce was largely replaced with ugly concrete and glass and only largely used 9-5, and this was definately not an improvement. Before you say high maintenance costs most of these building were very well constructed and even if there a slightly higher cost most prople would prefer the interior and exterior aesthetic to have survived.
Great post. People say the US has no history, bullocks. All these industrial age Victorian city centers span the Anglosphere. I visited Cincinnati last year and loved it as I know architecture. Incredible river towns and cities throughout the Midwest
Cincinnatian here. We still have quite a lot of historic buildings left in Over-the-Rhine. The 20th Century Modernists tried to bulldoze it many times, but luckily they failed each time.
And also railroad history, The B&O and New York Central went to union station and there was the Cincinnati lineup
Also, I would object to the claim that Cincinnati is boring. I’ve been in Cincinnati for almost a decade now, and it’s become my home. From places like Findlay Market to Hyde Park Square where you can see the history living in real time, there’s also a rich social climate in local breweries and a great pride in Cincinnati’s professional sports teams regardless of how good they are. I’d argue that as a midwestern metropolis, Cincinnati is one of the most interesting and fun midwest cities with endless activities and endless neighborhoods to see. Everyone who lives here identifies themself from what neighborhood inside of Cincinnati they’re from - whether that’s the West Side, Eastgate, Hyde Park, Oakley, etc. and it strikes up such amazing conversations between individuals. If only you spread your search up into Hyde Park and Oakley, you’d find that there are so many untouched historical buildings still standing - especially homes. Cincinnati has respected and loves its historical roots, but it has also failed in many aspects in gerrymandering and wiping out African American communities in order to building our modern day skyline. Wish there was a better analysis on this video as a whole.
thats the area of cincinatti im looking into :)
Problem is OTR is a diverse area.
Amtrak 3 times a week at 11 pm. Hardly progress. Auto centric insanity needs to vanish. The auto and oil barons and all their cronies and commuter airlines threaten any rail projects.
Compared to what other cities like St. Louis, Kansas City, and Detroit suffered, I think Cincinnati still walking out of it with some of their heritage still in tact is a lot more hopeful of a fate than most other American cities.
Are you Kidding? At least Detroit, Kansas city and STL are still recognizable, have their cores intact. Cincinnati is like a totally different city.
St Louis has very little left thanks to urban renewal, middle class flight, racial tensions, and a stagnant economy.
@@Rapture582 Riiight, the same Detroti and STL that have a declining population and severe amounts of abandoned homes. Unlike those places Cinncinati actually gained population in the past few years.
@@diodelvino3048 Detroit's core is still recognizable and revitalized. Current population gains has nothing to do with how much Cincinnati has lost. There's no way Cincinnati somehow has more "heritage" in tact proportionally than Detroit or STL.
@@Rapture582 Population gains has EVERYTHING to do with it. you just dont want to believe it since that doesnt match with your beliefs. Thats your own problem
it hurts seeing those beautiful old building lost forever.
As poor of a reputation as many large midwest cities have, I find they have considerably more interesting heritage and history than many large cities in the west or sunbelt, which are just downright boring and devoid of culture.
the difference between the cities that were built before cars and after cars is incredible. once walkability was no longer important everything changed
You need to check out Charleston SC, Savannah GA, San Antonio TX, Key West FL, St. Augustine FL (oldest city in US), Sedona AZ, Pueblo/Taos NM and Santa Fe NM.
@ChatGPT1111 those examples all still kind of reflect my point as they're either old cities or smaller tourism/recreation focused towns. Sunbelt generally refers to more modern developments in sprawling, urban metros like Dallas, Atlanta, or Phoenix.
@@johnd.2114 if you're only interested in high population cities, the south did not have any back then. For example, the population of Phoenix in 1890 was 35,000. If the north had not destroyed the major cities of the south to where they had to start over, it might've been different, but in any event the north had a 100-200 year head start.
I agree. East Coast and Midwest cities rock. I’m a Philadelphian and I love the saturation of culture and various scenes here. I was recently in San Fran and it was really cool to see a place out West with narrow roads and walkability. Awesome multicultural influences there too. If it wasn’t so expensive I’d love to live in SF
Your american fallen cities series is amazing!
We need a balanced view.
@@michaelwatson113indeed. I moved here from a small town in Texas 20 years ago. I hated leaving Texas as I love it and have/had a lot of prodding it.
That said, I have grown to love Cincinnati. It’s just big enough and just small enough. The people here I feel exhibit a mix of both southern and northern perspective in their views and the way they live their daily lives.
I really like this place. And although I’ll always be biased to Texas, Cincinnati is an awesome place to live.
@@carlmay9532 very well said
Absolutely heartbreaking. Its nice to see that there is an effort to repair what was broken, but it will never be the same.
It's baffling how people in the past looked at the historic city centers and said "Nah, let's bulldoze this." And then they flock to Europe on Vacation to enjoy all these historic towns.
@@c0rnichon
this architectural demoralization was/is by design & most of the people certainly didn't want it to go this way - but, of course, it's just the American Fantasy that ' most ' of the people will have their say & their way - in reality - a very small percentage are in charge
What effort to repair
It will improve but not until after 2100
This was all done by design. Kenyon Barr. It's heartbreaking what they did to my hometown of Cincinnati.
German here: The huge fountain shown is the Tyler Davidson Fountain. It was crafted by two Bavarians as part of the "beautiful city movement" that came up right before the emergence of private car ownership. That fountain now stands a little relocated from its original site. For more details on that look up the entry in Wikipedia. Probably because of this landmark fountain Cincinnati is celebrating each year a Bavarian "Oktoberfest".
Hast du nichts besseres zu tun?
Don't listen to the rude guy Ruedi
@@ChatGPT1111 No problem, I could in reverse call HIM if HE has nothing better to do.
There are many German immigrants there and that's why they celebrate Oktoberfest.
@@ritchirodenbach8972 Schweinhund.
I love seeing the old architecture in this series but also really pains me when you show what is there now.
Population in 2024: ~329,303
Population in 2019: ~313,986
From Cincinnati, I'm amazed at how you continue to make videos about places you've never visited and don't possess an entry level of understanding. Cincinnati proper never incorporated the surrounding county. Half a million people live in an area less than 80 square miles. Greater Cincinnati is the area outside of the city and is more representative of a population that calls themselves Cincinnatians but doesn't actual love in city limits. That population is 2.6 million people. Cincinnati is known for is historical preservation which is why it is a common spot for movie crews making period films. Your generation needs to understand that Google's and some facts isn't knowledge nor wisdom on a topic. Danke
Yeah I’m in the middle of watching the 1st couple minutes & this dude is clueless about Cincinnati.
He is massively ignorant of our Cincinnati.
I’ve lived in New York, San Francisco, Oakland, Philadelphia, Wilmington Delaware, and Cincinnati
And even though Cincinnati isn’t like the most exciting place, it might be my favorite next to Oakland
Like I said, I wouldn’t necessarily call it exciting but it is far from boring. There is always something cool to do.
And one of the things about Cincinnati that seems to go to places and not be surrounded
You can go to popular areas and still have your little spot and some sort of privacy. Most cities have popular spots, but they’re always packed.
You have to be insane to like Oakland
@@taurusmt5 why do you say that?
@@TomisaLamidrugs, crime, etc
@@taurusmt5 sorry to break to you kid but that's like the entire United States. Actually the worst I ever saw for drugs where are the small towns in Texas and Missouri. It was actually not that bad and Oakland on top of that you have the great weather the great scenery all the cool stuff and all the cool people it really is an awesome place to live.
@@TomisaLami ua-cam.com/video/uAF3w0iaAgg/v-deo.htmlsi=-PBgNG-WoaN1_znv Oakland has been having many problems for decades kid. The drug issues in rural US is way different than in the bay area
Nice work and thanks for sharing it. Cincinnati has many architectural jewels, I used to live there a few months as a former P&G employee and it was always a pleasant surprise to spot them. All the comments left are a good testimony on how much this heritage is valued, I also want to mention the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge(formerly the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge) is a suspension bridge that spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. When opened on 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1883. Impressive and still there. It looks majestic on foggy days/nights.
I know Cincinnati is not what it used to be but I was also pleasantly surprised by how walkable and bikeable Cincinnati was compared to many other small cities I been to. I was able to easily walk, run and bike from Northern Kentucky/Covington to Cincinnati and be able to walk, run, bike for quite a bit. Mount Adams was especially really nice and a beautiful walk. I was also really impressed with a lot of the older architecture in Cincinnati.
Out of all the other cities from this series, I think Cincinnati has the most potential to turn things around.
When “urban renewal” started, the black neighborhood of West End was leveled. That was the beginning of the end.
i believe that people in the newer generations have an appreciation for what was lost. hopefully as we get older we will start to see it being rebuilt.
Why do you sound like a MAGA supporter
@@elliotwilliams7421 ?
As a young historic architecture enthusiast and a traditional human-oriented city fanatic I agree. The car-centric design will end with my generation.
@pjflynn220 this is nothing to do with human oriented cities, its a corporate dream that doesn't consider humans at all.
@@elliotwilliams7421 dumbass its not a corporate dream. its my dream. to have beautiful, architecturally relevant, and human oriented design (AKA traditional urban design that has been used for millennia). I am very left leaning on many issues, this is not a partisan issue. His comment was not politically oriented in one way or another you just seem to be delusional lol
I live in Over the Rhine. While yes a lot of destruction was done to the city to focus on highways and parking, the city itself is still in very good shape and much of the urban areas have been revitalized (gentrified) with lots of work still being done (new builds and rehabbing existing buildings). City is very much so on the up compared to what it went through from 1950-2000 with everyone moving to the burbs
Truly unimaginable. The folks who work in those industrial warehouses between seas of parking lots have literally no idea that a beautiful integrated dense and lively downtown once stood there. It's a lost civilization that built their society in a much better way than we build ours.
Atlanta is another one. Completely unrecognizable. Once an old southern city in a forest is now a mess of buildings and sprawling car dependent suburbs.
You can see remnants of old Atlanta on broad street, parts of Forsyth,
and Inman and Candler park.
Most Americans dont care about cities being sprawl and suburbs as long as it provides, and Atlanta has been providing. What it "once was" was a much higher crime rate anyways.
It's boring, but the economy is fairly well, and the population increases. Downside is that the living cost is so pretty high
HOTLANTA burned down a looong time ago ..
A corporate Stonehenge is fireproof ...
It's our duty to leave our country beautiful and habitable for our children!
This is my favorite series on UA-cam by far! Keep up the
good work?
Alexander, once again, thank you for a highly informative video. You successfully highlight the possibilities that these former glorious cities have to rebound. Your mission is invaluable and encouraging.
to think if these survived you may not even care to go to Europe for vacation, various US cities would be just as gorgeous
Not really.
Europe has cities which developed over 1000 years with several different architectural epochs.
EXACTLY!
One of the best videos about urbanism I've ever seen. Nothing explains better than juxtaposition of old and new photos and maps how much of our cities have been destroyed by "urban renewal". Keep up the good work!
You should do OKC, half of the downtown was destroyed and removed due to a architect “I.M PEI” he wanted to reshaped the skyline, but after tearing down a ton of buildings something happened that made him not do it, so they never rebuilt those buildings and you can clearly see that half the city seems to be erased and replaced with gardens and parks in the modern day.
Looking at OKC in the 1960s compared to now would make you think that it lost population, it didn’t it’s more than double it’s population in the 1960s but after those buildings were destroyed, they were never rebuilt. Making the city seem sized down
It had some awesome looking buildings that were demolished, like the biltmore hotel, and the Baum building.
Ok Cupid?
@@SomeDudeQC what?
I still think Cincinnati is a great city. It’s charming when you’re passing through on the I-75.
yeah, that’s the problem (smile)
If Cincinnati fully built that subway in the past, perhaps it would be a different city.
Ah my hometown. Even though I've seen these photos many times, it always shocks me to see the overhead shot of the urban basin before freeways. Such a beautiful, dense city to rival those in Europe destroyed in the name of 'progress'.
It is not in the name of progress, it is deindustrialization and loss of significance
In the 60s and 70s old time neighborhoods in Cincinnati with fantastic architecture were leveled and high rise low income housing replaced them only to be torn down later because of crime and maintenance issues. When inner city develops and raises real estate values, the inhabitants are economically forced to leave, moving their problems further out into the city and suburbs, where crime and decay increase. It's an endless cycle.
I love your channel! Keep up the good work!!! ❤
The NIMBYs in my city prevented it from falling.
Boom exactly
Thank you 🙏🏼 love history like this! They don’t teach us this in school
Interesting video. I attended the University of Cincinnati in the 50s. Cincinnati was a somewhat rundown river town then. The riverfront was in decay and upper Vine St was an area that you didn't want to go. I am glad to see those areas redeveloped and a lot of the old ugly buildings removed. Your point that what replaced them may not be the best that could be had is probably valid. I'm glad that Union Station is still there. I have fond memories of train travel in and out of that beautiful building.
I live in columbus, and it seems to have a different story than Cincinnati. Most of the urban highways are below grade or along rail lines and rivers, so not as much was destroyed to build them.
I live in Southern Orchards, near German Village in the Southside, and it is very well preserved. My house was build in 1914 and I can walk or bike just about anywhere. It doesn't seem like as much was destroyed outside of downtown, compared to Cincinnati.
Plus Cbus didnt die like the other C's. Its great to see how much progress is being made in the city
One interesting thing about Cincy is that, because of the hilly topography, there are a lot of old walkable mini town centers in the other neighborhoods. This video focused on the urban core and the furthest-flung suburbs, but there’s a lot of preserved walkability in other parts of the city, fortunately.
I have never heard anyone ever say Columbus has a more vibrant history, architecture and urban fabric lol. Columbus is literally the most boring city in Ohio, possibly the Midwest and even USA. Everything about Columbus is new and suburban. Of course, there's one section of downtown that is old school, the one that you are describing. I don't think anyone other than the most die-hard Buckeyes would say Columbus is more historically alive than Cincinnati.
@@justhereforthefoliage I... never said that? You must have misinterpreted what I said.
@@Miyelsh I thought you said Columbus was in tact and still an old and historic city while Cincinnati was not?
How was this possible? European and Japanese cities were literally destroyed in WW2 and were built back better then this. We lost a lot of beautiful architecture in Britain but thankfully only a small number of cities (Mainly Leeds, Glasgow and Coventry) built urban motorways, most are very walkable still. London and other cities saw fierce protests against motorways so thankfully plans were abandoned. As the end of the Planets of the Apes puts it, "you maniacs!, you blew it up!"
Amazing Grace being played as if the city is dead and your video is the funeral? Cincinnati has a world class symphony playing in magnificent Music Hall. The professional sports stadiums are all downtown. Fountain Square is a joy to sit in with a Graeters Ice Cream in the summer or outdoor ice skating in the winter. The "empty" station being shown is not empty, it has been transformed from an underused Amtrak train station to Cincinnati Museum Center with the children's museum, museum of natural history, IMAX theater, and rotating display area. You neglected to mention the 2nd largest annual Oktoberfest celebration in the world (behind Munich) and the acclaimed University of Cincinnati which includes the College-Conservancy of Music (CCM), You also neglected the exceptional (and free) Cincinnati Art Museum and Walnut Hills High School. If what you care about is high population density and public transportation, Cincinnati is not your thing. If you want functional living, with fantastic green space provided by the Metropark district, Cincinnati is worth the examination - especially if you have a family.
I am French, and in Europe we attach great importance to preserving our cities, and when I see that, I tell myself that it is the right thing to do. I'm shocked to see how beautiful American cities used to be, and how it was all torn down for highways or square concrete shoeboxes. The image of the station is revealing, it is a vile, monstrous waste...
I hope that one day, the West will have the means to restore our cities to the aspects of our greatest times, erasing the ravages of the decadent thoughts of the post-war period, which today gave birth to wokism. It's high time to return to the forgotten classics from before 1945.
Are you joking? Paris is dying just the same way that Cincinnati did.
@@starventure Huh? Paris has some issues but it is certainly not dying, it is a thriving city. History, culture, fine dining, lovely parks and rivers and it is a top international tourist destination, receiving millions more visitors than the highest ranked American entry. Not sure how that compares to the ugly, desolate wastelands American cities mostly are.
@@starventure You haven't understood what I said, it's the whole West that is losing its face, it goes well beyond Cincinnati or Paris
"wokeism" didn't cause this, and today conservatives are the ones who want to keep highways and suburbs.
What exactly does wokism have to do with this?
Cincinnati has really grown in the 40+ years since I've been here and I think it's a really nice family city
It’s all good, except that you don’t need random pictures from inside the old library you’re talking about outside the buildings mostly in this episode
that recessed highway near the riverfront is a perfect place for a deck park
it's a sweet dream to rebuild what was destroyed - and I hope it comes true - but, is it realistic ? the materials - granite, marble, excellent wood etc - costs are exorbitant & then, there is the challenge of finding architects & craftmen able & willing to build such magnificent structures - let's face it, the way things are now - people aren't even able/willing to build residential houses / housing properly - materials & labor are just in a different stratosphere as far as costs now & the people who built these buildings had a deep sense of work ethics & pride - our current demographics just don't & that's just a fact - it's not going in a good direction either - it's so heartbreaking - in literally one lifetime - we've gone from wonderful to worthless 😔
That what it means getting poorer, as a society - you cannot afford what you could before
And Western Civilization crumbles
this is so depressing! I hope someone can play this video at their city hall, force every legislator to watch this. Perhaps some good will come out of it..
You can't fix a problem using the same logic that created it.
Architecture Student here: Those back streets provide car access and garbage collection to those houses, with this alleys the architects create an inviting front facade without the interference of cars, this is also down in other New Urbanist communities around the US
Yes, but it seemed like there was quite a bit of space given to those "back streets." They are not as narrow as Chicago's back alleys, for example.
That doesn't quite fit with the carefully constructed narrative, so it's not a surprise that it was overlooked.
@@richardcypherrahl Nah…Technical stuff is hard to understand
That montage filled me with so much anger and hatred, it brought tears.
I look forward to your Kansas City video. I lived there for a couple of years and it seemed to me you could see the fossils of some ambitious urban planning here and there.
@FailsafeZero WENT TO 18TH & VINE July,86. Was a near ghetto. Just looked up the famous inters3ction from Maps : a miracle has happened : its clean & ...decent.
Listen the song PINEY BROWN BLUES by BJT (=Big Joe Turner), so you ll reach its historicity in 30s jazz. Piney was a bartender legend in the joint where Basie, McShann, Bird and many others started. MARY LOU WILLIAMS, voc & p,
Great video !
Good video. I'd love for you to go deeper into the reasons behind choosing these outcomes rather than livable, walkable urban areas and suburbs. What happened?
This hurts... I used to restore old pictures of our old capital, Rio de Janeiro, and I couldn't do it anymore. It was heartbreaking and too depressing to see what has been lost and worse.... and it all got replaced with.
amazing video. subbed ❤️
Great video and series. So sad what was lost. Curious why the existing Baltimore George Peabody library is shown here with the demolished Cincinnati library? Its a similar design but comes across as being a lost Cincinnati building.
Hey man. These videos are really cool. I too am fascinated & often horrified by the urban renewal periods in our nation. I was commenting to say, I study the local history here & Youngstown, Ohio is a huge example of a city hit super hard by suburbanization & urban renewal. I think Youngstown would be the perfect example for this topic as the changes in the city inside & out are some of the biggest examples of this topic out there.
FYI 4:41 is the Peabody Library in Baltimore.
While I agree to a degree, and would love to have seen more of the famed industrial era buildings in CBD, OTR, and CUF kept, this video would have been waaaay more depressing between 1999-2010. It was a ghost town, with many buildings falling so far into disrepair, they had to be torn down. I think Cincinnati has done a pretty good job recently with its development, even if some of the newer architecture is ugly, better than having bricks falling off abandoned properties and empty storefronts. It could definitely do a much better job of creating and sustaining affordable housing, esp since they killed a well-written affordable housing measure a few years back. I'm really concerned now about the privatization of the RR. City leaders did not use foresight on that at all, as privatization has caused more RR accidents and issues as the deregulated train cos don't have to abide by rules that keep them more safe.
Grew up in Cincinnati & been living in Louisville for 24 years. Louisville has the same story in Cincinnati. Everything that happens in Cincinnati will eventually happen in Louisville.
You are underrating CIN for what it is today. Sure, old buildings may be gone, but the vibrant fabric and community feel and sense of belonging in CIN has increased dramatically in the past two decades. It is a strong city that punches well above it's weight in business and financially. It's a great place to raise a family and there are a ton of things to do there. Why all the Cincy hate? Where are you from that is SO MUCH better?
Amazing content brother!
Thank you for this video and series. FYI, 4:42 is Baltimore's Peabody Library.
Noooo really? It took me so long to find what I thought was a high quality image of the floor of the Cincinnati library. The relief I had in finding that photo, and all for nothing :/ My apologies!
@@alexanderrotmensz Yeah I live nearby and verified on the library website, but no worries! Its amazing that you found as many photos as you did.
Meanwhile in China, their major cities are all futuristic looking with high speed rail every where.
*It was putting cinnamon in their CHILI that did it* ...
Ya, ngl, this video is far too fatalistic. Cincinnati still has a lot of life and is still pretty dynamic. It isn’t the boomtown it once was, but it’s not a bad place to go to school/start a family/etc.
I’m all for generously wide roads so I see no problem.
Narrow roads, on the other hand, is just high blood pressure for a city.
This video is missing some important context. There was a time between 1890 and 1920 were many non-coastal American cities saw an explosion of wealth but lacked the ability to build out roads for cars, since their neighboring regions or state as a whole could not afford that infrastructure at the time.
So these cities were beautiful and flush with cash, but in just a few decades the era of the car demanded these cities be completely reworked.
Only to find out by the mid-60s, that the mass adoption of the car made the urban sprawl of these cities unnecessary.
In the United States there weren`t the so called 2 WW`s in that way like in Europe. But there was a silent war against the citiziens and their heritage. The so called "burnings and earthquakes", the so called "improvements and innovations" were horrible and destructive for the whole lands/states. It was planned and it was executed by the same people, who financed the war overseas in Europe and elsewhere. It`s important in my opinion that humans learn to distinguish between the executor and the financier for the executor. Great summary with great impressions of a formely great city on the earth.Greetings from Germany
It's the small hats
removing a beautiful church is a scandal. Also, why was that library removed?
The interior library at 4:41 is the Peabody Library in Baltimore.(not the black and white photo, but the color one with black and white floors)
I'm glad that Union terminal was turned into a museum though
Thank you for creating these. If the material is there, it would be interesting to see how this dynamic affected smaller cities too, like Gary, Indiana or Rochester, New York. Places that used to be small manufacturing centers, but never really recovered.
Another option is looking at cities that have been so radically transformed by post-war development that in a sense, the 'old' form of the city has fallen. Like, how relevant is the pre-WWII downtown areas of LA or Houston or Dallas? Sure, these places haven't 'fallen' in the same way, but it could still be interesting to see how much of the old parts of the city were lost.
Great ideas!
Have you ever read into Ogdensburg NY? In my opinion it is the most egregious fallen city in the US. Your last video on Buffalo, it is up northeast of it on the St Lawrence.
It is a much smaller city, but unlike its larger contemporaries, its bustling downtown district was never rebuilt after its demise for "urban revitalization".
I kid you not when I say its downtown district is just an empty multi-block parking lot. I think you may enjoy looking into it, even if it is not a big enough place to warrant a video.
One question. I see in the photos that they are all old Cities had more beautiful but similar architecture between them. Is it my impression or did they seem like a lot?
There was certainly an American theme from city to city, although there were strong regional differences. It’s not as noticeable in the downtown but in the low rise neighborhood like north side, there is a more specific, local theme, and you see this in different cities
across the country. Also, cities in California and Florida had a very different aesthetic. Most of these cities so far in this series are in the same general part of the US. Great question!
@@alexanderrotmensz Thank you very much.
@@alexanderrotmenszprops for knowing about northside. Cincy still has a lot of really cool spots, and thats definitely up there
@@geography_joewe call it "the Nati"
Thank goodness they left the Osgood Flymm Building intact!
As somebody that has been living in Cincy for close to 25 years, I have to politely disagree. Our city looks a lot more like Boston than Houston.
Yeah, Crosely Field is gone, as well as the library. And they never finished the subway. But we have the Roebling Bridge, Carew Tower, Fourth and Vine Tower, Union Terminal, two true urban gems in the University of Cincinnati and the Zoo, Covington Cathedral, St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati Art Museum, City Hall, a great park system, Findley Market and Over the Rhine, Music Hall, and perhaps the largest collection of Italianate architecture of any city in America (which is especially impressive considering our relatively small size). Plus, some truly beautiful residential areas (Mount Adams, Gaslight District, Licking River, Mainstrasse, Hyde Park, etc.). And Cincinnati parks - particularly along the riverfront, are great.
Sorry, but I love it here.
I think you need to raise your mic volume. It is very hard to hear you, even on max volume.
Can you do a video on Binghamton/Endicott? I live here and we have had a saddening downfall since the 1900's
I will never travel to this citys, but watching your channel is a joy, you are a great teacher.
Unbelievable.
Cities grow from natural and current focii of production. Where people need to live to earn livelihoods. Cities have no real reason to exist otherwise. Where such resources are weak, cities all fail.
I'm a Cincinnati native.
First,
It's not really boring because there's a lot to do. Those of us from here understand northern Kentucky is a key part of what makes the city nice.
There's still lots of original architecture that has been rebuilt.
Downtown has been rebuilt, with the intention to reduce crime. But the reality is they just moved a few blocks down.
If the subway system has been finished, we'd be just as congested as New York.
I lived in several different places all over the country, and I may be biased, but Cincinnati is definitely not boring
It's all about how you look at it.
I wouldn't say it's a fallen City.
I would say it's a city in constant transition
It has some issues. And there is a lot of segregation depending upon what neighborhood you're in.
Some of the neighborhoods that used to be not so great neighborhoods were just painted over with prettier buildings and richer people.
But the history, the essence of Cincinnati is definitely not boring.
it might be a concrete jungle like everywhere else that is a city that's not on the ocean,
But there is definitely some really cool things here the Parks alone are incredible.
Just north of Cincinnati is Dayton which is the home of flight.
There is a lot of really cool stuff in Southwest Ohio.
It's not as boring as you say at the beginning of this video.
Compared to Southwest Colorado,
This place is a party
But you're not too far off.
I just think if you start a video out so negative, it's going to paint the picture of how people see the city from the very beginning.
How are you impact others with your opinion from the start of your video is how a lot of people will view a city they've never been to.
I encourage others to be mindful of how the impact each other... Just my opinion
His goal is to paint these cities in a bad light. I grew up in Cincinnati, I’ve lived different places as an adult and I’m currently back in the greater Cincinnati area. It’s a shame that some of the old buildings have been leveled but I think he’s misleading the audience if they’ve never visited. Lunken has the art deco terminal still intact and some of the oldest hangars in the country. The Roebling Bridge is older than the Brooklyn bridge and was the “model” for it. While on the other side of the river, Covington has mainstrasse with some very neat old architecture. This city is cleaner and safer than almost every other city of comparable stats in the Midwest. While not his intentions I’m sure, this video does quite the disservice to Cincinnati.
It appears that the library is lost, though the second pic is from the library at John Hopkins university?
You can for sure see the german influence in these old pictures
Do Indianapolis please, especially the destruction of Indiana Ave and all the flatirons lost.
We find this all over. Cities traps people into backward, menial paradigms that should have died out centuries ago. And, especially with modern communications technology available practically anywhere in the country nowadays, no one should have to endure the hell of city living.
I've been watching this America's Fallen Cities series of yours and they look more depressing than most cemeteries.
Is there an American city that is a good example of modernity + preservation?
Hello from South America!
I find cemeteries peaceful and beautiful. Whatever's after this, even if nothing, has got to be better than this manmade hellhole.
This video is propaganda, Cincinnati is a wonderful city!
@@jefftomasello3258 Yeah, NY, Chicago, Camden, Detroit, KC, St Louis, LA, SF, and Seattle, too. Have you been awake for the last decade?
It's pretty hard to preserve historical buildings when the local gov can jack up the property taxes forcing you to sell to a developer who will bring in a higher paying tax tenant after they've demolished the history. I get why people like property taxes, but I think they are evil. Sales taxes, income taxes, payroll taxes, excise taxes etc. should be able to cover a states obligations.
My Uncle moved from England after the Second World War and set up a Ceramic Tile business
As much as we'd like to hang on to those old buildings, a lot of them were not up to modern fire safety standards, so it was probably cheaper to tear it down and build new ones. And even the new ones now sit empty.
This is amazing and sad. Can you do Detroit next? These are great videos.
I just discovered this channel and it’s incredible, but holy crap it makes me sad. Please do Indianapolis!
I just did a marathon in Cincinnati "The Flying pig marathon" advertised as the best marathon in America. Well I've done a marathon in all 50 states and yes it is one of the best marathons in the country. The course was challenging and beautiful. I had never been there and I was very impressed with their downtown. Most cities lose population because modern America gives its a citizen a choice they didn't have - the ability to live outside a city.
Being from Chicago I love Cincy’s old architecture and hilly hoods. Not a far trip.
Cincinnati is a great city and it's not dying. The downtown area has been renovated and is full of activity and things to do. The Banks down on the river front, TQL stadium that host professional soccer. FA. "Cincinnati. Jack's Casino is downtown. The convention center is under a huge expansion and renovation. The 2 professional sports stadiums. The Reds and Bengals. What having you been looking at dude?
a great, reflective look at how much we’ve sacrificed to the altar of cars and trucks… and I have owned many.
My smaller hometown of New London, Connecticut thought it could bulldoze itself to prosperity and largely failed. Only the building of submarines is keeping the area afloat.
if all goes well, “Lost New London” will be coming out in about 6 months through The History Press (Arcadia Publishing). Would like to give a plug for your “Fallen Cities” channel in the book, Alexander.
all the best, Bill in Vermont
Would make the case that Hartford CT WAS once a vibrant liveable city. However it cut itself off from the Connecticut River and post war redevelopment killed it. Mark Twain originally lived there for good reasons.
Boston came back from the brink when it demolished the Central Artery and built a tunnel. The highway was replaced by a string of parks that draw many visitors and locals.
We need this guy in charge of all our urban city planning
I live here and still here older generations talk about how beautiful the subway was going to be. They moved a lot of the artwork to the Airport.
It sort of looks like St. Louis, I'm shocked so few people compare the two cities, they are so similar in so many ways.
They really aren’t. I spend a lot of time in St Louis for work and Cincinnati is home. Other than the fact that they’re both river cities there’s not much comparison. Every city in the country leveled buildings to make room for highways and larger buildings, they have that in common. Cincinnati is clean and safe by comparison to St Louis. It’s sad what St Louis has been allowed to become.
Very interesting video thank you
What you call urban renewal I call urban destruction mostly for the intended benefit of suburbs. I guess urban renewal is a term that means out with the old, in with the new. I think mostly of rehabbing existing structures when I think of urban renewal. Maybe the term needs a better meaning.