Yesterday marked another long-overdue milestone in Cincinnati’s transit history, as the city formally broke ground on the first phase of the modern streetcar line that will connect Over-the-Rhine, downtown, and the riverfront. Although there will no doubt continue to be hurdles and the usual litany of catcalls from naysayers, the project now seems to be much more of a sure thing than it did only a few short months ago.

This has also been a period of transition and new beginnings in my own professional and personal life. As I continue to make progress on my M.Arch. degree at DAAP, I’ve begun to further develop my interests in other areas of design, and I’ll soon be starting a five-month co-op assignment with a well-respected architecture firm in Santa Monica, California. I’m very excited about further exploring the Los Angeles area, and I’m honored to have been given the opportunity to join this firm for my co-op.

All that has left me wondering what to do with this blog, and after a lot of thought, I’ve made the decision to put it on indefinite hiatus. For one, I simply don’t have the spare time to maintain this blog along with my other obligations, and I don’t want to find myself pigeonholed professionally as “the transit guy”. Also, a number of other local blogs have slowly withered away after the departure of their respective founders to other cities, and I’d rather make a clean exit. I’ll continue to advocate for improved public transit, but such advocacy will now occur within the context of broader social justice and design-related issues. With the Cincinnati streetcar now under construction and me getting ready to pack my bags for California, this seems like an appropriate time to declare victory and move on to other things that interest me. This website will remain online indefinitely as an archive, but will no longer be updated.

If you’re a fan of the Metro Cincinnati page on Facebook, note that the page will soon be discontinued. As an alternative, I encourage you to join the BANANAS (“Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody, Stupid!”) group on Facebook, a sarcastically-named group of transit advocates in Cincinnati.

Thanks to all who assisted with this project when it was still an academic endeavor, and thanks to all who have supported this blog and its mission over the past few years.

Peace,

David