A few weeks ago my neighbors, with whom I share a driveway, moved out. They cleaned out their place and left the trash and unneeded items in the driveway for trash pickup. I was surprised that much of what they discarded seemed perfectly usable (toaster, hair dryer, plastic storage unit with pull-out drawers, to name a few). I snagged a couple of small wastebaskets.
One morning, a man showed up and went through everything. I recognized him as someone I'd seen a few times before in the neighborhood going through garbage. He opened up all the bags-- including kitchen garbage-- and emptied it all over the driveway looking for stuff he could use. He spread trash all over the driveway. It was a dirty, filthy, smelly mess. I cleaned up a little and the landlord cleaned up most of it.
Then someone else came and did the same thing again, requiring yet another cleanup. I believe there was even a third man who came before these two, but he picked up some things without making a mess. Finally garbage day came and everything was hauled off.
What this incident made me wonder was this: what effect would the City Link development have on neighborhood trash? Would it exacerbate problems like this? Are we going to see trash splayed all over the sidewalks, streets and driveways every time someone moves in or out?
On one hand, concentrating the homeless and destitute in the West End might very well exacerbate the problem. On the other hand, if City Link is effective, it should diminish the problem. Perhaps the state of trash in the West End will be a key indicator of City Link's efficaciousness.
4 comments:
I don't know how CityLink is going to work out, and to be honest I can see arguments on both sides.
I do find it interesting that CityLink is being pushed hardest by suburbanites.
WF
I'm less worried about the trash issue, which is legitimate, than I am about safety issues revolving around the plan for housing felons just out of jail, and also aggressive panhandling which is a significant problem already.
Given the underhanded way they have gone about their efforts to force this "Super Magnet", for the under served on us; I don't think they can be trusted to care; whether or not they damage the urban core with their "good intentions".
Concentrating the homeless, mentally ill, and people fresh out of jail has been done before right here in Cincinnati. It will be as good for the West End as it has been for Over the Rhine.
It should benefit 3CDC and the new developments in OTR by shifting this unwanted population. It will also benefit every other neighborhood because it keeps them all in one place.
You can write off the West End though.
Amanda, I think the better solution to trashing the West End, would be not to build CityLink.
BTW Citylink is planned for an area that borders Clifton Heights, OTR and the West End, and the propaganda is that none of the providers moving into CL are vacating their current locations in OTR; so how does that help?
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