Urban Planning Portfolio by Hannah Urbanski

HANNAH URBANSKI

PLANNING PORTFOLIO

CONTENTS About Me | Resume

KZF Design

Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation

Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation

Department of City Planning | Cincinnati

The MainStream

Vacant Lot Redevelopment

The Urban Future of Parking

Re-Imagining Fulton Place

Ohio River Corridor Development

Yellow School Bus Stop Shelters

Lower Camp Washington Vision Planning

Hand Drawings

Writing Sample

HANNAH URBANSKI (513) 338-9008 urbanshr@mail.uc.edu

From a young age, I have always enjoyed helping people. My first experience with community engagement was volunteering with my mother’s company for neighborhood outreach. We would help elderly and disabled residents by cleaning up their yards, clearing gutters and fixing fences. It was rewarding to see how appreciative they were for our assistance, and I knew I wanted to be able to apply this passion for helping others to my future career, but I wasn’t exactly sure how. I then came across a book called “Cincinnati, A Pictorial History,” and seeing how and why my city grew over time was intriguing, and is what prompted me to discover urban planning. I had never before realized how much actually goes into making a city function from day to day. There are an array of intertwined networks and communications happening in plain sight that we don’t even consider, and these move our cities in a dynamic direction. I am passionate about finding ways planning and design can make our cities more equitable, prosperous, environmentally sound, and prepared for disasters, all while preserving neighborhood identity. I have seen the power these relationships have in bringing communities together for a more sustainable future, and I want to impact this movement.

EDUCATION

RESUME

Master of Community Planning | May 2021 Bachelor of Urban Planning | Certificate in Historic Preservation | May 2020 Combined Degree Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH FEMA Professional Development Series Certification in Emergency Management WORK EXPERIENCE Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Cincinnati OH Co-op, June-December 2020 / Developed Hamilton County’s Disaster Recovery Framework (copy available upon request) / Assisted with reviewing and writing Emergency Management Accreditation Program standards for the agency KZF Design, Cincinnati OH Co-op, January-August 2019 / Assisted in planning tasks for the Colerain Avenue Corridor Study, including creating base maps for analysis, site inventory visits, gathering and interpreting community feedback, layout and editing of final report and graphically representing new corridor designs / Designed preliminary stages of parklets, bike/pedestrian trails and the company website / Designed decorative paneling for the University of Cincinnati’s Linder College of Business Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, Boston MA Co-op, June-August 2018 / Updated the “Rising Rents, Closing Doors” housing profile report, highlighting the affordable housing and homeownership shortages in the Allston Brighton neighborhood / Assisted in developing a workshop curriculum that will address development processes and opportunities for public involvement, empowering residents to advocate for projects that best serve their community / Attended committee meetings and community engagement events to gather resident feedback Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, Madisonville OH Co-op, August-December 2017 / Compiled demographic data research for Madisonville and neighboring communities / Headed the Madisonville Mini grant project which encouraged residents to engage their community through creative placemaking / Attended board/committee meetings, community council and various lunch and learns to gather feedback Department of City Planning, Cincinnati OH Co-op, January-April 2017 / Created GIS maps and correlating staff reports for the City Planning Commission such as real estate, zone changes and Interim Control Overlay District reviews as well as presented these items to the Commission / Gathered and interpreted feedback from community members for various neighborhood plans / Attended the David J. Allor Zoning Workshop, Congress for New Urbanism Summit: The New Neighborhood Brewery, and worked at the SKILLS Adobe Suite, Microsoft Office, ArcGIS, SketchUp, AutoCAD, TwinMotion Passion for learning and motivated to take on new projects Task-oriented and highly organized Works well with a team and has clear communication abilities with both coworkers and 5 community members

KZF DESIGN CINCINNATI, OH CO-OP JANUARY - AUGUST 2019 This was my first opportunity to work in the private sector of planning at a multidisciplinary firm in downtown Cincinnati. I worked on a variety of small projects, including site surveying and background research for small parks projects in Lebanon and Troy Ohio, as well as landscaping for a highway interchange. I also got the opportunity to design paneling to display in the lobby of the new Lindner College of Business at UC. A slightly larger project I worked on was the Downtown Middletown Ohio Bike Connector proposal, which showcased three routes from the existing Great Miami Trail to the downtown area, taking into consideration existing conditions such as topography, ownership and road width, to select the best route. This project also gave me an opportunity to take a lead on a project, under the guidance of a civil engineer, to create a finished product. My largest endeavor at this firm was the Colerain Avenue Corridor Study, which I got to be a part of from start to finish. The study was conducted to see how this busy and congested thoroughfare could be improved for not only vehicles, but the pedestrian experience.

COLERAIN AVENUE CORRIDOR STUDY This study consisted of a multiphase approach to addressing not only vehicular issues along Colerain Avenue, but the pedestrian experience and overall urban design. This road boasts the main commercial area of Colerain Township, with various strip malls and one large box style mall, but some of its intersections are the most dangerous in the country. Data was first collected about the site, creating character “zones” of the 4.5 mile road and existing conditions, then gathering community feedback regarding these. Next, we created a list of possible solutions and strategies, the most important being for the instillation of the median u-turn. This traffic movement eliminates left-hand turns, a major causes of collisions along the corridor, and instead replaces it with u-turns that allow for better traffic flow and safer roads. We then suggested simple but impactful changes to the overall design of the area around the road, including buffer areas for pedestrians from seas of parking, such as landscaping or small walls, street trees, signage and scaled lighting.

ALLSTON BRIGHTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

RISING RENTS, CLOSING DOORS:

BOSTON, MA CO-OP JUNE - AUGUST 2018 One of Boston’s largest neighborhoods, Allston Brighton is home to a variety of institutions, businesses and is a bustling and friendly community. However, due to a growing student population, there is an overwhelming shortage of affordable housing. During my time with ABCDC, I researched, calculated and updated the “Rising Rents, Closing Doors, A Profile of Housing in Allston Brighton” report from 1999. This report will be utilized to inform the general public, potential developers, city council, and grant writers, about housing in the neighborhood, and the inherent lack of affordable stock. I also attended meetings with my supervisor with groups and committees looking to improve affordable housing not only in the neighborhood, but Boston as a whole. This expanded my outlook on possibilities for increasing housing that is affordable and accessible to people from all backgrounds and incomes.

A Profile of Housing in Allston Brighton

Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation Summer 1999

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Rising Rents, Closing Doors A Profile of Housing in Allston Brighton

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Madisonville Creative Community Mini Grant Program CALLING ALL ARTISTS AND CREATIVE THINKERS! Do you want to make a difference in Madisonville through art? Madisonville Community Urban Redevlopment Corporation is currently inviting residents, students, or local workers to apply for a Mini Grant of up to $500 for creative projects or activities. This can include painted murals, bike tours, gateway art, local art & music events, parklets, yarn bombing and so much more! If you have a creative idea to enhance the community that also engages your neighbors, this might be for you!

MADISONVILLE COMMUNITY URBAN REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION MADISONVILLE, OH CO-OP AUGUST - DECEMBER 2017

For more information or for an application please visit: www.mcurc.org, call 271-2495, or stop by our office at 5906 Madison Road to discuss your idea.

This redevelopment organization was based in Madisonville, one of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods, that was experiencing a development boom in both business and residence sectors. My work here allowed me to experience working closely and on a personal level with the community. My responsibilities included; research and demographic data collection for Madisonville as well as nearby Kennedy Heights for development and affordability purposes, creating flyer’s for public events, heading the Mini Grant program, designing minor landscaping for the new office building the corporation was relocating into (Metz House), and taking care of daily office needs.

Proposed Zone Change From RM-0.7 to MG in Lower Price Hill

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Zone change from Residential Multi-Family to Manufacturing General. This would allow a large, city-wide company to use this area as contractors storage. Proposed lease of 956 Purcell Avenue SF-4

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I experienced the public sector of planning while working for the City of Cincinnati. My responsibilities included writing staff reports with correlating maps for the City Planning Commission, which was held twice a month. These items involved real estate sales or leases, zone changes, and an Interim Development Control Overlay District review. I assisted my co-workers with creating maps, excel documents with census data for ongoing projects. I also took the initiative to digitize the entire approved city and neighborhood plans library, allowing them to be viewable online, instead of requesting the hard copy from the office. One specific plan I worked heavily in was the Mohawk Area Plan, which is displayed in depth on the opposite page.

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CINCINNATI, OH CO-OP JANUARY - APRIL 2017

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Lease of property item that would allow a local non-profit to use a section of the Price Hill Recreation Center and create a community garden.

Big Ideas & Challenges

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MOHAWK AREA PLAN The Mohawk Area Plan consists of the upper section of the Over-theRhine neighborhood. This historically rich area of the city has a variety of old breweries and buildings that have historically contributed to the urban neighborhood fabric. Myself and another planning intern helped create maps from the community’s input, which helped them communicate their vision for the redevelopment of the Mohawk Area. This included challenges such as creating an entertainment and business district, bringing economic development to draw people back to the neighborhood, connecting the area to the rest of Cincinnati, which would involve the new streetcar, providing a wide selection of new housing, and general improvements such as lighting and alley cleaning. These maps were then used to develop the final plan for the neighborhood.

Housing

THE MAINSTREAM GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FALL 2020 The objective of this project is to infiltrate and store rainfall on site while educating Main Street users about the urban water cycle. The street will be regraded to channel rainfall into a stream that will flow through bioswales and into a large rain garden. This stream will be directed through multiple routes in order to capture all of the runoff on this expansive impervious site, with creative signage and art that will guide and educate users as they make their way down the street. There will also be a variety of living walls and stairs throughout the site, and planter boxes where possible. These will all add to both water mitigation as well as aesthetics, making this often vacant space a place where students will want to spend time. Overall, our vision is to create a vibrant green space on campus by making changes to the current infrastructure that will assist with Cincinnati’s needed stormwater mitigation efforts.

VACANT LOT REDEVELOPMENT VISUALIZATION 1 FALL 2020 This was a class that worked on redeveloping a vacant lot in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Lower Price Hill. This lot is mostly surrounded by large businesses and a few residences in surrounding areas, but is largely disengaged. My vision for this lot included creating a parklet style space, that had a raingarden, art and mural display area and a walking path with seating. In addition to this, there would be space alloted for a community garden to help with food scarcity as well as offering plant education. There is also new street trees, lighting, planters and trash cans, to improve the overall appeal and safety of the space. There is also a need for bicycle safety in the City, so brightly colored bike lanes are also incorporated. The space can be used by the community as a gathering space for a variety of uses, as well as a relaxing way to connect with nature for those working or living nearby. Using a variety of software, I was able to fabricate my vision model from 2D to 3D, adding textures, realistic trees, benches and street lights to the space.

THE URBAN FUTURE OF PARKING STUDIO + DESIGN COMPETITION FALL 2019 Downtown Cincinnati is currently undergoing revitalization in many areas in its central core. While this new development has spurred economic growth and provided an array of new amenities, it has left many pockets of underutilized spaces. These are predominately parking garages and lots or vacancies, which lack a definitive sense of “place” and disconnection to newly developed areas. This studio was a design competition created by Uber to theorize how the city could change if there was a reduction of needed parking due to ride-sharing services. We filled in the disconnected islands with development that would fit the character of an area, then did site specific design for one selected block. Our site was designed in a way that would encourage families to move back to downtown areas, drawing from the Dutch idea of the “living street.” Additionally, the site boasts mixed-use development, elevator residential and retail space, with a strong emphasis on the interior of the block and how that space is utilized by visitors and residents.

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RE-IMAGINING FULTON PLACE PLANNING DESIGN STUDIO SUMMER 2019 Working with the multiple owners of a large set of parcels in Cincinnati’s East End neighborhood, this studio focused on conceptualizing a site plan for future use of what is currently an industrial business area. There were multiple challenges we faced at this location, from site lines, flooding issues and assuring that it did not reflect the low-density residential patterns directly across the river. We began by creating a set of goals and values to steer our proposal and create a solid foundation for our plan. This involved research into history, existing conditions, and what types of development would be needed as the area grew. The final vision for Fulton Place was a distinct river development that would connect various systems, such as river parks, transit and even rail, and be a gateway to the East End. Uses included recreation, flexible commercial spaces, various residential styles and institutional or research space, all while incorporating the rich industrial history into the context of the space.

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This project focused on creating a regional scale plan for four towns east of Cincinnati along the Ohio River Corridor; New Richmond, Moscow, Augusta, and Ripley, all of which are in Ohio except Augusta. My team focused on Augusta, Kentucky, and performed in-depth research into history and existing conditions. The process also involved gathering community feedback to identify what was most important and needed for residents. As each team researched their given town, each created desired development strategies, with a common link of all four towns having historic underground railroad sites, issues with flooding and an abundance of vacant lots. This gave way to the idea of connecting these places via their cultural connection that would enrich both residents and visitors, such as trails and tours via bike and boat. Also included was development to accommodate visitors and flood-resistant housing stock, all with the vision of breathing new life into these unique river towns.

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PLANNING DESIGN STUDIO SUMMER 2017 In celebration of the University of Cincinnati’s Bicentennial, the College of DAAP was tasked with finding a viable solution to a problem that has proven to be a ongoing issue for Cincinnati Public Schools K-6 students. Many children wait for the bus in very exposed and potentially unsafe areas, and most do not have proper cold weather clothing. Our mission was to locate the best sites within the first selected surrounding neighborhoods of Avondale, Clifton, Corryville, CUF, Mt. Auburn and West End, where interactive shelters could be placed to protect students from the elements and crime. After meeting with community representatives as well as students at local schools, nine criteria were formed and ranked by importance for site selection. My team and I worked in the Corryville neighborhood and our findings only rendered one usable area to place a shelter per the weighted criteria previously created. We designed the site with a rainwater absorption area, as there was a slight hill on the site, seating areas, raised garden beds and a tiny library concept.

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LOWER CAMP WASHINGTON VISION PLANNING PLANNING DESIGN STUDIO FALL 2016 The historically industrial neighborhood of Camp Washington in Cincinnati has been highly recognized as an area keen for redevelopment. This is due in part to its industrial uses dwindling and its close proximity to the I-75 corridor, downtown and the University. The focus of this studio was to identify key opportunities and constraints that could impact revitalization of the area. As a team, we focused on the analysis of Camp Washington as a whole, then moved into individual projects of choosing one area in the lower section of the neighborhood and creating a site plan for redevelopment. I chose a 10 acre site of Spring Grove Avenue, that was to be a new business and entertainment district. Camp Washington offers an industrial history that deserves to be preserved and the program will accentuate, re-purpose and add appropriate architecture to stay true to this strong character. There will also be emphasis on environmental initiatives to drastically increase the amount of LEED buildings, green infrastructure and public park space.

HAND DRAWINGS PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING DESIGN GRAPHICS FALL 2015 Having a strong foundation in basic graphic elements has become one of the most useful tools in allowing me to communicate my ideas successfully. Depicting orientation and design can be done effectively through illustration. This pages showcases a few examples of elevation, section and perspective drawings at various locations on the University of Cincinnati’s campus that gave me a wide array of different styles to sketch and allowed me to be creative in the medium I chose to work with.

Honorable City Planning Commission Cincinnati, Ohio

January 20, 2017

SUBJECT: A report and recommendation for the sale of City-owned property located at 939 E. McMillan Street to the Model Group for their Scholar House in Walnut Hills. GENERAL INFORMATION: Location: 939 E. McMillan Purchaser: The Model Group, Inc. Purchaser’s Address: 2170 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 BACKGROUND: The City currently owns the vacant building at 939 E. McMillan Street. It previously has been used as a Dollar Store through 2014, and then leased by the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation through April 2016 as a pop-up retail space. Since this time in April, it has been completely vacant. The Model Group, who would be purchasing 939 E. McMillan Street, also own 951 Curtis Street and are in the process of acquiring 957 E. McMillan Street to complete the project. The Model Group has proposed to demolish the existing structure and build the Scholar House. This housing project will include affordable housing units and 3 to 4 street level retail spaces. The main purpose is to provide affordable units to single parents who are enrolled in a full time accredited degree program. This will also include an on-site daycare, space for educational programs and parking. The developer needs to receive Lower Income Housing Tax Credit allocation or adequate gap financing through the City’s 2017 Notice of Funding Availability program, or the property will revert back to the City. The property has been appraised at $66,600 with a stipulation that Model Group can negotiate the price at time of sale if adverse environmental conditions and/or financial need can be demonstrated. Anticipated construction phasing will go as follows; - March 1, 2018: close on LIHTC project, close on property with City - March 2, 2018: start of construction - May 1, 2019: completion/certificate of occupancy, lease-up begins - August 1, 2019: building occupied, Scholar House participants ready to start fall 2019 semester CONSISTENCY WITH PLAN CINCINNATI: The building use is consistent with the Live Initiative Area of Plan Cincinnati, specifically the goal to “Provide a full spectrum of housing options, and improve housing quality and affordability” (page 164). The Scholar House would not only provide quality affordable housing, but provide a valuable learning environment to teach single parents how to thrive when they move out on their own. RECOMMENDATION: The staff of the Department of City Planning recommends that the City Planning Commission take the following action: APPROVE the sale of City-owned property at 939 E. McMillan Street to the Model Group for their Scholar House project in Walnut Hills. Respectfully submitted,

Approved:

Hannah Urbanski, Planning Intern Department of City Planning

Charles C. Graves, III, Director Department of City Planning

THANK YOU (513) 338-9008 urbanshr@mail.uc.edu