National initiative invests $550K in The Crown bike trail

A collaboration of national foundations and civic leaders has committed $550,000 over the next three years to help complete a 34-mile urban trail loop around Greater Cincinnati.

The Crown initiative, led by the nonprofit Tri-State Trails, received this funding from Reimagining the Civic Commons, a collaboration of the JPB Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the William Penn Foundation, along with local partners.

Cincinnati plans to use this funding to construct the Mill Creek Greenway section of the trail, which will extend from Northside to Lower Price Hill.

“As this new linear park transforms our city, we must ensure that all residents can benefit and our community thrives together,” said Wade Johnston, executive director of Tri-State Trails. “By participating in the Civic Commons Learning Network, Cincinnati leaders can learn from peer cities and implement best practices in future public space investments.”

Connecting communities through public spaces

Launched in 2016 with a $20 million investment, the Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative aims to invest in public spaces like parks, trails, community centers, and libraries to bring people together. The initiative expanded to include more cities in 2020.

Cincinnati is one of 10 communities to receive funding during this round, along with Akron, Ohio; Camden, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; Lexington, Kentucky; Macon, Georgia; Memphis, Tennessee; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Philadelphia; and San José, California.

“Many U.S. cities are seeking equitable redevelopment models for neighborhoods isolated by highways and railroads,” said Bridget Marquis, director of Reimagining the Civic Commons. “By focusing on connecting disinvested neighborhoods to nature, joy, and opportunity, the Mill Creek Greenway effort is certain to become an inspiration for any city looking to restitch neighborhoods harmed by policies of the past.”

Reconnecting torn apart communities

Tri-State Trails has led efforts to reconnect Cincinnati’s neighborhoods with The CROWN since 2015. After raising $10 million in 2021 to fund the local match for federal and state grants to connect 24 miles of The CROWN trail on the eastern part of the city. Now, Tri-State Trails has set its focus on advancing the trail through the Mill Creek Valley. With funding from the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, the nonprofit facilitated Cincinnati’s joining the Civic Commons Learning Network in 2022.

This next phase of the urban trail will connect the existing Mill Creek Greenway trail in Northside to the Lick Run Greenway in South Fairmount and the Ohio River Trail West in Lower Price Hill. When coupled with infrastructure investments like the Western Hills Viaduct and Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, completing The CROWN presents an opportunity to reconnect neighborhoods torn apart by the creation of I-75 and I-74 decades ago. 

Cincinnati Council Member Meeka Owens believes this project has the power to unite communities to each other, to the Mill Creek, and to Cincinnati’s two largest employment hubs, downtown and uptown.

“The infrastructure investments planned in Cincinnati’s Mill Creek Valley are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconnect Cincinnati’s neighborhoods,” she said. “We must prioritize making it safe for residents to walk and bike, or we will have missed the mark.”

The Crown