Smale Riverfront Park in Downtown Cincinnati Has a Big Urban Impact

Construction on the <a href="http://mysmaleriverfrontpark.org">John G. &amp; Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park</a> in downtown Cincinnati is currently underway, and the first phase looks pretty spectacular. Designed by <a href="http://www.sasaki.com/">Sasaki Associates</a>, this park connects the city of Cincinnati back to the Ohio River, which gave the city its birth in 1788. This two-level park provides residents and visitors with an event lawn, stage, pathways along the river, monuments, a tree grove, and water features.

The view of the Ohio River is clear from the top of the stairs leading from W Mehring Way to Walnut Street. Cascading water flows adjacent to the steps all the way down the stairs.

Back in the spring of 2011, John G. Smale, the former Chairman of Procter &amp; Gamble, gave a gift of $20 million to the Cincinnati Parks Foundation in honor of his late wife Phyllis.

The Bike Shop at the bottom of the stairs supplies residents and visitors with Bike rentals in order to enjoy downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

The historic Roebling Bridge (the precursor to the Brooklyn Bridge) stands proudly in front of the Smale Riverfront Park as one of the many sights a tourist can enjoy in downtown Cincinnati.

The park's economic impact is expected to be great, as it's expected to bring over one million visitors downtown. It also provides an excellent venue for major events and festivals, and it includes space for restaurants and concessions to generate revenue.

Wonderfully interactive water jets sit adjacent to the stair and elevator tower for all residents and visitors to enjoy during hot summer days.

Not too far from the stair and elevator tower is Paul Brown Stadium (home of the Bengals). From this stair and elevator tower the residents and visitors can hear the beautiful water curtain below on W Mehring Way.

The sustainable features include a solar panel array covering the stage, a vegetated roof covering the elevator tower, and a geothermal heating and cooling system for the Toilet Rooms, Bike Center, and the neighboring Morelein Lager House (great beer!).

What makes this project shine even more is that all of this is happening during the throes of the first phases of The Banks project.

The Banks is the large scale redevelopment of the Cincinnati Central Riverfront, which was approved back in 1997.

The Smale Riverfront Park sits dwarfed to the left of the Great American Ballpark (home of the Reds), but enjoys the same crowds on game day.