Walnut Hills, now one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Cincinnati, was one of the least desirable just a few short years ago. The recent efforts of the Walnut Hills

Redevelopment Foundation (WHRF) have yielded over $80 million in development projects in the historic commercial corridor and has created an excitement and significant momentum. While this has spurred a sense of hope for the residents, many of which are African-Americans with low-to-moderate incomes, it also sparked a conversation about displacement and gentrification. Simultaneously, the WHRF and the City were in need of answers to technical questions around everything from street design to parking to the market audience. The plan helped solve these interrelated problems in a 10 year Strategic Investment Plan that set the stage for growth without displacement. Along with the development of the plan the Design Discovery process helped guide site layouts of over $50 million in mixed-use projects. This meaningfully connected stakeholders to these catalytic projects that, in turn, led to a smooth entitlement process. The Strategic Investment Plan also included a tool kit to mitigate the

displacement of long-term residents and a Look Book to help in neighborhood marketing and storytelling.