Lower Price Hill: Ohio's First Climate Safe Neighborhood

Lower Price Hill is a small neighborhood west of downtown Cincinnati. Bordered by the Ohio River to the south and Mill Creek to the east, Lower Price Hill has always been a tight knit community that has persevered through myriad challenges. During WWII, increased manufacturing resulted in large populations of Appalachians and African Americans migrating to Lower Price Hill and the Mill Creek Valley to fill job vacancies.

The Equity Advisory Group was created in partnership by the City of Cincinnati Office of Environment and Sustainability, Green Umbrella, & Groundwork Ohio River Valley. The EAG was designed as a focus group to execute Climate Safe Neighborhood's three goals:

1. Engage residents in conversations about climate change concerns and adaptation methods unique to their neighborhoods, arming them with the knowledge to advocate for resources.
2. Raise awareness of the relationship between a neighborhood's history and current climate-related issues.
3. Strengthen the City of Cincinnati's climate planning process by creating neighborhood-level climate resiliency plans that prioritize community voices and needs.

Due to Covid, recruitment and outreach were limited to mainly online networks and some flyering in the community. Groundwork sent flyers and position descriptions to numerous organizations that are anchored in the community, who sent them out to their resident networks. There were 11 members of the Lower Price Hill community that joined the EAG, all from a variety of different races, ages, and economic backgrounds.

Throughout the process, members discussed the history of Lower Price Hill, residents’ contemporary priorities, as well as how climate change disproportionately impacts the neighborhood. Community members were introduced to a variety of nature-based and infrastructural solutions that would adapt LPH to the threats of climate change. During the fifth meeting, partners from the NAACP, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, Community Council, and Ohio River Trail West were invited to see how their work aligned with the EAG’s climate plan. Community members were introduced to a variety of nature-based and infrastructural solutions that would adapt LPH to the threats of climate change.

After a discussion on what can be done to reduce heat, flooding, and air pollution, residents were asked what environmental improvements they would like to see be made to the North and Northwestern parts of Lower Price Hill through a mapping exercise. They mapped the rest of the neighborhood at home. Vacant and underutilized lots were highlighted as areas to focus on. 

Groundwork has been working to implement the additional trees and green spaces recommended by the residents. As of September 2021, Groundwork has assisted the Community Council in receiving a Community Budget Request for Street Trees in LPH, which will add 40 trees to the neighborhood. Groundwork has also started work on transforming the Burns Street lot, thanks to the generosity of property owners Albert & Carla Lang. This space will include fruit trees, native trees, native pollinator beds, benches, and artwork. To install the solutions, Groundwork hires youth and young adults from underserved neighborhoods in the  Green Team  and  Green Corps  programs. 

Recently, Groundwork started working with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to install a particulate matter sensor throughout the neighborhood. This will allow for a better understanding of air pollution in the neighborhood, in turn, allowing for targeted mitigation strategies. While Groundwork will continue to seek funding and work with property owners to make LPH a climate-resilient community, they will also continue to work with OES to develop new engagement methods for the Green Cincinnati Plan that ensure equity is the focus in coming years.

On November 14, 2022, community members, Groundwork staff, Cincinnati Parks staff, the Community Learning Center, and 120 volunteers from MadTree Brewing planted 70 trees in feasible Lower Price Hill locations recommended by CAG members. The event was the culmination of two years of planning and the realization of one of the primary goals of the LPH Resurgency plan, to increase the tree canopy in Lower Price Hill.

In June 2024 Groundwork ORV trained a group of 10 Lower Price Hill residents to water the street trees planted near their homes during the Tree Planting Day in Lower Price Hill. Over the next 3-4 months residents were paid to water their assigned trees.