(02-11-2021 09:40 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote: The other thing that really holds UC back, in terms of being land-locked, is the general animosity and antipathy that exists between the City of Cincinnati and the University. So, part of the Burnett Woods issue is not only the issue of "Greenspace" and "Nature Preservation," but also that Burnett Woods functions as a "buffer" between the Campus and the neighborhoods, so any move by UC to "use" Burnett Woods instantly becomes one of "encroachment." If the Campus tried to expand by purchasing adjacent...even derelict...properties, you'd have a fight on your hands by Coreyville and Clifton neighborhoods over encroachment. Yes, there is the sheer cost of property acquisition, but you also have to deal with the surrounding neighborhoods and their associations, who frankly don't want to see UC grow.
Our situation is more akin to Temple University... Philadelphia enjoys the benefits having Temple University brings, but at the same time the City constantly fights Temple University. I have never really understood the antipathy that the City of Cincinnati has towards UC; UC is the single biggest employer in Cincinnati, it's a world-class University, the Hospital and Medical School makes Cincinnati a much better place to live in, and the University sports teams have brought both entertainment and success to the city at prices most common people can actually afford. And yet, the City at best turns a blind eye towards the University and at worst seems to oppose the University from ever growing beyond what it already is. Contrast that with my experience living in Morgantown, where WVU does pretty much whatever they want and Mon County funds everything from a brand-new baseball stadium to now a new natatorium even while the University continues to eat Morgantown and the County like a cancer, from the inside-out.
The City of Cincinnati and it's neighborhoods would do better, I think, if they actually worked WITH UC rather than constantly fighting against UC...but I don't see that happening any time soon. So, UC is probably stuck with the current campus footprint for the foreseeable future.
I think the city is pro-park, not anti-UC.
Burnett Woods is off-limits. But the city supported UC taking all the land between Calhoun and McMillan via eminent domain. The city persisted in their support despite years of lawsuits. The city also supported UC in constructing Stratford Heights, if I recall correctly.
The main problem is that UC is one of the densest university campuses in the country. We have only 137 acres.
I looked up about 4 dozen inner city schools a few years back, and here's the densest ones I could find:
642 students/acre - - Depaul ( 36 acres, 23110 students )
590 students/acre - - Columbia ( 56 acres, 33,032 students ) has several branch campuses
565 students/acre - - Portland State ( 50 acres, 28,241 students )
344 students/acre - - Temple ( 115 acres, 39,515 students )
324 students/acre - - Cincinnati ( 137 acres, 44,338 students )
267 students/acre - - UW-Milwaukee ( 104 acres, 27,813 students )
218 students/acre - - NYU ( 230 acres, 50,027 students )
217 students/acre - - Pitt ( 132 acres, 28,617 students )
217 students/acre - - San Francisco State ( 134 acres, 29,045 students )
209 students/acre - - San Jose State ( 154 acres, 32,154 students )
207 students/acre - - Cleveland State ( 85 acres, 17,620 students )