I’m often asked about coworking. I give the “get out of the house” explanation. I give the community story. But if pressed, I give the Cincinnati answer.
The Cincinnati answer begins in Columbus. I am on some random Columbus mailing lists, and I one day I realized that Columbus has a lot going on. If someone asked me if Columbus is more innovative than Cincinnati, I am tempted to say yes. Why does Columbus have a GiveCamp and Cincinnati doesn’t? PodCamp? Wordcamp? Freegeek? Tech swaps? A bootcamp program for startups? Inexpensive community classes? And yes, coworking.
I know of no less than four coworking spaces, apparently thriving, in Columbus. It’s probably more like six, if you include incubator-type spaces, with probably more in the art/hacking genre.
(Now, I am primarily talking about web, tech, and design activities. If you throw in things like gallery walks, street fairs, and festivals, I’m sure Columbus doesn’t hold a candle to Cincy. 🙂 )
Why aren’t these types of things happening in Cincinnati? I used to think that Cincinnati and Columbus had the same things going on. That they were just harder to find, smaller here. Now, I’m not so sure.
But it’s getting better. I know this firsthand because lately I could attend a different startup, technology, marketing, social media, or entrepreneurial event every night of the week if I wanted to here in Cincy. In time, I think that Cincinnati can achieve the same kind of energy present in cities like Columbus, and even surpass them. Starting with things like Jelly Cincinnati, our mission at Cincinnati Coworks is to be a part of that.
Does Cincinnati have some of these things, and I’m just not aware? Let us know in the comments.
25 years ago, Columbus was “cowtown”, smaller than and duller than either Cincy or Columbus. Deliberate policy decisions by the state and a unified municipal/county government change that, making it into the largest city in the state.
Columbus is also “flatter” than Cincy in two ways: It has a larger system universities–dominated by the biggest in the state– which are more integrated with the city as a whole than Cincinnati. It’s also flat in a geographic sense, which aids in that first type of integration in that it’s easier to get around.
Improve the integration of our educational institutions with the rest of the city, particularly downtown, and you’ll see more happening.
I think the streetcar is an interesting way to start, but a master plan that addresses how to make the most of the educational resources we have, attracting new students and keeping them here after graduation, is also needed.
Darn it, the first sentence should end “Cincy or Cleveland.”
Doh. 🙂