A report due out in late October says nearly 50% of Cincinnati's population growth occurred in neighborhoods with historic district designations.
Beth Johnson is the executive director of Cincinnati Preservation, which commissioned a study looking at the economic effects of preservation. She says there are studies from other cities, and on a nationwide scale, but nothing specific for Cincinnati.
Johnson says the study shows 5% of the city's land accounted for almost half of its population growth from 2020 to 2024.
“That 5% are the local historic districts. Our local historic districts are where our population growth is,” she says. “There’s often this myth that historic preservation or historic districts prevent development and that it freezes things in time, and that you can’t do anything new. That’s 100% false.”
Johnson says historic districts have character, and they're where people want to live. She says you can't build a new historic district, so it's best to save what already exists.
“You can’t get another Over-the-Rhine anywhere else. You can’t get another East Walnut Hills anywhere else. You can’t get another Northside anywhere else,” she says. “They’re so incredibly unique… that people find which one’s their personality and that’s where they want to go.”
Johnson says local leaders have been pushing to increase the number of non-white, and economically disadvantaged homeowners.
“We know that homeownership provides economic stability,” she says. “What is shown is that the non-white homeownership in local historic districts increased 154% between 2000 and 2024 while it declined in non-historic districts.”
The full study will be released Oct. 23.
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