Recently, at the behest of Cincinnati City Council, area design firms released ideas and concepts of how to utilize the abandoned Cincinnati subway tunnels, and the ideas and concepts are HITS!
Here is the article: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/04/01/cincinnati-public-transportation-abandoned-subway-tunnels/82670091007/
These are the coolest ideas I've heard in a long time
Utilizing the subway tunnels would add a brilliant dynamic to midwestern city that has seen Billions of dollars of investment in in the last decade.
Cincinnati Needs a World Class Attraction
Cincinnatians of all types would benefit from these types of attraction; there's nothing better than extending our underground ruin leftover from the beer making days in Over The Rhine with underground experiences along the transportation corridor. A rebirth of our largest failure into the new economy, paying off a hundred years later.
World Renown City
Cincinnati does well when we are able to attract visitors from around the globe. While there are many good reasons to come to Cincinnati, having world-class experiences that you will tell people about your time in Cincinnati keeps us on the Global map. The utilization of the old subway tunnels is perfect cool, it fits into our history and underground OTR remnants.
Some of the ideas posed here are the kind of experiences that put a city on the global map, must-try experiences.
Attract Global Wealth
The market is global, we want to attract very wealthy families here. Utilization of the abandoned subway tunnels and the ideas shown in the Cincinnati.com article are the great experiences that make it happen and that only Cincinnati is positioned to do.
Here is the article: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/04/01/cincinnati-public-transportation-abandoned-subway-tunnels/82670091007/
Here are my Favorites:
1. Kayaking in the old subway tunnels
Kayaking in the old subway tunnels would a unique world class experience. Think light and art show projection mapping cinematic escapades, darkness the perfect canvas for light, laser, and art show. Life changing experience, beautiful.
Visualize a taste: It could look like this: projection mapping on the tunnel walls and below the water line. The AI had an issue with keeping the like projection Koi fish submerged under the water, a Kayaker would be able to look below them and see Koi, manatees, and even a blue whale or killer whales... with proper lighting, and darkness anything is possible.
https://youtu.be/GKMmsuMTwz8?feature=shared
2. Bathhouses. Public Hot Tubs.
This town needs a private business owner to run a hot tub business and in a venue like this, a bathhouse would be epic relaxation in style and grace. Another experience to right home about, underground bathhouses, well-maintained hot tubs, drinks, massages, saunas, a relaxation station.
3. Resturuant bar. The event arena is too perfect. Long dining table, cool private booths....
4. Dancehall. The echo though :(
5. Art gallery, meeting spaces: Stellar underground spaces reused.
5 All of the above?
A Private & Public Partnership.
This could be done first as private business investments. The earliest community scale projects in Cincinnati were private, the inclines; as were the bars and resturaunts at the tops of the incline. These ventures could be private. The Private Public partnership means the public will reduce any red tape around the ventures, provide space and right aways for said time, set aside liabilities, agree to service for emergencies, provide maps and data, and other elements to help the private investors create this community building experience.
Attracting people from all over the globe and the Country is good for everyone in Cincinnati. The ultimate investment would be private.
Cincinnati, take a look at these pictures and then make this happen.
Underground ventures, experiences, relaxation... underground tours, we are building on our past when we develope the undergound our past built.