As one of a slew of successful placemaking initiatives of late, along with the recently reopened Washington Park, Cincinnati’s Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park is a key component of the city’s resurgent urban identity. It’s a multi-faceted design, aspiring to filter water for flood control, provide green space and connect two downtown stadiums with a multimodal trail along the Ohio River.

Smale, designed by Sasaki Associates, is also the site of a bike hub that ties two-wheel infrastructure into the city and two regional trail systems: the Ohio River Trail and the Ohio to Erie Trail. Along the edge of the park’s grand stair and within sight of both bike trails and the parking garage, the facility is intended to encourage travel by bicycle, Quadcycle and Segway. The hub celebrates its first birthday this May.

This Friday April 19, Cincinnati will convene a panel to discuss multimodal connectivity throughout the city, including bikeways and bus rapid transit, co-sponsored by the Urban Cincy blog and the University of Cincinnati’s Niehoff Studio. According to Urban Cincy, the event will “include discussion about how multi-modal transportation concepts can be applied throughout Cincinnati.”