Five Design Challenge: Cincinnati Urban Monorail

I recently entered the Five Design Challenge, sponsored by MSA Architects.  The goal of the competition was:

"Convert Drivers to Riders" 

The charge is to take a deeper look at the public transit system in Cincinnati and with an eye on the city, help us solve the underlying problems associated with converting skeptical drivers into enthusiastic and educated riders.

As my friends in Okinawa will notice, I took a lot of inspiration from the Naha Monorail, which I used on almost a daily basis when I lived in Japan.While many of the entrants focused on bicycle traffic, modification to the bus system, and light rail, my concept was on a slightly larger scale.    My proposal was for an elevated monorail system that connects downtown Cincinnati, the NKY/C Airport, and other major city centers.  When the entire system is in place it would be possible to get from one station to the furthest station, on the other side of the city, in a little more than 30 minutes. This is faster than driving.  In addition, there is no place in the central city that is more than 15 min walk from a station.

The construction of the monorail would be in 4 phases which could be spread out over a period of about 8 years.  This would allow portions of the system to be in use while the rest is being completed.  In addition, the small footprint of the track supports and stations mean that existing roads and buildings would not be effected by the monorail's construction.
The monorail would be great for residents of Cincinnati and commuters, because they could quickly and easily get anywhere in the city without the need to drive and find parking.  For visitors it would be an even greater convenience, as there would be no need to ever use a rental car.  Once you land at the airport, or arrive at the train station, you can use the monorail to get to all of the major businesses, hotels, and universities in the city.  In addition, Cincinnati's roads are quite difficult to navigate for someone unfamiliar with the city, and the monorail would ensure that you could get anywhere you wanted to go without the fear of taking a wrong turn. 

I am happy to announce that this design was named in the top 15, and you can see this project and all of the other top submissions here: Five Design Competition: Top 15 Submissions
I would also like to thank Katsuya Suematsu (who finished 2nd) for telling me about the competition, Thea Simon for her help with locating stations, and Chris Gavin for his early help in developing the concept.