Uptown is one of three great connectors of the region: A Q&A with Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments’ CEO, Mark Policinski

Brooke Rapp
Uptown Consortium, Inc.

A connected region is critical for residents, workers, students, patients and visitors in Uptown Cincinnati. Increasi_ng the Greater Cincinnati region’s transportation offerings will continue to be a critical focus as the region continues to grow, retain and attract talent, and compete with other cities across the country.

Uptown Consortium, Inc. (UCI) connected with Mark Policinski, CEO of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) to learn about his career journey, transportation challenges and solutions for Uptown and the region, and a glimpse into OKI’s future.

OKI is a council of local governments, business organizations and community groups committed to developing collaborative strategies to improve the quality of life and the economic vitality of the region, and an organization that has worked closely with UCI since its inception in 2004. “OKI is a vitally important partner organization to us,” said Beth Robinson, President, and CEO of UCI. “OKI is committed to developing collaborative strategies to improve the quality of life and the economic vitality of the region. A focus on transportation to connect our region is an important piece of Uptown’s success.”

Below is one of the questions and responses from Mark Policinski. To view all the responses, please visit UCI’s website.

WHAT ROLE DOES UPTOWN PLAY IN THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORK?

“Uptown is one of three Great Connectors of the region, along with the CVG and the CBD. Uptown has the second-highest concentration of jobs in the region. Approximately 50,000 workers go to and around Uptown every day. Uptown is the “hospital of the region,” and thousands of patients depend on using its life-saving services every day. UC is a center of learning, culture, and entertainment for not only thousands of students but for all eight counties in this region. Because Uptown is of vital importance to a wide variety of daily lives, those lives are linked to its development. That development demands a modern, efficient transportation system that is moored to the entire region, and not just a few square blocks of it.

When I was pitching the solution to the MLK interchange, I said that the transportation and mobility problems of Uptown were a regional transportation and mobility issue. I was certain that the region could not reach its potential without fixing Uptown’s transportation issues. That is how important I believe Uptown is to the region’s road network.”