Alec OchsFall 2015 | Spring 2016

Urban Planning The University of Cincinnati

Table of Contents Alec Ochs 240 Calhoun St. Cincinnati OH, 45219 | 419-635-6534 | Ochsac@mail.uc.edu

Education Bachelor of Arts The University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OHMajor: Urban Planning

• Cumulative GPA: 3.67/4.00 Fall 2015

• Dean’s List academic recognition

Port Clinton High School, Port Clinton, OH• Graduated top 20 in my class, top ten of the guys

Spring 2015

ExperienceLawn Care Service

• Seasonally and personally manage/maintain 10 properties 2010-

Servers Assistant• Bay Point Resort• Worked with waiters/waitresses to maintain a smooth, enjoyable

2011-2014dinner experience for the guests by keeping tables clean, serving food to customers, and keeping the restaurant tidy

ActivitiesMemberDesign for America, The University of Cincinnati chapter

2016-• Participate in research and discussions with 6 groupmates

on how/what to design a project for people with diseases and disabilities • Goal is to make these individuals daily lives easier

1Table of contents | 1

Fall semester | 2015Studio sketches | 2

Studio Projects | 3

Sketchup/Photoshop projects | 4

Spring semester | 2016ArcGIS maps | 5

Neighborhood Study | 6

Writing examples | 7-8

Why I am Interested in Planning | 9-10

2 StudioThese sketches were drawn my first semester studio. The drawings to the left are miscelaneous buildings that I found intreging and the bottom image is Hughes high school, located in Cincinnati, OH. They are all drawn in pencil and are part of 100 skecthes i drew fall semestyer.

3 Studio cont.The drawing to the right was my final project in my studio fall 2015. It consists of: 1 elevation, 1 view, 2 sections, 1 detail and 1 figure ground.It contains places found on Ludlow Street in Cincinnati OH. Pencil was used for the en-tire drawing.

The bottom two drawings are part of a 3 part project. It is combing 1 elevation, 1 section, 1 figure ground and 1 detail of an enclosed space on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. The media used is pencil.

Alec OchsEye-Level View

Laguna Beach CA.

Alec Ochs

Ludlow Ave.

Eye-Level View

4Skecthup/PhotoshopThe image to the left was an elevated, re-alistic rendering produced in sketchup of what the space looks like.

The bottom left is a base renduring of the image above.

The bottom right is a project where I had to use this image and turn it into a lively town of my choice in photoshop. I chose a west coast surf town.

5 ArcGISThe bottom left was a case study in the Riverside, Sedamsville, and Lower Price Hill neighborhoods in Cincinnati made in ArcGIS. I tried to find a correlation between abandoned properties and variables such as: Slopes of the region, total population, and railroads. I did find a major link between the 3 variables and the vacant properties.

The bottom right is part of the mount lookout neighborhood analysis in Mount Look-out but was made in ArcGIS. It showcases the major roads of the neighborhood and lists the major intersections as well.

6Neighborhood StudyMount Lookout

Through the spring semester of 2016 my group produced maps showing data throughout the Mount Lookout neigh-borhood in Cincinnati OH. These maps area couple of maps I produced throughout the semester.

The Map below is an infograph that focuses on visual communication, displaying information by using images to explain statistcs.

The map below is a sensory map of the smells I came into contact with while walking through planned points through the neighborhood after documentation.

7

To some the city is a far away concret jungle luminescing in front of the dark horizon but to many more cities is a place to call home. The city is a main location for jobs, retail, and attractions; bringing an abundance of citizens with it. With the vast expansions of the development of cities the resources it's grown around dimin-ishes and the more foreign imports it depends on for its needs. The city is a parasite “they are dependent on a steady flow of supplies from the world’s farmlands, forests, and fishing grounds, without which they simply could not exist” (Girardet 86). Cities are the heart of energy consumption, leaving little to return to cultivate the environ-ment. It leaves behind a large carbon footprint that Girardet does not believe will get covered up soon, which is why a city is a pest. The city is a living organism, sucking energy from its host to survive. Cities have no concern for the future of the planet. Girardet is absolutely right from my perspective. As long as cities get the energy they crave no one asks question about where it comes from or about the devastation to forests, farmland and aquatic ecosystems that it creates. Urbanization has a domi-no effect. The energy sources that pleases it’s palet now may be what destroys it. The effects of global warming from the cities hunger are increasing at alarming rates and many cities have not adapted to the crisis. The host is depleting in size but the bug is getting hungrier. In order to stay alive the parasite needs to find a new host; green energy.

Writing example | 1

8

Planners can only do so much to keep the cities pollution low. Various theories are used by planners to accomplish such tasks. The rational model is used by many practicing planners and planning educators. The main goal is to make the planning process as rational and systematic as possible. Those who practice this theory focus on the first three steps in the model with five more steps that are less magnificent. First, define the problem. Second, clarify values and third; select goals. “If agreement is nec-essary for actions and the various parties have different values, making value clarifica-tion a requisite for the next step would make further progress impossible” (Levy 427). Value clarification sounds logical but more times than not cannot be done. On the contrary to the rational model is disjointed incrementalism. The focus of this theory is achieving agreements on goals through the creation of a short list of pos-sibilities and compromise. Lindblom believes planners should strongly be influenced by precedent and experience. “They should recognize the advantages of policy options that represent marginal or incremental changes from previous policies” (Levy 429). This theory is seen as effective until a problem occurs that needs the system to move in a new direction. One cannot predict the future so I do not see that as an effective way to plan for it.

Writing example | 2

9 Why I am Interested in Planning

http://www.hpp.com/abbildungen/presentation/001267.jpg

I am interestd in planning not because of what a city is but what a city could be. Like stated above, cities are often times seen a parasite and a concrete jungle. Withproper plannig a city can be quit the contrary. It can be sustainable and flourishing with green life. I am passionate about green energy and clean cities in design, use and implementaion and moving the planet towards that major but positive change. http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/06/067vwaa2divyattw.jpg

10Why I am Interested in Planning cont.

It is amazing what a pencil, paper and computer program can do to transform a space. It shows the potential of an area that may be in turmoil. A simple thought has the ability to change the landscape for years to come. With planning it can make smart cities that are designed for poeple with green space and more walking capabilities. The endless possibilites and ideas of how to make a city smarter is why I am passionate about planning.

http://www.lhbcorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Way-zataBay-sketchup-SW-birdseye.jpg

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5154a3e3f92ea1296f0227ad/FourConcepts.jpg

Alec OchsUrban Planning The University of CincinnatiFall 2015 | Spring 2016