2008 - 2010
Great Streets and Gateways
The theme of the 2008-2010 Niehoff Studio cycle is informed by findings of the Growth and Opportunities Plan for the City of Cincinnati (GO Cincinnati) study completed in January 2008 and sponsored by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the City of Cincinnati. Coursework during this studio term will apply the study's economic development strategies on the Hopple Street - Martin Luther King Drive - Madison Road corridor from Camp Washington to Madisonville in Cincinnati (referred to as the MLK-Madison corridor). Using a “place-based” approach, students will analyze and produce urban design strategy proposals for the corridor as a whole as well as particular development areas along it.

The "Great Streets" concept describes a "multidisciplinary approach to corridor improvement comprising public realm investments, strategic land use plans, public safety strategies, and economic development assistance" originating from an initiative of the District of Columbia.

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2004 - 2006
Over the Rhine Project
During 2004-06 interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty focused the work of the studio on the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati . Working with stakeholders and community groups, the studio developed research and design project proposals that promote positive change in this underserved inner-city community.

Project work addressed issues of human capital development, economic development, health and the environment, community development, education, and housing. Students and faculty worked directly with community partners to develop research and design strategies. The studio also developed new and expanded partnerships with University departments and units as well as other institutions, such as Miami University Center for Community Engagement and the Art Academy.

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2002 - 2004
Urban Food and Quality of Life
The content focus of the studio in years 2002-04 was on food production, distribution, and retailing. The studio included interdisciplinary work and research in urban food retailing, urban design, and quality of life issues for urban supermarkets and their neighborhoods.

From early times to the present, food has occupied a central place in the urban community. The food we eat is telling of our identity, our ethnicity, our social class, our political and social views, and our state of health.
Access to urban retail food outlets by diverse socio - economic, ethnic, and age groups; the distribution and design of these outlets and associated uses in the physical and social urban fabric; and the current and emerging trends in retail food on consumer preferences; the presence and use of food in public places; the production and availability of fresh food to urban points of sale; and other food related issues are important considerations to food retailers, local governments, planners, urban designers, architects, and other urban professionals.

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