Praveen and Anju Chawla are no strangers to the University of Cincinnati’s penchant for collaboration. The husband and wife duo are alumni of the university, and their two children are Bearcats as well.

WEB Ventures, an economic inclusion management team, leads Uptown Consortium’s (UCI) efforts to leverage the economic power of Uptown and the Uptown Innovation Corridor to create lasting opportunities for local residents and minority- and women-owned businesses.

Uptown’s top 10 fast facts of 2018.

The Uptown Consortium enlisted Sasaki, a global planning and design firm, to complete the master plan for the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Bringing a broad, comprehensive vision to the table, the firm is working to articulate a thoughtful implementation framework that balances land use, urban design, placemaking and real estate strategies. The result is an execution roadmap to create a world-class urban district.

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is developing a pipeline of diverse physicians to better care for an increasingly diverse patient population. By recruiting medical students, residents and faculty from different backgrounds, the UC College of Medicine is changing the face of medical care in the Cincinnati area, including the Uptown neighborhoods that UC calls home.

At the end of October, the Uptown Consortium (UCI) and its partners visited the innovation district in Atlanta to discuss successes and opportunities for the Uptown Innovation Corridor. UCI’s peer, the Midtown Alliance, shared unique insights about the planning and development of Midtown Atlanta, a vibrant, urban innovation hub located north of Atlanta’s downtown business district.

This past month, I visited our peer organization, Midtown Alliance in Atlanta, home to Tech Square, an innovation district linked to Georgia Tech. Launched over 15 years ago, Tech Square is one of the oldest and most successful innovation districts in the nation.

The Uptown Consortium (UCI) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Queen City Hills, LLC to develop a key corner of the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Queen City Hills, LLC is an ownership group comprised of prominent local executives with extensive business and real estate investment experience. The team is led by Ed Rigaud, David Foxx and Albert Smitherman.

The University of Cincinnati (UC) Gardner Neuroscience Institute, a partnership between UC College of Medicine and UC Health, is in the midst of constructing a $68 million, 114,000-square foot outpatient center in the Uptown Innovation Corridor. The building, located at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Eden Avenue, is one of many exciting developments in the Corridor.

Uptown is home to many entrepreneurs, small businesses and institutions that brighten the community with culture, service, entertainment and employment opportunities. Recently, we interviewed three community members who are contributing to Uptown’s exciting growth. Learn more about their passion projects and businesses below.