Making a city vibrant means paying attention to all of its voices and learning from all of its wisdoms. And the story –and history – of Cincinnati wouldn't be complete without the innovation, tenacity and creativity of nearly half the city's population, which is African American. Today in Soapbox, in the first part of a two-part series, we'll tell you about four up-and-coming black Cincinnatians who are making a mark in media, education and entrepreneurship.

The smaller buses that traverse the streets of Mt. Adams, downtown and the West End offer more than colorful exteriors and a route guaranteed to please museum-goers and downtown workers alike. Route #1 helps re-define Cincinnati's bus commuting scene with a sitting-room setting and a cast of friendly regulars. Soapbox's Jane Durrell takes a ride.

At Design Impact, Ramsey Ford and Kate Hanisian take their design and community development skills around the world, building sustainable social solutions that combine creativity and mutual respect.

Tom Hodges, a local attorney and Over-the-Rhine resident, recently became one of the youngest board members of SORTA, the regional transit authority that operates Metro. An advocate for improved public transportation, Hodges shares his thoughts in this week's blogs on where he thinks transportation dollars might best be spent, and gives us a first-hand account of his recent SORTA 'field trip' through southwestern Ohio.

This week Soapbox spends some time with Cincinnati's premier Green Realtors, Libby Hunter and Jami Stutzman. Both are local Cincinnati Realtors and are members of the U.S. Green Building Council who both share a passion for sustainable living. Believing that environmental responsibility lies at the core of their business practice, Stutzman and Hunter have built a successful real estate career around the belief that success can (and should) be based on ecologically-minded business decisions. For more information on Green Real Estate, check out their blog at www.encorecincinnati.com.

Fresh off the latest CEOs for Cities annual conference in Pittsburgh, Soapbox caught up with president and CEO, Carol Coletta. She happily agreed to blog for us this week. Be sure to visit each blog on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as Carol poses some questions, as well as insight, into the importance of innovative cities as vital components to a succesful future. 

Need some FUEL for your great idea? Take a look at this video, an introduction to a philanthropic initiative of Give Back Cincinnati, to see what community-focused start-ups are taking root around town.

When buildings are demolished, the debris is usually hauled off to a landfill.  However in the spirit of society's ever increasing environmental consciousness, the folks at Building Value in Northside began using an alternative method.  By deconstructing a building, they are able to salvage and reuse more than 80% of the building material.  As a subsidiary of the Easter Seals Work Resource Center, they also provide valuable job training in the process.   This week Soapbox and Seven/Seventy-Nine take you behind the scenes to show the benefits of deconstruction versus demolition.