Cincinnati is a “Rust Belt” city in Ohio and the 66th largest city in the United States. It is a city undergoing a successful shift from old industry (farming, manufacturing) to new industry (biohealth, advanced manufacturing, and analytics). As the City's future evolves, one question that has emerged in collective local conscience is: how does the City build back equitably?

The vision of the Cincinnati Shapers hub is to provide a leadership platform for young adults from diverse backgrounds and interests to think globally and act locally. Cincinnati young professionals are well-positioned to tackle cross-cutting issues that affect the whole citt around governance, civic engagement, and democracy, as well as to draw on United Nations Goals around climate action (SDG 13), Peace, Justice and Strong institutions (Goal 16), and Decent Work and Economic Growth (goal 8). The impact areas may expand as the first group of Shapers are recruited and inform the hub’s first few projects.