Cincinnati has lost 9 percent of its population since 1990. Its homeownership rate — at 38 percent — is one of the lowest in the nation.

        The candidates for mayor agree on the problems facing the city's neighborhoods. But they've come up with starkly different strategies for fixing them.

        Courtis Fuller's plan is one of broad strokes and bold-sounding initiatives, such as his “Mayor's Turf War” on blight.

        Charlie Luken, as with most of his platform, focuses on the not-so-sexy details — the little things that, if done right, can turn neighborhoods around. Those include a land-banking database, a housing court and an overhauled city zoning code.

        One hot-button issue has been subsidized housing.

        A proposal by Democratic Councilman John Cranley would, for all practical purposes, impose a moratorium on new low-income housing in the city.

        Mr. Luken supports the idea.

        “If you look at the numbers, one of the things that has happened in College Hill, Westwood and Price Hill is that they're over-impacted by subsidized housing,” he said. “What I'm saying is, enough is enough.”

        Mr. Fuller doesn't have a position on the issue. He said he supports efforts to make neighborhoods more stable, but also wants to see them remain inclusive.

        Similarly, Mr. Fuller has expressed reservations about attempts to bring upscale housing to poor neighborhoods such as Over-the-Rhine and the West End — especially if it means moving poor people out.

        Mr. Luken lives just blocks from Laurel Homes, a West End housing project being demolished and rebuilt with the help of a $200 million federal Hope VI grant.

        The goal, which Mr. Luken supports enthusiastically, is to replace the “projects” favored by housing policies of decades past with an integrated neighborhood of 372 rental units and 128 for-purchase homes.

        “Neighborhoods are only successful if they have a mix of residents of different incomes living together,” Mr. Luken said.

        But Mr. Fuller is more skeptical. As a television news reporter, he won a statewide journalism award for a story called “The Price of Progress,” which focused on what happened to the people evicted from Laurel Homes.

        “Maybe I'm just old-fashioned,” Mr. Fuller said. “I know mixed-income communities work, but sometimes we study things so much that we over-study them.

        “While there is Hope VI, there are still a lot of people without hope, because they've been moved out.”

        Beyond those philosophical differences, the two candidates have practical differences on how best to improve neighborhoods.

        Mr. Fuller's plan emphasizes investment:

        • A “Queen City Neighborhood Improvement Initiative” would use tax money paid by neighborhoods themselves — some from existing taxes and some, if property owners agree, new taxes — on improvements there.

        • An “Urban Gateways” project to offer low-interest loans to owners along main thoroughfares to improve the outside of their properties.

        • A restructuring of the city's Building Department to better allow residents to invest in their own homes and businesses.

        Mr. Luken's plan emphasizes changes in city government, such as a housing court that would keep better track of landlords.

        He also backs employer-assisted down payment programs and the Citirama tour of new homes in the city.

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