In February, Cincinnati Tomorrow issued "The Creative City," an action plan with recommendations on how to aggressively attract young creative people. Some of the recommendations are already in play:

Two months after "Creative City" suggested bringing in Artspace Projects, the Minneapolis developer specializing in artist live/work space in rehabilitated buildings, a visit was co-hosted by City Council's Arts and Culture Committee.

Cincinnati Tomorrow also hit upon the idea of a citywide Fringe Festival at about the same time as Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival. (Cincinnati Shakespeare will debut a fringe fest in May 2004.)

Among many other bright ideas:

• In tourism and media campaigns, focus on activities, attractions and places like MidPoint Music Festival, Final Fridays and extreme sports.

• Embrace the Flying Pig as city mascot.

• Explore the creation of a Fringe Arts Fund to meet the needs of emerging artists.

• Launch a Web site that streams recordings of local music concerts for people to sample.

• Replace elevator music with Cincinnati sounds. Play local music in the airport, office lobbies and shopping complexes.

• Create an initiative to help young African-American musicians gain access to recording technology and performance venues.

• Establish a weekend, 24-hour bus transit program that connects cultural institutions, nightlife venues and energetic neighborhoods.

• Commission artists to paint select Metro buses, especially in conjunction with the proposed weekend "culture and nightlife" transit line.

• Create "evening out" packages.

• Make artists a part of the city's Facade Improvement Program.

• Spotlight the work of DAAP design students by offering them free downtown retail space.