LUDLOW — A train museum, redevelopment of the old Lagoon amusement park and a riverfront amphitheater are just a few ideas for revitalizing this little Ohio River town.

        Tonight, the public can give its opinion on nine proposals produced by a design department for improving Ludlow's physical appearance and stimulating economic development.

        Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three projects developed by students from the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning. Ludlow City Council member Gary Rolfsen II also has persuaded city and business leaders to provide funds to do actually implement one or two of the students' less-costly, short-term projects.

        “I'm hoping we're going to generate some major excitement,” said Mr. Rolfsen, who heads Ludlow's economic development committee. “We're going to see some major changes happening in Ludlow, and I think we'll be able to point back to this as the beginning.”

        In the past two years, this city of 4,409 has elected six political newcomers to city council, had a veteran politician appointed mayor, added its first gas pumps since 1995, and has seen work begin on a multimillion dollar condominium project, Ludlow's first large residential development in 20 years.

        Ludlow resident Patrick Snadon, an associate professor of architecture and interior design at UC, proposed in January that city officials let 30 architecture and urban planning students make Ludlow the subject of their design studio for the winter term, and Mr. Rolfsen readily agreed.

        “I think we're looking at the rebirth of the city,” said Mr. Rolfsen, who plans to incorporate some of the students' ideas into a marketing plan for the city, and use their information.

        The students' ideas include developing an open air train museum in an historic freight depot in south Ludlow, creating a residential development and park at the site of the old Lagoon amusement park just blocks from the riverfront, adding biking trails, an amphitheater and benches near Ludlow's riverfront, restoring downtown's historic commercial buildings, organizing walking and driving tours of historic sites, and improving the appearance of downtown streets, and adding retail and entertainment barges on the river.

        The students — divided into nine teams of three students each — first viewed the 1993 movie, Lost in Yonkers, which was filmed in Ludlow, then were asked to develop a major idea for improving the city.

        In developing their projects, the UC students examined such factors as demographic data, parking and square footage of commercial buildings. They also incorporated ideas from a Jan. 24 town meeting conducted by Brenda Scheer, an associate professor of urban planning at UC.

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