Monthly archives: January, 2011

Indiana HB 1354 – Complete Streets

Complete Streets: Rendering looking south from Meridian & Westfield

Indiana House Bill 1354 was read on January 18th 2011. The bill as proposed would require INDOT to include “complete streets” guidelines into INDOT’s approved design manual. A summary of the bill, along with it’s travel through the legislature, can be read here. When I first read about this, I pumped my fist in the …

My experience with Italian HSR

ETR 500 high speed train at Venice Station (image source: me)

I met my wife in late 2006. We got to know each other quicky and before long, I had asked her to marry me. I met a woman who likes to travel. A LOT! So when it came to planning our wedding, travel was incorporated. Sure, people travel for their honeymoon, but for their wedding? Our …

The Midwest’s 21st Century ‘Place Proximity’ Asset

This article originally appeared on urbanOut. Richard Longworth’s recent article A New Year for the Midwest is particularly interesting as he dissects what 2011 may bring for many of the Midwest’s rust belt cities and their ailing economies.  While discussing the region’s antiquated manufacturing base and the need for cities to reinvent themselves around a modern …

Indianapolis Construction Roundup – 1/24/11

Welcome to the first installment of the Indianapolis Construction Roundup. My goal with this series is to provide regular updates — on a monthly or perhaps bi-monthly basis — on significant construction projects happening around downtown Indianapolis. If available, I will include photos and renderings for selected projects. For convenience, the names of each project …

Pogues Run Grocer and Made For Each Other

After 3 years of planning and delays, Indianapolis’ first food Co-op is up and running near the corner of 10th and Rural. The store’s major goal is to bring fresh and local produce to the neighborhood, but they also provide bulk and higher-end processed foods to appeal to a city-wide clientele. Pogues Run is collaborating …

Videos on Urban Issues

Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and let someone else do the thinking.  TED videos are about “ideas worth spreading”, and you can see them all for free at this link.  If anyone has some downtime and wants some food for thought, I recommend the following TED talks that are all relevant to urbanism: Jaime …

Urban Design Lessons from Lucas Oil Stadium

A version of this story was originally published in Greater Greater Washington as part a two-part series on urban football stadiums. Visit the original story for more comments, thoughts and opinions about case studies, both good and bad, of other recently built urban football stadiums in America. The Indianapolis Colts have played in an urban football …

Indianapolis MPO releases Transit Vision Document

Streetcar on Mass Ave (image source: MPO study)

As I have posted about before, the Indianapolis MPO is in charge of transportation planning in our region. Their governing region extends into other counties around the region. A federally mandated charge of theirs, is to keep a long range plan on hand that fiscally constrains our region’s transportation expansion over a 20 to 25 …

On Suburban Grit

One of the goals of our website is to promote attractive urban design for new proposals.  In contrast, the older areas of the inner city already have charm, even in the back alleys and neglected infrastructure (frequently captured by former Indianapolis blogger Matt Heidelberger.)  Urban Indy wouldn’t exist as a site without a shared love …

NE Corridor Opportunities Pt 2 – 71st & Binford

Pedestrian Gathering Space @ 71st & Graham (image source: MPO report)

Last week, I profiled 22nd Street and how the surrounding neighborhood is poised to benefit from the controversial NE Corridor line in Indianapolis planned in the Indyconnect proposal. This week, I will focus on the neighborhood roughly centered at 71st Street & Binford Blvd; the second area in my series of nodes along the line that fall within …