 When does perception become reality? When a preconceived notion trumps all logic and becomes the first thought associated with a specific topic. Why is it then, that “light rail” seems to be the favored quarter when it comes to alternative transportation modes?  Last week, I tackled the first half of why we perceive light rail to be …
I’m always intrigued by buildings that have barely survived removal via eminent domain. Â They give a fair indication of other structures that were not so lucky. Â One of the most handsome in the city is the former Standard Oil Company Building, now home to Entheos Architects on Lord Street in Fletcher Place. The structure stands …
My interests in cities led me to enroll in Ball State University’s Master of Urban Design (MUD) program at their Indianapolis Center (CAP:IC). Urban design focuses on the public areas of our cities, including parks, plazas, transportation, and zoning/land use policy. The MUD program and CAP:IC are part of an effort to bring new ideas …
The recent announcement that the downtown Borders location would be among those that the bookseller would be shuttering in the near future is a reminder that we live in a fast-changing world with emerging trends that don’t necessarily benefit the strategies Indianapolis has employed to drive the growth in its downtown sector.
When Indyconnect released their latest revised plan, “light rail” was gutted from the 25 year vision and “commuter rail” routes previously slated for the NE and S corridors, were lengthened from their originally proposed routes. The basis for the removal of light rail wasn’t against the merits of commuter rail over light rail; it was for the geographic …
Today, I had the luck of squeezing my way into the listening session for the transportation surface bill in Indianapolis. I say luck because the seats were spoken for 4 days ago. I stood the entire time, and had to hang around after a baliff told the couple dozen people standing outside to please leave. …
The data is in, and it is concerning.  A quick look at our city’s recent census data release proves that most of the city’s urban core is still depopulating.  We can not afford to say as a state that certain segments of the population are no longer welcome.  In fact, we should be taking the opposite …
For those of you so inclined to toss away a couple hours of your Saturday afternoon/evening, there will be a meeting at the City-County Building located in downtown Indianapolis in room T-260. Per the release, “Congressman Mica is holding listening sessions and other meetings around the country to inform the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s …
If you’ve ever watched Sex and the City, you can’t help but take note of the moments when Carrie is walking to and from her Upper East Side apartment. If you’re like me you might think ‘now that is a neighborhood I would love to live in.’ The intimate narrow streets, beautiful human scaled buildings, and …
For years, a dilapidated structure has sat on a triangular patch of land on Indianapolis’ northeast side. The property bound by Binford Blvd, Allisonville Road and 45th street named Keystone Towers is a structure which for all intents and purposes, has turned into an eyesore. It is abandoned, behind on property taxes, vermin infested and …