Photo Credit: Eric Gilliland via Flickr Last week I traveled to Washington DC with my wife and daughter. While my wife was in conference, and our baby was with family, I had the opportunity to try out DC’s Bike Share program. I was completely impressed at how tourist friendly this service is compared to …
My recent summer vacation took my family to Myrtle Beach, SC. By virtue of good fortune, and a wife who is accepting of my psychotic civic activism, we were able to spend a morning in Charlotte, NC to take a ride on the Lynx light rail line. The Lynx (or Blue Line) is a modern …
Sidewalks are a contentious topic around these parts. We here at Urban Indy like to advocate for more of them. Wider ones than currently exist and even go as far as to say, “Why don’t you add a grass strip between the street and the sidewalk for an extra measure of safety.” It is easy …
Word about a new neighborhood map for the city came to me unexpectedly. Phil Hooper, from DMD and the Greater Indianapolis Neighborhood Initiative, stopped me in the lobby of the City County Building, and the first thing he said was “have you seen the new Indianapolis neighborhood map?” He was excited, and I was intrigued. …
When I think about the Chamber of Commerce, I envision a small group of old white men in suits sitting around smoky board rooms, glumly deciding the fate of the world. Their Neo-Gothic building does nothing to dissuade that impression. However, the Chamber has been nothing of the sort in recent history. Their recent push …
When Indyconnect unveiled its first proposal for a long range transit plan for the Indianapolis region (February 2010), many people were happy about what had been included in the plan.Transit backers were thrilled that light rail transit was planned along Washington Street from the airport to the east side. Finally, vocal advocates (myself included) had something …
Here is the June 2011 Wallpaper.I have been SERIOUSLY slacking on the wallpaper. I blame in no specific order the wrapping up of spring semester (I passed both classes), spending time with the family (my son just turned 1!!), WORK which has been beyond ridiculously busy lately and generally catching up on real life. As …
As part of what appears to be an outreach effort on the part of INDOT, they are planning 3 statewide open houses to gather public input and comment on the development of a statewide rail plan. The outreach at it’s core is serving as their commitment to soliciting feedback from the public on what we …
Having worked downtown for eleven years, I’ve seen every convention group that we’ve hosted. And who are they? They are church groups and future farmers, hardware store owners and race car suppliers, firefighters and D&D masters. They fill the hotels and restaurants and bars downtown. They do some shopping, but very few are shopping at …
Indy’s soon-to-be-complete Cultural Trail has been heralded since its inception as a triumph in public-private partnership. Combining federal grants and private donations, the Cultural Trail has significantly added to the walkability of downtown without much reliance on local tax dollars. With the recent influx of development in Fountain Square in anticipation of the trail’s completion, …