My contact with the Meridian Kessler neighborhood association, Mary Owens, has contacted me about an emerging issue in the neighborhood.  Three times in the last year, citizens have demolished small single family homes in order to construct a larger home on the same lot. She sent me a an application for another such case, located …
Last month, I walked around the new 16 Park development. These apartments have replaced Caravelle Commons, which by most accounts has been a positive change for the neighborhood. Here is the aerial photo of the property that has been affected, taken in spring of 2011: All of the buildings in the north of the aerial …
On November 3rd, 2011, the Indianapolis MPO published a document (click to open .pdf) titled, “Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Corridor Elements Workshop”. The document is an in-depth examination of the study about to commence on the East-West corridor (Washington Street) and the North-South corridor (Meridian/College/Madison). As Urban Indy reported back in October, Indianapolis received …
A long-awaited extension of the Fall Creek Trail is set for construction later this year. This 1.4 mile segment will connect the current southern terminus at the Monon Trail to the orphaned spur of trail between Meridian St. and Central Ave. While comprehensive planning for the Fall Creek Trail route from the White River in …
Today marks the five year anniversary of the day that I founded the blog. Some blogs start with a fully formed sense of purpose and clearly stated goals. Well, this isn’t one of those blogs. Regardless of this inauspicious beginning, I hope the past five years of reading this blog have been as fun to …
A gas station proposed in Ransom Place Conservation District at the corner of 10th St. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.? Nixed by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission (IHPC). A gas station proposed in Herron Morton Place Historic District at the corner of 16th St. and Central Ave.? Passed by IHPC, but neighbors sue …
I might be the only one excited about this, but here goes. Remember the great sign at the Polk Dairy Stables that I posted about in 2008? The sign was removed in 2009, which was concerning: I am happy to report that after a few years, the sign has been repaired. This is a good …
The recent debate that has been raging here over the new bike lanes on Broad Ripple Avenue really touched off a fury of passionate debate among members of the urbanist community. On one side were folks (myself included) advocating for road diets to encourage slower traffic with the intended benefit being safer roads, sidewalks and …
I had a few minutes after class and snapped a few photos of the construction, now underway, on the last portion of the Cultural Trail downtown. The pavement has been torn up from Capitol Ave all the way to Senate and the parking looks like it will be gone once the trail is operating. …
The national conversation that has surrounded the most recent gas price jumps has been predictably frustrating. A whole lot of finger-pointing, but little self-analysis. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect about this conversation is the lack of creative and constructive solutions for people who wish to inoculate themselves from price spikes.  We usually hear the …