Author archives

I am an Indianapolis native who has lived in his HT off and on over the years, as well as the Deep South, the Northeast, and overseas. Trained in urban planning, I am less interested in macro/policy-level exploration of urban affairs. But when it comes to highly local and micro-level issues, you'll see me step up to the plate. The devil is in the details! My blog, American Dirt, explores landscapes urban and rural across the country (and a little bit abroad).

The Chatham Arch Question, Part II: What Are the Consequences of Low Density Just a Mile from the Heart of Downtown?

In the first half of this two-part series I looked at the prevailing mentality articulated by some of the most influential members of the Chatham Arch neighborhood, evidenced by the Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association (CANA) and its near-unanimous opposition to the redevelopment of a long-vacant charter school site at 9th and East Streets, into a mix …

The Case in Greenwood: Why America Deserves Its Retail Blight.

The local media thoroughly covered the City of Greenwood’s announcement that it had finally secured a developer for the site at the southeast corner of the I-65/County Line Road interchange—a tract where numerous proposals had come to light, most prominently featuring a Cabela’s. But, time and time again, none had materialized…part of the aftermath of …

Digital Archaeology through Google Street View

“The apple that’s fresh is ripe to the core, and I rot over time and I’m not anymore.” –Sloan & Pelling   I’m probably a day late and a dollar short on noticing the time-scroll feature available with Google Street View. Perhaps it’s been there for months—years even. I just figured it out its full …

From Art to Ads: Commodifying Space at the Indy Airport.

A few years ago, the still shiny-and-new Indianapolis International Airport (IND) found itself at the center of a mild controversy. The Airport Authority announced, after just three years in operation, what for some people amounted to a pretty significant concession: it was replacing one of the most prominent artistic installations with a large flat screen …