Author archives
People for Urban Progress turns four: a pictorial legacy.
[AUTHOR’S NOTE: I had to change the title because I mistakenly thought PUP was founded in early 2008. Having learned that it began operations in November of that year, it has clearly just passed its fourth anniversary. My apologies.] Perhaps it’s just another byproduct of our stereotypical self-effacement, but few Midwestern cities seem to assume …
Meridian and Morris: the heart of a neighborhood morphs into a gas tank.
Obviously not every old building in Center Township is architecturally distinct enough to justify a National Historic Landmark status; nor is every neighborhood sufficiently preserved in its original state to earn a National Park Service historic district recognition. But sometimes a structure deserves a little respect, because it captures the essence of what the neighborhood …
Indy City Market since 2009: an obvious improvement, but still room to grow.
Greenwood Main Street: Should It Surrender to the Flow?
Earlier in the month, the Indianapolis Star featured an article on the extensive development plans that are materializing for the City of Greenwood, with the goal of turning the historic main street back into a desirable retail destination for locals and visitors.  The southerly suburb’s commercial center sits at the convergence of Main Street and …
Indiana Landmarks’ Pop Up Mod Tour: A Chance to Look at Our Opinionated Selves in the Mirror.
“FRASIER: Remember when you used to think the 1812 Overture was a great piece of classical music? NILES: Was I ever that young?†-      Frasier, 1993. The recent press releases about the city-subsidized proposal for redeveloping the downtown IFD parcel along Massachusetts Avenue have generated an above-average level of buzz, both here, the Indianapolis …
The Barnes and Thornburg (Former Borders) Space: Salvaging What Should Be Prime Retail
An announcement from IBJ’s Property Lines last week raised eyebrows when the author revealed that MainSource Bank, the new tenant in the Barnes and Thornburg Building, was using its half of the leased space on South Meridian Street formerly occupied by Borders and embellishing it with a busy array of awning signs. The article noted …
Ritter Avenue: Time to Slim It Down?
On August 23, Mayor Ballard signed into approval Proposal 208, a Complete Streets ordinance that had already passed the City-County Council unanimously. No doubt most regular readers of this blog already know the basic principles of Complete Streets, but for those in the dark, the new ordinance will require that the City “shall develop a …
Infill opportunities? Connecting the dots with used car lots.
A few years ago I was touring a down-and-out portion of City X (it doesn’t really matter—could be any city) for the first time, when a colleague of mine made the observation: “You can immediately tell that land values are low here; just look at all these used car dealerships!â€Â I concurred without saying anything; …
Emerson Avenue: lopsided improvements.
The south side of Indianapolis has long perceived of itself as the most neglected part of town, and not just in terms of its relationship with local media. When it comes to investment from city agencies, whether Parks and Recreation, the City-County Public Library system, or mass transit, basic empirical evidence suggests that per capita …