Indianapolis has been pushing hard to catch up with leading bicycle cities such as Portland and San Francisco. Seeing all that two-wheeled traffic in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods has been a blessing in so many ways – less pollution from cars, less vehicle congestion, better public health outcomes, and especially watching people get outside and …
Thanks again to everyone who arranged, volunteered, or attended the Better Blocks event on East Washington last weekend. It was great fun to see so many people there and even more fun to see the result – Indianapolis’ Main Street full of life, activity, and happy citizens. I was only a spectator myself, but was …
We were updating our social media and produced some of our favorite images in wide format. Find the whole collection on this Flickr set or see some favorites in the gallery below. I wanted to share these photos because I thought they showed many sides of the city, its people and its places. It will …
What is a Complete Bridge? Well, if you are familiar with transportation issues, you have probably heard of the phrase “Complete Street.” A Complete Bridge takes this concept of a Complete Street and applies the same standards of safe accessibility for non-motorized transportation. Complete Streets policies are an excellent way to ensure that our streetscapes …
Have you ever been to an old downtown and marveled at the historic buildings? Have you ever wondered how they could create such beautiful buildings on such small budgets, compared to the placeless architecture we are told is barely affordable today? The truth is that those multi-story, mixed-use buildings lining the street were built by …
Good urban design recognizes that the street has two sides. It doesn’t separate people on one side from shops on the other. Because in a world designed for automotive superiority, streets become barriers much too often. In short, a good street encourages jaywalking.
The Balcony is one of my favorite architectural inventions. They are important both in terms of aesthetic character and function, as they can give buildings a special look or a special purpose. For example, the balconies on the Marina City or Aqua Tower in Chicago become their identity, either by being repetitive or being different, …
On October 12, 1492, the first modern Europeans set foot in the land now known as the Americas. We tend to think of urbanism arriving with them. But the truth is that cities rose well before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. I wanted to share a few that exemplified the type of urban design happening …
The month of August has spoiled those of us who enjoy awesome things. Case in point: The inaugural Fountain Square Grand Prix bicycle criterium race held on August 18th, 2012. I loved the race being held on that day. There was a strong symbolism to the FSGP being held on the same weekend as the …
The weekend of August 17-19 was a great one for this Capital City, as documented in the IndyStar. There were a lot of options available and I hope everyone here took advantage of some. The Cataracts 2012 music festival was my event of choice, and I’m quite happy I attended. The music was great, the …