For quite some time, the intersection of Delaware and Merrill Street in downtown Indianapolis has been subjected to some particularly gnarly looking construction. What has been identified by the Indianapolis DPW as a “sanitatary sewer bypass” currently masks what will soon become the site of a rather transformative streetscape project. The DPW aims to transform Merrill Street …
 When does perception become reality? When a preconceived notion trumps all logic and becomes the first thought associated with a specific topic. Why is it then, that “light rail” seems to be the favored quarter when it comes to alternative transportation modes?  Last week, I tackled the first half of why we perceive light rail to be …
My interests in cities led me to enroll in Ball State University’s Master of Urban Design (MUD) program at their Indianapolis Center (CAP:IC). Urban design focuses on the public areas of our cities, including parks, plazas, transportation, and zoning/land use policy. The MUD program and CAP:IC are part of an effort to bring new ideas …
Recently, the Indianapolis MPO released a report (click to open 33 page .pdf) created to examine the spaghetti bowl of freight train traffic that comes and goes in the Indianapolis region. While this wasn’t a point of major debate through out the Indyconnect meeting periods, it bares a lot of responsibility when it comes to firming up the …
The Efroymson Conservation Center is one of the best new buildings in Indianapolis. It has several innovative features that make it a great fit for The Nature Conservancy. I encourage everyone to go explore it and see what it can teach us about conservation in the urban age. It’s hard to explain why this building …
Recently the question has been raised how to fix an ugly building, mostly in regards to the Di Rimini (and here and here and especially here). It is a hard question to answer without first discussing what “ugly” means. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are obvious problems with treating a …
In the fall of 2009, an infill development on the west side of downtown Indianapolis caused a stir with local urbanists. The DiRimini, or as it was called early on, Sarajo Commons, was set to take an empty lot on N. Capitol Avenue. The project is targetting IUPUI students and potential downtown dwellers. Finally, someone was stepping …
Next Friday, a group known as Architecture for Humanity is hosting Indianapolis’ version of (PARK)ing Day. This idea was first noted on this blog back in 2007, and I’ve often wondered if this could ever happen here. Well, I can wonder no more, as it actually took place last year: The group ensures that its …
Fall semester started at IUPUI in downtown Indy this week. I will be taking some classes on campus. As such, transportation becomes a big issue. IUPUI being a commuter campus draws a lot of people from outside of the core of Indy and by extension, provide areas for those people to park their cars. The …
Currently, West Street presents a 6-lane barrier between downtown and the White River State Park/IUPUI area. Crossing it on foot feels like it should be more of a sprint than a walk, and I’ve never felt comfortable doing so. The crosswalks do have generous crossing times, but mentally, the line-up of idling vehicles seems like …