Near-East side "homeownership incubator"

The Indianapolis Business Journal has posted a follow-up on the Super Bowl legacy project on the Near-East Side. The article mentions that the project intends to use the Jefferson Apartments (with a picture currently on the IBJ's front page) as a homeownership incubator. The homes they are referring to in this case are being built or rehabbed in the nearby area. I find this idea intriguing, and wonder if this has worked in other cases in this city (or even anywhere else in the country). If a reader happens to know of one, please mention so in the comments.

New Links

One of my favorite parts of having a blog is the inspiration that can be found from new and unexpected sources. There have been a few intriguing discussions and developments that deserve to be featured:

• iNDianapolis 2.0 is a new blog written by a team of Ball State urban design students. It's always invigorating to see fresh perspectives on this subject.
  

• Huston Street Racing unleashed an awesome study of the possible future of rail transit in Indy.

• Culture in Family Dollar parking lots? It's not as crazy as it sounds. It was mentioned in two different locations: 1836 E 10th Street, and 1017 East Morris Street.

• The Citizens Alliance for Transit is an organization that lobbies at the State House in support of better transportation options for our cities and towns.
  

Intersection in need of a re-design: Delaware and Fall Creek

If you've ever traveled this intersection in anything but a car, you know what I'm talking about here. The sidewalks end just south of Fall Creek Boulevard, only to reappear one block to the north. (Sidewalks are colored maroon). It's no safer for cyclists: I've ridden in a bicycle north on Delaware towards Washington Boulevard, and pretty much felt like this. I'm not sure how we could reconfigure this intersection to be friendlier for all users, but it is currently a major barrier between Fall Creek Place and Mapleton-Fall Creek.

Chatham Center Market

It's been a good week of people contacting me and giving me juicy information. Larry Jones sent me a proposal (warning, file will expire within 14 days or 500 downloads) to host a permanent community market in the Chatham Center building. The meeting before the IHPC board takes place February 3rd at 5:30 pm in the City County Building's Assembly room.

Fountain Square update

Last month, I posted some concerns that I had regarding the Fountain Square project. In the comments, I was contacted by the firm responsible for the redesign. Last Friday I met with Eric Fulford from NINebark, along with Paul Baumgarten of SEND, and they brought renderings of their vision for the project. There's also a longer PDF of the groups long-term vision (warning, this link is only live for 14 days or 500 downloads). They were gracious enough to let me post the square's renderings here:






They also assured me that the removal of the parking lane along Prospect Street was only temporary.

Major features of the project include:

• The creation of crosswalks that are shorter in distance, meaning that pedestrians will be less at-risk than they are currently. Most significantly, the cars going north on Shelby will come to a stop further south, making the crosswalk more prominent and obvious to drivers.
  

• A smaller left turn from westbound Prospect Street to southbound Shelby, which initially concerned me. However, they are also moving the curb out towards the square on the west side of the street.

• The creation of a public plaza in place of a present-day parking lot. I was previously aware of this part of the project, but it certainly deserves a mention.
  

Moving back to the PDF of their long term vision, the most exciting aspect for me was the reconfiguration of Woodlawn Avenue along its historic alignment, freeing up a ton of space for new development. It's a great idea, but until it receives funding, it will remain on the drawing board.

It was great to meet with these gentlemen, and I wish them success.

Navel Gazing update: Urban Indy has a facebook fanpage

I created a facebook fan page for this website. I'm hoping it can be a space where sharing of information is easier. Many people out there know more about projects and initiatives than I do, so I'm hoping it can be a communal effort. If something juicy is posted on the fan page, I can blog about it here. We'll see if this works...

Nice article on repair shops in the Star

This article on repair shops around town touches on a topic that I have not yet covered. I admit I'm not always the best at looking to repair something and fall in to the common trap of planned obsolescence. With so many new goods available at our fingertips, and household items that are built cheaply, I often lose sight of the idea that I should value the quality items that I do have. Perhaps this will be my belated New Years Resolution: next time something that I value breaks or wears down, I'm going to first look to repair it before buying something new.