Urban Indy

Now on to the final part of my series on Placemaking in Meridian-Kessler neighborhood. It has been a fun process. Here are 6 opportunities to improve the neighborhood. Apologies for not making it to 10, but I didn’t want to dilute the list too much. If anyone else has a unique idea, I’d be glad to add it to the list. 1. Better Mass Transit options. I’ve been trying to avoid actually ranking items while making this list, but the obvious number one opportunity for the neighborhood (and the city in general) is to improve on our skeletal bus system. I would love a street car on College Avenue, but would simply settle for more frequent service (this goes for the Castleton and Nora … Read entire article »

Time for the next installment of Placemaking. The following are 10 places that don’t work in Meridian-Kessler 1. Former video store at 52nd and College. Suburban design that requires an unattractive illuminated street sign in order to see what is in the store, because the building is set back from the street much farther than the rest of the commercial buildings on the block. 2. No bike lanes (yet). This is less of an issue because the area is served by the nearby Monon Trail. 3. Cheap Fast Food restaurants near 38th and College. Unfortunately, these are the only places in the area that many nearby residents can afford, which leads to health issues that are well known. 4. No official parks. It’s actually amazing that there are no … Read entire article »

Inspired by this post on A Place of Sense, I decided to try my hand at similar one for my neighborhood, Meridian-Kessler. I will start with 10 places that work, and post 10 places that don’t work and 10 opportunities for growth in the near future. These are listed in no particular order. 10 places that work: 1. Yats. A neighborhood institution that has thrived without its own parking lot. The restaurant itself is a model of efficiency, but also proves that efficiency doesn’t have to be boring. 2. The Monon Trail. I’m not sure what I would have done without the excellent bike path just a few blocks from my house that originates downtown and now ends to the north of Carmel. If trains happen … Read entire article »