From Art to Ads: Commodifying Space at the Indy Airport.
Posted by Eric McAfee in New Development on Dec 24th, 2014 | 6 comments
A few years ago, the still shiny-and-new Indianapolis International Airport (IND) found itself at the center of a mild controversy. The Airport Authority announced, after just three years in operation, what for some people amounted to a pretty significant concession: it was replacing one of the most prominent artistic installations with a large flat screen filled with animated clips of information on sponsors. In other words, it was creating a huge digital billboard, reneging on some the initial promises it made with regards to public art, in the eyes of many.
Multiple media sources, from...
Indy’s Streetcar Network: 91 Years Later
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Pedestrian, Transit on Dec 16th, 2014 | 6 comments
This morning I was cleaning up some files on my work computer, and I came across a map that I found of the old streetcar network from 1923. I linked this image back in 2008, but it’s worth revisiting again:
At my workplace, I was able to work on this file a little bit, and I created a shapefile of the network as faithfully as I could:
Basically, if I was unsure about the actual routes, I’d follow the roads in places where I could find historic mixed-use buildings in the city. The businesses located in these buildings often relied on their locations next to the streetcars, so I...
PSA to Drivers: Use the Stop Line
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Bicycling, Pedestrian on Dec 10th, 2014 | 25 comments
It’s an almost daily occurrence to spot drivers who stop well past the stop line. Most of the time, the drivers could easily stop before the line, but they ease on out past it anyways. These simple stop lines actually can have more than one function. They can give safe passage for pedestrians in the crosswalk and enable a safe turning radius for buses. Â Usually the car that is past the line will have to back up anyways to make room for the bus, adding yet another element of danger.
I’ve had to walk out into intersections on numerous occasions downtown. Â The driver is usually looking...
Downtown Cummins Executive HQ
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Neighborhoods, New Development on Dec 9th, 2014 | 13 comments
By now, pretty much everyone familiar with development in Indianapolis has seen the 2 eye-catching renderings of the proposed Cummins Executive Headquarters. If not, here they are:
This could raise the bar for architecture in Indianapolis. But is it good development? The city basically gave away prime real estate for new offices and a parking garage. There are plenty of office vacancies and lightly-used parking garages around downtown. But the amount of undeveloped downtown super blocks is finite. This makes the project is a bit more of a mixed bag overall.
I’m happy that they have left the...
