A Car-Free Guide to Indianapolis, New Years Eve addition
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Bicycling, Neighborhoods, New Development, Pedestrian, Transit on Dec 31st, 2015 | 9 comments
I last posted this article in 2012 for the Super Bowl. I was amazed at how much has changed since then. Most of the text will be the same, but I’ll update links and add new options as needed. I’ve also deleted out much of the information that applied to visitors, this edition of the guide is mainly intended for residents. Please mention any information that is incorrect, or other tips that you may have.
Where to Stay
A google or kayak search can find a boatload of chain hotels near the Convention Center, but the city features other locally-owned options. This might be too-little,...
City Market (Again): Maximizing the Tenant Potential.
Posted by Eric McAfee in Historical Posts on Dec 21st, 2015 | 34 comments
I first featured the plight of the City Market on my personal blog, American Dirt, back in 2009, when it was in dire straits, just as it had been for many years. Decades, even. It was a pretty grim place: most of the perimeter simply offered unnecessary seating, the central vendor stalls were only-half full, and the ambiance of the market was cavernous and sterile, even during the peak lunch hour. I specifically interviewed local businesses for their opinions on City Market—successful operations like Moody’s Meats and Goose the Market—but neither one had much positive to say: the...
360 Market and Cummins in Progress
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Neighborhoods on Dec 11th, 2015 | 8 comments
Ok, I admit that I’m now a daily auto commuter. This has been true for a while. But this does give me the opportunity to see the progress of the 360 Market and Cummins buildings on an almost daily basis. Here are some gloomy photos of them as of this morning:
I then walk down the temporarily covered Market Street corridor to my office. Most construction projects in Indy force pedestrians to use the other side of the street, but this route was used so often that a request was made to keep it open. I wish it were more common to see barrier-protected temporary sidewalks in construction...
Penn Street’s Protected Bike Lane
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Bicycling, Neighborhoods, New Development on Dec 2nd, 2015 | 36 comments
Much has been made in the media recently about the new configuration of Pennsylvania Street between St. Clair and Washington. Some of it has been informative, and some hasn’t. Â It’s a good idea at this time to take a step back and reflect on the main goal of the initiative: To increase safety for bicyclists.
Partially because of the backlash, I decided to wait until they were closer to being finished to write a post on these lanes. There still may be a little bit of work left to do, but they are close enough now that the improvement is getting more obvious:
Here are some pdfs that...
Guest Post: Indy’s Most Needed Pedestrian Walkways by Dr. Jill Saligoe-Simmel
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Neighborhoods, New Development, Pedestrian on Nov 17th, 2015 | 19 comments
Walkable cities contribute to people’s overall health, safety, and quality of life. This study prioritizes missing pedestrian walkways to help identify where investment should be focused in Indianapolis.
Although it has some very walkable areas of town, overall Indy ranks low in nationwide surveys of walkability (Walkscore.com). Recent efforts are underway in Indianapolis to enhance walkability, as demonstrated by its recently adopted Complete Streets Ordinance and the Health By Design et.al. Indy WalkWays initiative. A large land area and limited budget require the City find...
