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This is for us
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Bicycling, Neighborhoods, New Development, Pedestrian, Transit on Aug 7th, 2019 | 53 comments
Mass transit will never be the same again in Indianapolis. Finally, after years of planning, public meetings, and construction, Indianapolis is going to kick off the Red Line in less than a month.
Lately, I’ve been seeing some online hand-wringing from residents that seem to be rooting for the system to fail. And I suppose that’s only natural here in Indy. It’s big, it’s obvious, and it’s…not for cars? It took away auto lanes? What a not-in-Indy thing. Sure, we’ve nibbled around the edges with reclaiming the public space for all things non-auto (thank you...
8/5 Red Line Update
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Neighborhoods, Transit on Aug 5th, 2019 | 13 comments
Major construction throughout the Red Line project has ended. The biggest new change has been the addition of red Bus Only lanes downtown from 18th Street to the State House. Here are some photos of that area, from twitter user @robyniko:
Meanwhile, with the introduction of the street medians and some more red paint, traffic throughout the northern section at least seems to be moving at a sane speed, a first for my 20 year history of north College Ave. Here’s some new photos of the station at 52nd and College.
Here’s the IndyGo E-mail blast for this week:
Three Week...
An Open Letter to DMD: Please Allow More than Single Family Housing on City Streets
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Neighborhoods, New Development, Pedestrian, Transit on Jul 15th, 2019 | 8 comments
Last year, I wrote an article about the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development’s seeming devotion to neighborhood land use plans. This is still an ongoing issue, as mid-block duplex proposals keep getting denied by the Metropolitan Development Commission. This is a sure-fire way to raise housing costs, and stifle the growth of our burgeoning transit system.
And now, they are not even listening to their own advice regarding land use plans. Witness a few bullet points, starting on the 15th page of the latest MDC Staff Report:
This request would rezone the site from the D-5 District to...
Residential Solar Power
Posted by Andrew Arenson in Neighborhoods on Jun 30th, 2019 | 5 comments
The current 30% federal tax credit for installing solar panels will go down each year before being eliminated in 2022.
Join the Solar United Neighbors co-op by July 31st, 2019 to get a bulk rate on installation. There’s no obligation.
Saving money
Whether or not you want to save the environment, you almost certainly want to save money on electricity. The best way to do either is to reduce your usage — more efficient light bulbs and appliances, turning off things you’re not using, line drying clothes, etc. – but solar panels can help a lot, too. How much depends...
Guest Post from Taylor Firestine: UIndy Richard M. Fairbanks Symposium on Civic Leadership: Unigov at 50,
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Neighborhoods, New Development on Jun 14th, 2019 | 3 comments
Editors note: This guest post was provided to Urban Indy from an employee of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. We will also welcome any comments or rebuttals that readers might contribute.
Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the sixth annual Richard M. Fairbanks Symposium on Civic Leadership at UIndy. The event included three panel discussions regarding the 50th anniversary of Unigov. I wanted to share some of the major themes and takeaways with everyone. The symposium was especially timely, given Sen. Richard Lugar’s death.
The event opened with a short...
