Report from DC/Railvolution 2011
Posted by Curt Ailes in Bicycling, Pedestrian, Transit on Oct 21st, 2011 | 19 comments
This year, I had the privilege of speaking at Railvolution in Washington DC. I was selected to a panel that included David Alpert & Matt Johnson of Greater Greater Washington and was moderated by Jeff Wood better known on the web & in blogging circles as, The Overhead Wire. For me, it was an honor to be sitting at the same table as these folks considering that they have all been at it longer than me and are generally who I have looked up to when it came to forming my blogging voice.
I was only able to attend the conference the day that I was speaking. The rest of my stay was spent playing...
Cultural Trail parking in front of the Conrad
Posted by Curt Ailes in Bicycling, Pedestrian on Aug 16th, 2011 | 17 comments
The past few weeks have been exciting regarding the completion of a short portion of the Cultural Trail along Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis. The reason for the excitement, was the expedited method with which construction was completed at the apparent request of the Conrad hotel. Many local talking heads have discussed the issue here as well as the Skyscraper City Indianapolis Development forum. Some local property managers and owners whom have been affected have even weighed in on the issue which highlights just how touchy people have become about this portion of trail. Not only that, the...
Will parking be allowed on the Cultural Trail in front of the Conrad?
Posted by Curt Ailes in Bicycling, Pedestrian on Aug 8th, 2011 | 21 comments
An interesting debate has been raging over on the Skyscraper City Indianapolis Development forum for about 4 weeks now. The debate has centered upon the design of the Cultural Trail’s Central Corridor as it passes in front of the Conrad hotel. For the uninformed, the Conrad has been using the sidewalk along Washington Street and in front of it’s hotel for years now as a staging spot for valet parking. It’s common to see a high end automobile sitting on the sidewalk at any point in time.
With the arrival of the Cultural Trail came the notion that perhaps the Conrad would be moving...
Goodbye Indianapolis – I’ll Miss You / Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You
Posted by Greg.Meckstroth in Neighborhoods on Jul 11th, 2011 | 9 comments
If you have ever read my blog urbanOut and followed the ‘Walking the Walk’ series about being car-free in Indy, you know that my walking habits rarely veered away from a few key streets in Downtown. For two years this was the life I lived, with no real desire to wander off course. But since June of this year, all that changed when my life took a significant detour off my normal walking routes and landed me in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where I now live. Earlier this year, I pursued a career opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. After a long interview process, a lot of waiting...
Tackling the 16 Tech Plan
Posted by Curt Ailes in Neighborhoods, New Development on Jul 7th, 2011 | 8 comments
The week of June 13th was an exciting one in Indianapolis. The Broad Ripple Parking Garage was announced. CIRTA launched a campaign to build a transit coalition to present to state lawmakers. And the City announced the 16 Tech Technology district that would be anchored by a redeveloped Bush Stadium. On the surface, the 16 Tech proposal looks like a positive one. An underdeveloped neighborhood with a culturally rich past gets a boost from the city while urban thinking residents are appeased by the presence of pedestrian and bike friendly infrastructure.
Indeed, The Technology Trail should be a...
