The Chatham Arch Question, Part II: What Are the Consequences of Low Density Just a Mile from the Heart of Downtown?
Posted by Eric McAfee in Neighborhoods, New Development on Jan 11th, 2017 | 42 comments
In the first half of this two-part series I looked at the prevailing mentality articulated by some of the most influential members of the Chatham Arch neighborhood, evidenced by the Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association (CANA) and its near-unanimous opposition to the redevelopment of a long-vacant charter school site at 9th and East Streets, into a mix of townhomes, single-family, and apartments with retail. Essentially, CANA argued that this proposal’s density was out of synch with the character of the nationally-registered Chatham Arch historic neighborhood, which largely consists of modest...
Announcing new area meetup called Strong Indianapolis
Posted by Jim Hodapp in Bicycling, Neighborhoods, New Development, Pedestrian, Transit on Apr 28th, 2016 | 34 comments
I am very excited to officially announce a new area meetup called Strong Indianapolis that seeks to empower a local community of like-minded individuals who care about Indianapolis and want to see it flourish. We seek to continually make sure that Indianapolis is a livable, sustainable and desirable city for all people who live or just visit. What exactly does that mean? Let me give you some history about it and myself that might help explain things.
I’ve lived in Indianapolis for over ten years, first having moved here from Milwaukee to attend college at Butler University. Due to my...
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...
2011 State of Cycling in Indianapolis Report
Posted by Curt Ailes in Bicycling on Sep 14th, 2011 | 45 comments
2011 has been a busy year in Indianapolis with road repairs, sidewalk fixes and creation and the addition of more cycling infrastructure. Generally, I feel like I should leave coverage of cycling in the city to the folks over at IndyCog. My recent observations however, have spurred me to action.
This year we have seen a lot more construction of the Cultural Trail. I have reported fiercely on this project and given a lot of heated criticism in the area of the Conrad. However, at the core, this project has expanded vastly this year and should be mostly completed by the time the Super Bowl occurs...
A ride on Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line
Posted by Curt Ailes in Transit on Jun 21st, 2011 | 3 comments
My recent summer vacation took my family to Myrtle Beach, SC. By virtue of good fortune, and a wife who is accepting of my psychotic civic activism, we were able to spend a morning in Charlotte, NC to take a ride on the Lynx light rail line. The Lynx (or Blue Line) is a modern light rail system that opened in 2007 and operates daily on low overheads.
At this point in my advocacy, I consider it a treat to be able to ride a light rail train. So when we arrived, I was very excited to be able to experience the service. I had my camera at the ready! As we were approaching the elevator to get from ground...
