Good reading to pass the time: Tucson Streetcar
Portland Streetcar (not to be confused with anywhere else)
Since I have no tangible topics to post on today, I thought I would highlight a website that I have been visiting for a couple of months now exploring what a similar sized city is doing to impliment a modern streetcar system. Tucson, Arizona has planned, passed in a public vote and received funding to start engineering and constructoin of their version of a modern streetcar system.
Their website provides a really great interface for the public to keep up and read about what is happening, when it's going to happen and how it is going to happen. The diagrams are easy to understand with map overlays under where they want to put the tracks. It has inspired me to think about how a similar system could be implimented on the streets of Indianapolis.
I consider this good reading and if you enjoy looking at engineering drawings and "where is it going" type of planning, their website is full of it!
Public Transportation and Families
Since my wife and I are expecting our first child at practically any day now, I thought that this piece was timed pretty accordingly for someone in our position. It discusses the role of public transporation authorities and how they handle the boardings of children. Of course, the fact that it relates an experience in Portland, OR (a known Mecca of public transportation) and not Indianapolis, shouldnt matter MUCH since our communities are worlds apart when it comes to public transportation. If nothing else, it points out some pretty interesting things about urban vs suburban lifestyle in regards to children that even if you have no interest in riding a bus or a train to get where you are going, it will offer some interesting insights and conclusions. Without further ado, onto the link:
The West End of the the Cultural Trail’s North Leg
Looking SE from the intersection of St Clair & Indiana, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4, f7.1, ISO150, 6 seconds
Once again, I was out last night with my camera and a tripod after class. If you saw someone running around from a Jeep with a Nikon and a tripod, that was me. If it seems like I have been focusing a lot on this area of town, there is a reason. I've wanted to highlight a part of town that I feel a lot of the residents of Indianapolis may not even know or appreciate. Unless you live on the near west side, work in the medical district, or go to IUPUI, you likely don't get over there often. Not that I am trying to slight the near west side but when you think about trendy urban things, the portions of town that spring to mind are Mass Ave, Fountain Square or the Wholesale District. Indiana Ave while designated, I feel still gets left out. Perhaps there are some plans in the making that could change that... I will remain mum on that for now, but for now at least, we have the Cultural Trail making it's way to this part of town.
What you may not know is that while it has taken a while for the north leg of the Cultural Trail to progress along, the finishing touches are beginning to take shape. Simply to reiterate, the west end of the north leg runs along St Clair and intersects Indiana Avenue, just north of where Blackford meets Indiana. The bricks are all laid, the light posts and benches are set and a bus stop shelter are all new to the area. While the trail lights have not been "turned on" yet, they are there and aside from some landscaping it looks ready to unveil. I think I read somewhere that sometime in May-July there will be a ribbon cutting to officially open the North Leg. The trail will thread south through IUPUI's campus from here.
Recently, I highlighted the east end of Mass Ave in a guest post for Indianapolis Funcity Finder. You may not have read Indianapolis Funcity Finder, but its a labor of love by metro area realtor Mike Woods. He employs 9 full time writers to populate this website that is full of good articles about Indianapolis and the going's on in and around. If you have a minute, go check it out.
North leg construction in November of 2009, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4
In that post, I highlighted where there trail is threading through the more dense area of the near northeast side of downtown. Construction should kick into high gear this year to complete that portion of the trail. With temperatures finally pulling out of the REAL Indiana winter we just went through, workers should be out in full force soon!
Indiana Ave
Indiana Ave @ West Street, Nikon D90 w/ Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VR
My wife rented a really nice zoom lens this weekend for some figure skating photo shoots at Pan Am plaza downtown. Afterwards, I asked if I could borrow it to take a couple of photos. These two are on Indiana Avenue looking northwest. Nothing special about this area really just yet, except that you can see the Cultural Trail peaking out up there by Blackford Street.
Look at all those power lines! Nikon D90 w/ Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VR
Highlighting Zoning in Indy
In light of yesterday's post on Marion County's density numbers, I thought I would offer another article close to the heart of that topic. I stumbled across this on the Urban Times website. It was a post written by INArchitecture's Connie Zeigler. Today's post from me, is a re-post of her's by permission. If you have a few moments to spare and care about exploring Indianapolis' Architecture, visit her website located here.
The original article can be found here.
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In the modern city we take for granted that there are places where we live and places where we work and that, generally speaking, they aren’t the same place. This wasn’t always the case.
Throughout much of the history of Indianapolis, most people lived and worked in the same location. Zoning ordinances began to change that in the early 20th century. In some cases, these new ordinances recognized and perpetuated the intermingling of work places with residences. In other situations, zoning helped to create the divided city we now know by requiring distance between industry and homes and even between commercial establishments and residential areas.
In many ways, it was these 20th-century zoning rules that made Indianapolis residents more dependent on individual transportation than people who live in other metropolitan areas. In the 21st century we accept these enforced distances, but as we seek to become more environmentally friendly we may want to revisit the past as a way to look at our city in the future.
In the first decades after Indianapolis was founded there were farms along the edges of the city where families spent their home life and work life on the same property. And the edges were very close to the center of the early capitol. Indianapolis’s indefatigable diary keeper, Calvin Fletcher, lived on his farm, Woodlawn, in the area of current-day Fletcher Place/Fountain Square. It’s hard to imagine how Fletcher found time to farm, though, since he seems to have had a hand in just about every important and trivial activity in early Indianapolis, including helping to found the first bank, becoming an early land developer, and running a law practice.
It wasn’t just farmers who worked at their homes. Early merchants, especially in ethnic areas such as the heavily German Fountain Square and the German Jewish enclave on the Near Southside, lived behind or above their shop space. For instance, in the 1890s, a Jewish butcher named Mertz lived above his butcher shop in the fine brick building (which still stands) at 801 South Meridian St. Mertz probably worshipped at the Jewish Synagogue on South Meridian Street (demolished a few years ago), which was just a block from his work/home.
This south Meridian Street building once housed a butcher shop, with the butcher living upstairs
In addition to those whose home and work were under the same roof, in the mid- to late-19th century many residents plied their crafts from separate buildings on their properties. Old Sanborn fire insurance maps reveal that tin shops, liveries, and carpenter’s workshops show up in small buildings behind homes all over the city, including in the neighborhoods we now call the Old Northside, Chatham Arch and Fletcher Place.
These same Sanborn maps also show us that even those who worked in manufacturing establishments could have lived less than a block away from their workplace prior to the turn of the 20th century. This was true for residents of many downtown neighborhoods, including Lockerbie, as well as those in the near northeast Martindale area where sawmills and coke plants sat within and along the edges of that Downtown neighborhood just east of the current-day Monon trail.
The first official attempts at separating industries from home came in 1905 when the Indianapolis Common Council began to regulate the location of factories to keep them from being constructed in areas that were primarily residential. But, according to the “Encyclopedia of Indianapolis,” the Common Council didn’t pass the first official zoning ordinance for the city until 1922.
That ordinance established a volunteer City Plan Commission, which had powers to establish districts that would be based on property use. These “use districts” separated out single-family residential developments from multi-family apartments, and from business and both light and heavy industry. But this early zoning foray affected only new development. Old neighborhoods generally remained mixed in use, as they had always been.
The commission created the first master development plan for the city in 1935. The plan zoned Downtown for business, left what was seen at the time as the less desirable west and south sides as mixed-use zones and set standards for north and east side development to be almost exclusively residential.
After World War II, the urban blight and white flight caused the state legislature to consolidate the city and the county zoning commissions into the Metropolitan Planning Commission. This commission evolved into the Metropolitan Development Commission under Unigov in 1970.
Since then, the Department of Metropolitan Development has overseen zoning in the city. Although there is a process for seeking variances to zoning ordinances, generally speaking the DMD today continues to keep separate zones for work and homes. And, with few exceptions, those of us who live in Indianapolis now drive our cars away from home to other areas to do our shopping or begin our work day.
Indianapolis residents, perhaps more than most around the country, have embraced the concept of “commuting” created by these zoned divisions. We expect there to be considerable distance between work and home. We don’t want to smell or hear factories; often we are challenged even by the idea of neighborhood restaurants or groceries. And while in the modern world we believe there are health and/or quality- of-life reasons to have industries or businesses apart from homes, our 19th century forebears, lacking modern-day autos, instead embraced a walkable and varied-use city.
Basing Public Transportation decisions on Population Density?
Future NE Commuter Rail? This is Charlotte, NC Light rail (image credit: Todd Sumlin)
In letting the Indyconnect inniative set in, I have reviewed a LOT of comparable city's rail transportation systems and how their approach would best fit into the context of Indianapolis. One argument that I see often in the comment sections of the various local media outlets is that, "We aren't big enough!" or "We aren't dense enough!" or "Mass transit never pays for itself!" (but roads and their upkeep do? Give me a break...)
I thought about the first couple a bit though. Do we have enough people as a region? Well, yes. We have a large metro population. I took it a step further and asked, "Are we dense enough?" and to answer that, I relied on my quick yet not quite scientific internet assistant, wikipedia. For Marion County alone, they use 2000 Census figures to fill in the population totals and density. If you look at Marion County as a single entity, then you can easily make a strong case for it not being dense enough. They list Marion County as 2,172 people/sq mi. Taken further, Indianapolis proper is listed at 2,152 people/sq mi.
If you use these figures along and compare to other cities, the ones with successfully (I gauge that personally as 20K or better daily rider on a rail system) then you can start to draw a parallel around 3500-4000 people / sq. mi. Portland, OR checks in at over 4200 people/sq. mi. Austin Texas by comparison, a city getting ready to open it's light rail line, checks in @ 2557.
I have let this simmer a little bit and tried to think about how to classify the density inside of Marion County so I checked into the populations at the township level, which happily also have wikipedia pages. I created a rough graphic displaying how the population densities lay out. Pictures are worth so much more...
(Click to Enlarge)
Granted, this is 10 year old data and we know that suburban flight has probably improved the numbers in the NE, NW and SE corners of this graphic. This is merely an informal thought scribed down. But I think one can EASILY make the case for saying that inner Marion County certainly warrants some sort of mass transportation improvements.
In digesting this data, I applied it to my own thoughts and concerns surrounding the Indyconnect transportation initiative. Some of the langauge surrounding the commuter rail states that the portions of the line closer to the CBD could be ran as light rail-esque schedules meaning, through the day and non-peak commuter hours. Looking at the data, I think we can make a case that this is a well founded thought and the density numbers alone (at least from 2000) can support this decision.
So how do they decide on "how much" or "how little" rail to offer? I don't know..... Im not in the transportation planning business so can't put hard data on the table to support a decision. But I HAVE read a lot, and spent a lot of time examining other cities and I feel like we can almost make a case for double track electrified operations along the proposed "commuter routes" NE and South of the city. To that end, I still believe the graphic below, would represent a good thought in regards to the commuter designated lines. Make them double tracked along the yellow portions and offer 10-15 minute headways. Then maybe 20-30 minute headways further out at peak hours to accomodate the outer county commuters.
As always, Im open to conversation on this topic. It is merely one argument I would make to those who claim we aren't dense enough in Indianapolis to support rail based transporation options. The floor is now open to you my fellow readers... let's hear what you have to say!
EDIT: I thought it would be interesting to highlight a post from Portland Transport in regards to their new commuter rail option and why a case can be made that basing our first rail line around comuter (peak operation only) might be a bad idea! See this post (comedically named, "Where's that train?") for the comment in italics below. The part in bold particularly caught me because Ive thought the EXACT SAME THING in regards to commuter only in our region. Poor sentiment = low ridership...
WES may be on time, but it would be nice if more buses serving that area would connect to it and if it ran more than a few hours at peak periods. I thought about using it to go to Fry's a few weeks ago, but it wasn't running when I wanted to go, and I was worried about not having a return trip.
I know it's commuter rail. It's not MAX, but the limited schedule makes it barely worth using. Even if I lived near it I wouldn't use it because it stops running so early I'd be worried I'd miss the last train by working late.
Getting accurate arrival times for MAX rather than WES would be a much better investment at this point.
Cosmo fronting the Canal
Cosmo on the Canal, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4, F7.1, ISO 200, 3 sec
Nothing much here to say really. I took a few moments after school on Monday and took a tripod down on the canal with me to try and capture the Cosmo's canal facing side. I tell you what I did NOT like.... all the lights throwing ghosts in my lens. The good thing about wide angles is that they catch so much... unfortunately, they catch a lot of light and at night time, it gives weird looking reflections called "ghosts". So if you see some odd little color flares, that is what causes them. I had some grander looking photos that I took which were littered much worse than these with ghosts, so this is what I decided to post instead of those.
Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4, f7.1, ISO 200, 3 sec
2009: A year in Review
JW Hotel looking from West St, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4
2009 represented a year of extreme growth for me. As a photographer and as a volunteer. I spent a good portion of the year shooting with an Olympus OM1 or Mamiya 645 film camera. It wasnt until August that I was able to finally get my hands on a digital camera. The Nikon D90. It has been QUITE convenient to carry around.
I realize Im a little late to the "2009 in Review"... two months late in fact. However, I wanted to highlight 14 photos that I picked which showed the best that I have had to offer. Again, I give thanks to my wife who has helped me grow in my vision and overall ability to compose a good photo. Keep in mind that all the photos in the 2009 year in review are unedited and either direct off the camera, or straight off of a negative scan.
For the gallery, click here
Highlighting a couple First Friday shows
I thought I would use my space to promote a couple of events that open this coming first Friday in downtown Indy. First off, I had a hand in helping to get both of these shows on the wall. I spent the majority of my weekend helping get these up and the rest doing homework and now I am propping my eyes open with toothpicks.... okay so its not THAT bad. 
Your's Truly helping hang the show at the Cultural Arts Gallery; Photo by Casey Jo Ailes
My wife's show "20 x 20" will open at the Cultural Arts Gallery @ IUPUI's Campus Center this Friday March 5th. My wife has been hard at work on 10 abstract works and 10 photos, all printed 20" x 20" depicting tea pots. She focused on this over the past couple months after having given her painting students a similar assignment based around a common subject matter. I have personally witnessed all these works come together over the past couple of months and can say they are truly awesome! My wife took 1st place this past year in the Southside Art League's "Midwest National Abstract Art Show V". The paintings were all done in the same spirit and look glorious! We will both be hanging out there on Friday so take a half hour and depart the beaten art's path and come see us. The show will be worth your time spent. 
Her website can seen here, and has a few galleries of her photos and fine art paintings. Take a few minutes and give her site a look
A Nod to Haiti @ the Art Space; Photo by Casey Jo Ailes
On Saturday, I helped out at the Artspace at the Anthenaeum (the building the Rathskeller is in). Shows at this space need all the promotion that they can get since there are some higher on up people who dont display the desire to support this effort as much as they say so on the surface. But thats a personal dis of my own. Indy Metro Church who hosts services here on Sundays and maintains an office does a great job of promoting and a detailed description of the show can be seen at their website. ANYWAY, the show that will be up there this month is called, "A Nod to Haiti" and features MANY photos from local amateur photographer and medical missioneer Amy King. Amy and her husband Rob have been to Haiti 3 times on medical mission and most recently after the quake. The photos on display are from pre and post quake trips so all things are represented fairly. I had a hand in helping hang a lot of the pieces this past weekend. The opening is this coming Friday March 5th. Enter through the doors to the theater and go up the stairs til you cannot go up anymore, and you have reached the art space. They will be screening a documentary in a side room highlighting the plight of Haitians on a daily basis. All photos will be for sale. Dont want a photo? They will accept donations as well. All donations will go directly back into the hands of groups on the ground in Haiti instead of a bean counter's overhead. Amy highlighted the need for a generator by the group that they have went to Haiti with. So think about that if you decide to purchase a piece of art work.
5k Milestone
Thanks to all of you who have been frequenting the site. I keep an eye on the stats and my page visits have increased month over month for the last 6 months.
Today, we broke the 5000 page visit metric! Thanks to those who are actually reading.
