Headed to Railvolution!
Last month, I submitted a scholarship application to Railvolution. Railvolution is a yearly conference that is held in a different major transit friendly city across the nation. It is a week long conference based around “Building livable communities with transit”. This year, is in Portland, Oregon and will be on October 18th-21st.
Yesterday, I received word that my scholarship application was accepted! This will cover a good portion of my expenses. I will be attending primarily as a representative of People for Urban Progress but as part of the terms of my accepting the scholarship, I have to be open to sharing whatever I learn with local media outlets. Those of you who follow me, know that I do not have a problem talking about transportation, so expect to see something late October about my travels.
I still have a lot of work to do to scrape the last bit of $$ together to make it, but the largest hurdle has been cleared, and it appears that I will be there! Stay tuned
Parking Garage: Coming soon to a small scaled neighborhood near you!
California Street parking garage @ IUPUI nears completion
The local media reported recently on an announcement by the city that they have chosen to lease the operation of metered parking to ACS, a private company out of Dallas, TX. Kirsten of Urban Indy reported on this previously before the announcement and discussed what it could mean for the future of parking. There were many things pointed out such as how this has failed cities like Chicago with the political will to do this on the city level. She has an analysis of the released proposal up now as well. Aaron Renn of the Urbanophile seems to be talking a lot about this lately in regards to Chicago, and Indianapolis and in the larger context, private leasing of public infrastructure. It tackles the policy side more than the planning and and public interface side of things, although he does touch on that as well. It’s good reading if you have the time.
The target of this article is based upon a statement made by Mayor Greg Ballard regarding the Broad Ripple neighborhood. He stated, “ …the $35 million from ACS will be used in part to pay for a new parking garage in Broad Ripple. The city is already scouting locations and hope to announce details in the near future.”
Recently, Broad Ripple Village business owners made a plea for more parking in the village area in the form of a “parking garage”. They asked for this apparently to reduce the amount of walking that people have to do to get to their shops. They also cited areas like Glendale (located at 62nd & Keystone Ave roughly a mile away) would be taking their shoppers when people couldn’t find quick parking in the Village. Glendale, they claim, can do this largely in part to it’s mall heritage and glut of open parking that is ALWAYS available. Users there are never charged a penny to park.
If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting the Broad Ripple village, you will note that parking IS a major concern. Especially for those not familiar with the area. And while the strip through the village makes for a nearly non-existant chance at parking ,if you merely drive a few blocks off that beaten path, you are likely to find parking. Most any place you will park throughout the neighborhood will highlight the more 2nd tier set of businesses that while equally as charming are not on the Avenue.
However, comparing the Broad Ripple shopping experience and the Glendale shopping experience is on the surface laughable. Glendale contains a Target, Macy’s and a few chain restaurants. Conversely, Broad Ripple is by a large majority, niche local businesses with only a few small chains permeating the mix. Additionally, my wife pointed out that on a recent trip to Broad Ripple to make some business meetings, she was unable to locate business hours on a handfull of shops located on or near the strip; that were closed in the middle of the day. Perhaps those same business owners complaining about business lost to Glendale would be able to retain said “lost business” if they were frank about when they are open? I digress…
With all this in mind, in a recent meeting, some business owners asked that a parking garage be constructed somewhere in the neighborhood. Even more alarming, was at the meeting that was conducted, Ryan Vaughn, City-County Council president and representative of the area, proclaimed his support for just such a structure.
I’d be remiss at this point if I wasn’t proclaiming my continued dismay at this idea. As those of you who follow me know, I am a HUGE advocate of an improved transit system for Indianapolis. Broad Ripple is a prime target for some sort of transportation improvement whether it is in the form of increased frequency of buses, or more attractive streetcar service from downtown; as has been advocated by many a people in the area. On the surface, I agree with a price increase in parking. It’s been literally decades since this happened, and I philosophically believe that a doubling in parking rates will cause people to think twice about parking and look at cheaper, and more sustainable, options like taking the bus. The downstream affect of this is building a trend of increased ridership, lower parking requirements for downtown development, and an increase in good urban design that also has the happy offset of increased tax revenue. But that is walking a long line of,”if this happens, that will happens”
As a group, we at Urban Indy have spent some time discussing this issue. At this point the parking garage plan has the backing of the City Council area rep & president. The Mayor, and the largely vocal Broad Ripple Village business owners. That likely means, a parking garage is coming. So how do urbanists try and get their fair share of this pie? We can look at other examples of parking garages good and bad. A typical downtown parking garage usually takes up a lot of space and has no interface with the public. FAIL.
Ivy Tech Multimodal Parking Facility
We can look at the Ivy Tech Multimodal Center being constructed at the Indianapolis campus located at Fall Creek Parkway and Meridian Street. It will be 4 floors tall with the top 3 floors consisting of automobile parking. The ground floor will contain a library and a Bus Transit center. I have not been on site recently to survey the progress but on the surface, that is a good mixing of the available transit modes and the library is obviously a win.
In Bloomington, IN (and I have never seen this structure at all) there is another garage with a Scotty’s Brewhouse (regional bar) and a Subway that both seem to be doing well.
Scotty's Brewhouse Bloomington (photo from flickr user Apertome)
Both of these models offer something which the city could look at when designing a structure for the Broad Ripple area. With all the parking garages going up around town, there should be some sort of accountability for the continued promotion of automobile oriented transportation that is wildly proliferating around town. Just off the top of my head, I know that Wishard will be getting a huge parking structure. IUPUI is finishing up the California Street garage, and recently, Clarian announced an expansion in the area of 16th and Capital, which will also (surprise…) include an 1100 space garage; albeit with some allowance for first floor commercial space for medical and perhaps some other street level access.
A wish list of features that we at Urban Indy would like to see:
1. Include attractive first floor retail spaces
2. Match style of nearby structures
3. Address sidewalk directly; no pedestrian tunnels, skywalks, or interior mall spaces
4. Design structure so it can be repurposed into another use when Indy transit system reduces need for extra parking
5. Enact a market based pricing scheme for all parking spots (on-street and structure)
6. Include reduced/subsidized parking for bicyclists (and lockers/shower facilities)
7. Eliminate all on-site/off-street parking requirements for local properties
IndyGO’s S-Pass for IUPUI students, a great value
IndyGO IUPUI S-Pass
Fall semester started at IUPUI in downtown Indy this week. I will be taking some classes on campus. As such, transportation becomes a big issue. IUPUI being a commuter campus draws a lot of people from outside of the core of Indy and by extension, provide areas for those people to park their cars. The lack of a robust transit system forces the bulk of students to drive to school.
I live just in bicycling range of school and as luck would have it, this year’s students were provided with (for free with tuition) the IndyGO S-Pass, which grants free trips on all of IndyGO’s fixed routes. If tallied against the expense of 12 months worth of 31 day passes, this is a $720 value. Not a bad catch for someone who doesn’t mind using the bus.
So this morning, I finally was able to get into the transportation office during business hours and pick mine up. My plan will be bicycling to school, and taking the Route 17 bus back to Broad Ripple and riding the surface streets the rest of the way home. All to avoid paying for a parking pass and discouraging more automobile oriented facilities on the campus which could be better served by educational facilities.
Mass Ave Criterium Wrap-Up
If you managed to somehow overlook the fact that a large portion of downtown Indy was blocked off for an all day bike race this past week, then here is your sign. The Mass Ave Criterium was held on Saturday August 14th in the Mass Ave area of downtown. The following wrap up is courteousy of Ben Hunt of the Indy Cog. Pictures are by your’s truly who managed to make it downtown for the very last race. Special thanks to my wife for giving into my crazy photo taking whims after what had been a long day in the heat.
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Mass Ave Criterium
By: Ben Hunt
-The Indy Cog
It’s not too often an entire district of our city gets completely taken over by bicycles, but this past Saturday, that is exactly what happened. This year’s Mass Ave Criterium had an energy that I feel has lacked in the past years. The street was completely alive, and it felt like cycling taking another huge step to legitimacy in Indianapolis.
Mass Ave Criterium
Luckily INDYCOG was set-up at the start/finish line across from the announcer’s booth, so we were in the middle of the action all day witnessing all the winners, sprints for primes, and the fans cheering on their favorite cyclists. The enthusiasm of the crowd created such an energetic atmosphere it was impossible to not become an instant fanatic of the cyclists as they crushed down the main straight away.
Mass Ave Criterium
The addition of New Belgium Brewery as the title sponsor, the solid core of local sponsors, and the excellent promotion really made this event a complete success; the spectacle that is the Mass Ave Criterium is only going to grow in size and popularity in the upcoming years.
Mass Ave Criterium Wrap-Up
If you managed to somehow overlook the fact that a large portion of downtown Indy was blocked off for an all day bike race this past week, then here is your sign. The Mass Ave Criterium was held on Saturday August 14th in the Mass Ave area of downtown. The following wrap up is courteousy of Ben Hunt of the Indy Cog. Pictures are by your’s truly who managed to make it downtown for the very last race. Special thanks to my wife for giving into my crazy photo taking whims after what had been a long day in the heat.
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Mass Ave Criterium
By: Ben Hunt
-The Indy Cog
It’s not too often an entire district of our city gets completely taken over by bicycles, but this past Saturday, that is exactly what happened. This year’s Mass Ave Criterium had an energy that I feel has lacked in the past years. The street was completely alive, and it felt like cycling taking another huge step to legitimacy in Indianapolis.
Mass Ave Criterium
Luckily INDYCOG was set-up at the start/finish line across from the announcer’s booth, so we were in the middle of the action all day witnessing all the winners, sprints for primes, and the fans cheering on their favorite cyclists. The enthusiasm of the crowd created such an energetic atmosphere it was impossible to not become an instant fanatic of the cyclists as they crushed down the main straight away.
Mass Ave Criterium
The addition of New Belgium Brewery as the title sponsor, the solid core of local sponsors, and the excellent promotion really made this event a complete success; the spectacle that is the Mass Ave Criterium is only going to grow in size and popularity in the upcoming years.
A visit to Carmel, IN
Arts District Lofts & Shoppes, Nikon D700 w/ Nikkor 28-70 f2.8
This past Monday, I had the pleasure of attending Wine & Canvas night in Carmel with my wife. Their Main Street (downtown) seems to be rapidly urbanizing. For a burb located 15 miles from the regional CBD, they are doing well. This photo is of a statue on the sidewalk on West Main Street. If you are an advocate of things urban, it really is worth your time to go walk through the Main Street area. There was another development coming together that doesn't quite ruin the scale and doesn't look like your typical EIFS clad mess of garbage.
Statue on Main Street, Nikon D700 w/ Nikkor 28-70 f2.8
Does the Indianapolis Convention Center Renovation represent a failure of design?
Convention Center 3-Photo Stitch from Canon Powershot Point & Shoot (click to enlarge)
This past Sunday, my wife and I had the last minute pleasure of attending the first pre-season Colts game. It was a hot August Indianapolis weekend. We witnessed a great performance by the first team, and then a mediocre performance by the Colts “B” team.
When we decided to make our way out of Lucas Oil Stadium, we left by way of the north gate which lies on South Street and gives you a grand view of downtown Indianapolis’ skyline.
If we back up for a second and take a look at what is going on in this area of downtown, we should go back a few years when planners decided to build a new stadium. This also included the renovation and expansion of the Convention Center; a place that could be considered one of Indianapolis financial main arteries. The renovation included moving into some of the space made clear by the demolition of the RCA dome.
If you happen to witness the current on going construction from Maryland, Capital or Georgia Street, the design represents a modern looking and attractive structure. One could see it from these sides and proclaim that even while it is a low profile structure for a CBD, it will get the job done in a somewhat attractive manner.
Convention Center Entrance under construction 8/2010
Then you look at what is going on from South Street, and by extension, the North Gate of Lucas Oil Stadium and it looks like Ford or General Motors moved in and constructed a parts manufacturing plant. There is nothing but an entire block of two stories of aluminum siding. My wife made this comment, and I couldn’t agree more.
Digging into this, I found that Ratio Architects covered the design as well as a couple of other local architecture firms Blackburn Architects and Domain Architects. I attempted to research on each of the architect’s websites what they may have been involved with, but Blackburn’s website cited that they were involved in some of the interior design and Domain’s website was so difficult to navigate, I closed the browser after 5 frustrating minutes.
How could this have happened? In looking at how comparatively good the rest of the expansion is looking, how was one of the most visible facades of the convention center allowed to turn out this way? Was this part assigned to the design “B” team like the remaining 3 quarters of the football game I witnessed this weekend? I have spent about an hour’s worth of time trying to dig into the available information on the web to see if there is anything covering the exterior, but there does not seem to be that level of detail readily available.
I hope that eventually I am proven wrong and that something will be here to replace what looks like the side of an automobile parts manufacturing plant. Is this the face that we want to show to the people who will be attending the Super Bowl here in 2012? Granted, there is plenty of good looking skyline, but a two block long corrugated aluminum wall is going to detract from that.
Some other ideas for sprucing this up could involve some sort of Indianapolis themed mural. Maybe some sort of foliage along the CSX viaduct that travels adjacent and in the foreground would help to distract from the plain appearance. At this point, I am spitballing. As always, comment is welcome and if someone in the know has something to add to this, please comment on it so that the rest of us will know.
Editor’s Note: This post is referenced in an IBJ Property Lines Blog post located here
Multimodal Study Prioritizes Transit Based Development in Carmel
Carmel Circulator Loops (image from MPO report)
A recently completed study by private consultant Storrow & Kinsella looked at the future of the Carmel region and how to lay a road map to sustain the success of recent and current projects going on in the quickly urbanizing suburb located 15 miles north of downtown Indianapolis. (click here to be taken the report on the Indianapolis MPO website) a number of the maps referenced are also easily viewed here
While I philospohically struggle to justify putting this story here at Urban Indy instead of my own blog due to it’s not-so-Indianapolis geographical location, it has regional implications that are worth the reading, and could also serve as a call to action for Indianapolis’ civic leaders.
The study recently completed was funded by a federal transporation grant and represents the collaboaration of the City of Carmel and the Indianapolis MPO. Contained within, are a number of suggestions that would nudge Carmel into a modal shift from a car centric city center, to a more transit oriented mode; a move which seems to be matched by the current pattern of development in the Carmel city center area. The study aims to provide ways to sustain that economic development through transit oriented means.
The report is 232 pages and represents a complete and in depth look at what the future of Carmel could look like, should city officials decide to pursue the recomendations and proper funding be put into bringing it to fruition. It plots a path starting with multiple transit districts laid out in parts of the Carmel area which are geographically similar and which are all connected to a central transit hub that is located near where the current IndyGO ICE routes pickup and drop off.
A ”rubber tired” based trolley system would be used for the first phase. Complete routes are recommended for additional future circulators also utilizing rubber tire based vehicles. The report examines future funding being used to impliment rail-based streetcar vehicles like those seen in Portland, Seattle and recently adopted into plan by Cincinnati.
The report also emphasizes that creating places should be an important part of the implimentation. It lays out a number of scenarios that take in current trends in the Carmel area and exploits them to the advantage of a more pedestrian oriented environment. The current Carmel Bike Plan is referenced as are “complete streets” strategies of connecting places and making the areas walkable; a theme which is pushed all over the country by urban activists intent on reviving our city’s urban cores. Another theme which is hit on often in the report is that Carmel should emphasize that it is a “City of Neighborhoods” and that the transit plan would be used to connect these neighborhoods using the circulators. The neighborhood theme is one that fellow Indianapolis blogger Greg Meckstroth of Urban-out.com touched on in comparing Cincinnati’s neighborhood centric pattern of development, to Indianapolis’ car centric pattern.
Dreaming even bigger, the study pins some faith on Indianapolis and the Indyconnect plan and suggests that whatever Carmel decides to impliment, it should coordinate with the region’s long range transportation plan. To that end, the plan suggests some sort of rail based rapid transit along College Ave to Indianapolis’ downtown area. That portion of the report seems to have been aligned with the HARMONI group of Midtown Indianapolis, which is also a neighborhood based non-profit that pushes similar neighborhood based improvements in the Broad Ripple and Meridian-Kessler area of Indianapolis. HARMONI has also advocated for some sort of rapid transit along College Ave.
The study is so in depth that it even covers suggested methods of branding the potential transit system in a way that is marketable and attractive to the general public. “It would include specific vehicle types and well crafted graphic imagery of color, route associations, and the brand/name/logo applications to vehicle, stops, shelters stations, wayfinding elements and system maps and guides. Beyond graphics and names, vehicle types (to the detail of specific models) are extremely important considerations, as are the style and form of the architectural elements of stops, stations, and transit centers.”
I would be remiss if I did not give my opinion of the report. I think that it is large in scope for a relatively small community but reads like a summary out of the Portland, OR design guide. It promotes green infrastructure at every turn. It prioritizes pedestrians and bicyling and maximizes land use in a smart and dense manner; the overiding transportation theme ties it all together. While Carmel is not laid out in the most efficient grid pattern in which the most successful transit systems are implimented, it’s current pattern of dense devlopment does lend well to mass-transit’s theme. 232 pages later, I feel inspired to advocate for a similar type of report for Indianapolis and the Indyconnect plan. With Carmel’s record of success in developing innovative transportation design along Keystone Avenue, it’s development of the Art’s District of Carmel and the currently under construction City Center I would not be the least bit surprised to see a majority of the parts of this study already started down the path to implimentation.
The implications for Indianapolis’ transportation system could be huge if one of it’s prominent suburbs were to institute a transportation system of the caliber described in the report. Should this reports suggestions be implimented soon, it could represent an embarassement to Indianapolis’ civic leaders for not coming together to put a similar plan together and impliment it sooner.
Editor’s Note: A special thanks to the IBJ’s Chris O’Malley for passing along some information to help in my research
Fountain Square packs em in on a hot Friday night!
IMOCA Postcard Show
This past Friday, I had the pleasure of joining my wife, Casey Jo Ailes, on a tour of Indianapolis’ Fountain Square neighborhood. My wife, who writes for the Broad Ripple Gazette, was aiming to cover a couple of events. Namely the KIB RE-Dome art show and also the IMOCA “Frank Warren’s PostSecret” show.
The evening began at KIB’s headquarters off of Fletcher Ave in the Fountain Square neighborhood. We spent some time walking through and chatting up some familiar faces. The show was somewhat mediocre in that the number of “strong” pieces were outnumbered by the mediocre. But it was inspiring to see a lot of people out supporting an event who’s theme was sustainability. So I can support that.
Hidden Studio? 2nd Floor of the Murphy Building
Next, we made our way to the Murphy Building where we encountered a number of things going on; and a number of people! It was beginning to move towards dusk but the air was still warm which made for some sweaty elbow rubbing. We stepped inside and cooled off a bit and found that quite a number of other people had made the same decision. We went through one studio displaying a lot of artists and I have to be honest, I am not sure what the theme of the show was, or the name of the gallery. I DID however manage to enjoy a Sun King, who were there serving on tap, Sunshine Cream Ale which was delicious! We left that gallery and navigated the back hallway of the Murphy Building and went upstairs were they were even more people. We stopped by the People for Urban Progress space where they are now selling custom branded t-shirts. (pssst… the women’s option is organic!)
A Busy Night at the Murphy Building
Lastly, we made our way back downstairs and out where it was now fully dark outside, still hot, yet did not prevent anyone from mingling. We had to elbow our way through just to make it back to our car and take our 18 week old home, who is now getting a good helping of First Friday thanks to mom and dad. This just goes to show the vibrant city life that some of the neighborhoods of Indianapolis are currently enjoying, despite tough economic times.
IndyGO Purchasing 11 hybrid buses
IndyGO Hybrid Bus Rendering
In what could be considered some of the most positive Indianapolis related transportation news, today IndyGO released some news that they will be purchasing 22 new buses; and 11 of them will be of the hybrid variety.
“In January, IndyGo plans to welcome 22 new 40-foot, low-floor buses into its fleet. Of those 22 buses, 11 will incorporate the latest electric hybrid technology, resulting in fuel savings, reduced emissions and smoother, quieter rides.”
“Each IndyGo hybrid bus combines a diesel-fueled combustion engine, made by Columbus, Ind.-based Cummins, with a battery-powered electric motor, allowing it to deliver better fuel economy as well as generate 99.84 percent fewer emissions than a conventional bus. A Hoosier-built Allison transmission sends the power from the engine to the drive wheels.”
Kudos to IndyGO for putting it’s tight budget expeditures in the right place!