Welcome to the Next Generation of iNDy
TOD’s: Making Indy Connect Possible
Posted on May 1, 2010 by Quaddy | 1 Comment
So, what the Indy Connect Public Light Rail transit will need to survive and thrive here in Indy will be TOD’s: Transit Oriented Development. So what makes TOD’s so good? Why are they so vital to success? I thought you’d never ask.
Walkablility
TOD’s create a car-free area where the pedestrians are the main priority. There are places to eat, sit, perform activities, watch activities, and to watch people watching activities. Walkability is essential for the people in Indianapolis that don’t have cars, don’t want cars, and don’t need cars. TOD’s provide mobility choices by creating activity nodes for every age, income, and race that are serviced by trolleys, streetcars, light rail, PRT’s, buses, trams, and bikes- ALL IN ONE SPOT!. Isn’t it more fun to enjoy yourself in a neighborhood area without having to worry about being hit by a car?
Destination Station
Creating an identity and activity program for a specific transit station encourages people to live there, take ownership of the area, and creates a friendly neighborhood for everyone. These TOD neighborhoods can be safer than traditional neighborhoods. Having a density of people and activity in a transit station neighborhood provides ‘eyes on the street’ that prevents crime and creates a secure livable area. Isn’t it more fun to visit and live in places like Mass Ave, Fountain Square, The Wholesale District, Indiana Avenue, The Canal, and Broad Ripple?
Activity
Having a program of activity ensures an area will function correctly. A mix of activities like commercial retail, professional offices, residential units, restaurants and bars creates a successful neighborhood for people to live. TOD’s increase transit ridership by up to 40% providing more activity for a safer and economically vital transit station. These dense activity nodes allows more residential open space and preserves farmland, saving both of them from development. Isn’t it more fun to be in an active neighborhood than a stagnant one?
Economics
When all is said and done, if Indy Connect is going to make their goals and objectives come true, there will need to be an economic plan of attack. TOD’s increase tax revenues in the immediate area of the transit station and the surrounding neighborhoods. TOD’s can reduce the costs of water, sewage, and road infrastructure by 25% in surrounding neighborhoods. These neighborhoods could then become demographically mixed throughout all spectrums of age, income, and race: affordable housing becomes easier because housing and land costs are reduced through compact infill and greenfield growth patterns. Households save money because of TOD’s: by reducing car trips outside of their neighborhood a household can save $3,000 a year, and may not even need a second automobile. Who doesn’t want to save money?
Environmental
TOD’s are considered more sustainable than traditional development strategies. TOD’s are proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 4 tons per year for each household. The surrounding neighborhoods may be more inclined to use efficient technologies like bioswales for stormwater management, solar panels for electricity, inline water heaters, rain barrels, and recycled insulation for their house. Conserving the open space and farmland we already have while providing community open space in close proximity to TOD’s improves the quality the natural systems in the area and improves the quality of life at the same time. Does that sound like a place you want to live?
I hope this was helpful in further understanding Transit Oriented Development, how they work, why they are successful, and how they can help Indianapolis. As with all new concepts, there are certain strategies that must be embraced for the concept to work. The two main strategies associated with TOD’s are the type of transit involved and the walkability of the area. Strategies and concept aside, places like 16th Street Mall in Denver and downtown Englewood outside Santa Fe, California are fun places to live and visit!
It’s what makes us special…
Posted on April 30, 2010 by Chase Pratt | No Comments
For this final blog post, I would like to give a little bit of my take on what gives us as urban designers a special ability to understand and influence the world around us. This past year the master of urban design program at Ball State has opened my eyes to a number of issues, technologies, and concepts that have changed the way I approach the design of human environments. As a student with a landscape architecture background, I already understood the value of place creation, and many of the techniques that go into it. However, in the past for me the idea of creating place was primarily comprised of the physical attributes that comprise a place. Don’t get me wrong, the physical design of a place is still very important and contributes to its character and function. As an urban designer I have learned to appreciate the way in which we live and how we use our physical environment, because that is what truly makes a place successful. Our work does not only involve the physical design of the world in which we live, but requires a comprehensive understanding of how our behavior, habits, political orientations, and economic structure have an impact on the places in which we work. Just one example would be our incessant reliance upon the automobile. People may blame a myriad of causes for the onset of this phenomenon; ranging from politics, oil companies, land use patterns, to suburbanization. These things may contribute to the problem, but what matters is that urban designers acknowledge all of them when they approach a project. The design of a place inversely affects the ways in which people must operate within them, and if the environment is no longer solely designed with the personal automobile in mind, it places the power of transformation in our hands.
On my commute to class in Indianapolis, I often times find myself lost in thought, analyzing every aspect of the built environment. I can’t just look at the road, because I begin to wonder how wide are the lanes, how far apart are the trees spaced, how wide are the sidewalks, how far are the buildings setback, how tall are the buildings, what style is the architecture, what uses are in the buildings, how many windows do the buildings have, who lives in this neighborhood, how many people live in the neighborhood, and the list could go on for days. Then I find myself contemplating what it would be like if I didn’t have the education that I do. How would a ‘normal’ person perceive this environment? In some instances it can take the fun out of an experience because I automatically know what the designer’s intent was, I cannot just simply ‘experience’ the place in the way that it was intended to be, while in the end I know it is a gift to be able to deconstruct the world in this way. It is this gift that is going to allow my classmates and I to become true contributors to world in which we inhabit. For if we have the ability to see beyond those things that inhibit the growth and development of vibrant and sustainable communities, then we will be able to shape the ways in which we live and function in the urban environment.
Our work on East Washington Street this year is one of the best examples of what this vision will allow us to accomplish as we enter into the professional world in a few months. I was blown away by the diversity and quality of ideas presented at our final open space and transportation studio project jury on Thursday. It was an incredible exercise to envision how various transit options such as light rail, bus rapid transit, shared bicycle programs, and personal transportation devices could transform this largely neglected industrial corridor into a densely populated mixed use community. I believe my experience at Ball State has been invaluable in shaping me into the designer that I wish to be, one that looks at the world around him with a sense of awe and a desire to contribute to its function and vitality. Not to mention the group of incredible people that I have come to know along the way. It has truly been a pleasure to learn along side all of them and I’m sure they will go on to apply the very vision that I have spoken of within their own endeavors, as I know they share the same gift.
The culmination of this semester. My vision for East Washington Street and a transit oriented development at Keystone and East Washington.
good is iPhone
Posted on April 30, 2010 by kylemiller | No Comments
Here it is. I will just flat out say it.
You are awesome apple.
Not because I have a macbook pro, but simply put, your innovations are cutting edge cool. Whether it’s a drawing a sketch or getting the news, the iphone nearly does it all. (I plan on getting one as soon as I make the grown up money, but that’s besides the point)
I guess I should make this blog applicable to transit or East Washington Corridor or Urban Design in order to get credit for class. Hmmmmmm…. I got it. Transit and the iPhone. Well that wasn’t hard. As a commuter, I wish I could take advantage of such entities as mass transportation, however nothing like this is available from Muncie to Indianapolis. For those lucky enough to take advantage of such great amenities, companies, although few and far between, are catering towards such users. One such company is Apple, more specifically an app that the iPhone uses. A transit app that provides the ability to accomplish a wide range of tasks from trip planning to finding ‘real time’ headway. This is a revelation in the transit world.
Yes smartphones have been around for 10 or so years, but the iPhone has the sex appeal that gives nearly anything a shot and let the market decide if it sinks or swims. I guess that could be a whole different blog entry. Anyways, this transit app gives the user an entire new set of tools to use in every day and every future day life. Being able to plan your trip from work to a cafe that someone referred to you for the ‘perfect slice of apple pie’, to the bar and back home on a single phone. That’s just great. It opens up networks for small businesses like the mom and pop shops and it actually helps the user get there! Being able to know if i have 2 minutes until the train comes and I have to run, or if I have enough time to enjoy another cup of coffee gives me the options that is necessary in a go go go world we live today.
These are exciting times for transportation and technology and people.
When indy connect is successful in implementing the mass transportation the will revitalize Indianapolis and more specifically the East Washington corridor, apps such as this will give people and transit the best shot at being successful. Giving people options is something that isn’t hard to do, however when it is combined to make every day life easier it enters a whole new ballpark.
I cannot wait see to Indianapolis succeed in the transit race and when I can stand at the corner of U.S. 40 and Southeastern with my iPhone trying to decide if I can sit down at the café to enjoy another slice of pizza or if I have to run to catch the train.
REFLECTIONS…
Posted on April 30, 2010 by mnfish | No Comments
I would like to take the time to make this last blog post a reflection of graduate school thus far. With almost 2/3 of the program completed the end is in sight. I’ve learned much about not only urban design as a profession but also a lot about myself as an urban designer. This blog will be separated into two parts- 1- the principles I’ve come to advocate for in urban design and 2.- the experience and opportunities this program has offered me thus far.
Through this program (and with the help of previous knowledge from my undergraduate studies in urban planning) I have developed a set of principles that interest me and that I see myself consistently advocating for in the future. The main points of interest/ topics are the following (but my interests certainly are not limited to only these few concepts):
1. DEVELOP SHORT TERM CATALYST PROJECTS THAT HELP LEAD TO LONG TERM SUCCESS
Short term catalyst projects are those that help produce environments where more development is likely to take place in the future. This is important because by showing the short term success, those in political power are more likely to make the investment in the long term project.
2. PROVIDE ATMOSPHERE WHERE STOREFRONT DISTRICTS AND ADDRESSES CAN BE CREATED
By strategically placing where storefront streets are located one is in a sense directing where “address” creation should take place. Creating addresses are important because it is on these streets that bring more people into the district. I’ll be exploring this concept further this summer as I begin to prepare an urban design plan for the corridor for my capstone project.
3. DESIGN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE DEVELOPMENT IS NATURALLY SAFE
What I’m getting at with this point is the importance of having developments incorporate design solutions that include “natural surveillance” and “human territoriality.” For those of you who may not know exactly what these two mean, I’ll give a brief description. Natural surveillance is designing an environment where there are “eyes on the street.” Two easy ways to accomplish this when working on a project is to provide housing with balconies/ patios so that the residents can “spill out” into the surroundings and another way is to have floor plans with windows that look out onto the street as living areas (not the bedroom or bathroom as is typical in many suburban subdivisions). The second concept was “human territoriality.” This simply put means that the resident whether it be a renter or owner feels enough “ownership of the space” to take charge when something wrong is done to the space.
4. PROVIDE COMMUNITIES WITH IDENTITY AND BRANDING
Branding and identity have been an important aspect of many of the courses I’ve had while a graduate student. By branding a community one is essentially breathing life back into the community and giving residents a reason to be proud of their neighborhood. Charrettes are an excellent way to start this process in showing people what type of VALUE their community has to offer.
5. UNDERSTAND ALL FORMS OF FEASIBILITY (FINANCIAL, MARKET, & POLITICAL)
Understanding feasibility is important because without this knowledge a design concept will stay just that- it will never go into design development and implementation. It is important to remember that feasibility is more than just a concept about is the money there to build the project. It involves questions such as is the market there to support it, does the community want it, is it supported politically from those in office? All of these are important to ask when designing solutions to a problem.
Now that I’ve spent time talking about the principles I have come to advocate, I’d like to spend the second half of this blog going over what a great opportunity this master’s degree has been for me. Through the past two semesters I have come to know a group of really great people. Here’s some reflections of the past two months.
It all started one day last August as I thought to myself during the first studio- what in the world am I doing here. I’m diagramming my hometown and thinking about all the new fresh faces of people I did not know in studio. See this was odd from a previously urban planning student who had been with the same studio group for the past THREE years.
I’m thankful for the new faces from studio, because those are the people that I’m close to now. It’s really neat how all of us who are going through the first MUD program really did become one big family working toward one end goal, a master’s degree. We would spend so much time together that we did a lot of things together…. Lunches, after studio dinners, dinner at El Sol in the heart of our urban design project study area, super bowl parties, and just hanging out in general not to mention spending an enormous amount of time working on our projects.
I know one other part/ phase that I won’t forget from this crazy year is the ULI urban design competition. Half of our studio entered into this and those of us that did spent basically two weeks working on an immersive project with very little to no sleep…but boy was it fun looking back.
So, in conclusion, I’m looking forward to this last summer stretch of graduate school. One capstone project and then it’s the “real world” which in all honesty is a bit scary! I’m not exactly sure where the future will take me, but I invite you to learn about it with me as it happens. My future blog posts will be on my portfolio website which is:
meganfish.com/wordpress
Visit it to see where the next chapter of the book of my life is going to lead. It’s sure to be a crazy adventure. Thanks for reading!
Creating Great Streets
Posted on March 31, 2010 by Kate | 2 Comments
As mentioned in my last blog, I have been reading Allan Jacobs’ requirements for a ‘great street’ in order to analyze the East Washington corridor. Jacobs’ outlines several criteria that must be considered in the design of great streets: bringing people together, accessibility, livability, safety, comfort, participation, and responsibility.
I discussed in my last blog about the importance of the street in bringing people together as a function, but this leaves the question of how? It is easy to understand the qualitative characteristics that we all wish a street to possess such as bringing people together, safety, comfort, and so on. But how is this achieved exactly? This question has many different answers but I shall attempt to shed light on at least a few.
ACCESSIBILITY
“What sets the great streets apart is that they take people along their ways, from one part of the city to another, whether on foot or in a vehicle, with grace and at a reasonable pace.”
This statement made by Jacobs’ reminds us that the street must still function as a way to get from point A to point B. While this may be so, the key words used with grace and at a reasonable pace, we are reminded that the trip should also be an enjoyable one. For this, a great street should be defined with a beginning and ending such as a statue or plaza. This provides reference points for both defining an area and guiding one on his/her way. Secondly, a great street should provide access to a variety of transportation modes, specifically including public transit. And finally, a great street must also provide ease in handicap accessibility.
LIVABILITY, SAFETY, COMFORT
“Void of human activity, streets soon cry out for people, they need people at the same time as they are for them, they are activated by people at the same time as they contribute to making a community for them. And this is achieved in considerable measure by having many people live along them or nearby…”
The livability, safety, and comfort of a great street are closely connected and utterly dependent on the presence of people, as Jacobs’ stated above. Great streets require density and diversity. Diversity may be created through providing a variety of land uses and most importantly in housing opportunities. This creates a vibrant community where one can live, work and play in the same area.
Density may be created through mixed-uses and higher density housing. This brings about more activity of people on the street, and the diversity creates more interest for people. This interest, for example, may be created through a variety of cultural restaurants and stores, local coffee spots, and pubs.
Together density and diversity promote a safe and comfortable environment by creating ‘eyes on the street’ through the constant activity of the streets.
PARTICIPATION & RESPONSIBIILITY
“Physical maintenance is as important as any of the other requirements for great streets. It is more than a matter of keeping things clean and in good repair. It involves the use of materials that are relatively easy to maintain and street elements for which there is some history of caring.”
The creation of a great street is a large task to take on and a project that’s never really finished. Many great streets are decorated with trees, flowers, lights, street signage, benches, etc… These may all be great contributors to a vibrant street but the question must be asked, for how long? The streetscape must be maintained and cared for to prevent deterioration. This role of responsibility is in the communities’ hands, store owners and residents alike. Without taking responsibility for maintenance, efforts in creating a great street would be futile.
I am currently transferring these characteristics of accessibility, density, diversity, and maintenance into my design projects for both the transportation and open space systems of the East Washington corridor.
WHY SHOULD WE GIVE MONEY ON TRANSIT INSTEAD OF OTHER PUBLIC NEEDS?
Posted on March 31, 2010 by jmshipe | No Comments
I believe transit can have great benefits for a city therefore it is worth investing our money in. It is difficult for people in cities, which do not have a mass transit system to really understand the benefits it can provide. Therefore to start support and convince voters to invest is extremely difficult. I hope to shed a little light on the benefits for people debating whether if transit is a good idea.
People who desire to live in places where they have easy access to many amenities usually end up near a transit line. They have access to these amenities because they just have to jump on the transit line instead of in a car where you fight traffic and have to find somewhere to park. The stops on transit lines usually become popular destinations because businesses locate on them. The businesses see the economic benefit of locating near a transit stop just from pure exposure to large amount of people passing by. Therefore Transit lines can serve to boost blighted areas and bring people back. The chart demonstrates the increase in value of property along a transit lines from when it is proposed. Just the talk of transit spurs increased values. Imagine what could happen to an area if the transit line actually is completed.
There has been a lot of talk lately about American’s dependence on foreign oil. According to Natural Resource Defense Council (nrdc.org) we spend $200,000 per minute on foreign oil, which translates to Americans shelling out $249 per capita for foreign oil interest. This is money we are sending out of our country instead of spending it within our borders. I believe transit is one way to stop foreign oil spending and use that money to reinvest in our communities. Getting out of our cars and into mass transit will reduce our need for foreign oil. This combined with renewable energy should allow us to almost become completely independent from foreign oil.
These are two good arguments for transit but still why does it matter? It all comes down to what kind of environment you want to live in. The economic climate has changed and it is time our cities built environments catch up! Transit has proven to fill those shoes for improving the economic climate of a city such as in Portland; who are leaders of transit in the USA. I think Indianapolis can easily jump on board and become a leader considering we are the crossroads of American!
is light rail the right way to go?
Posted on March 30, 2010 by kylemiller | 1 Comment
Its not usually a debate that is heard often, or even rarely often. However, as part of the newly developed transportation initiative ‘IndyConnect,’ the use of alternative modes of mass transportation is discussed. There was, somewhere along the line, a decision to install Light Rail Transit (LRT) along East Washington Street in an effort to improve circulation and accessibility to all patrons.
I recently read an interesting article that I wanted to share with you.
To give a little background.
There is no doubt in my mind that almost any type of transportation ‘improvement’ would ‘improve’ the circulation on this corridor, as I have personally conducted traffic counts/surveys of mass transportation and other modes of travel (ie bicycle and pedestrian). The buses ARE being utilized and so are the alleys/sidewalks. However, the overall bus system is not fully working for its patrons. The time slots in which they pick up are erratic and cut short, making it very difficult for patrons to work the night shift or just catch a bus downtown for a lovely evening.
The debate.
There are conclusions that the bus system is nearly the equivalent of a streetcar system and not to expect a huge attendance improvement when upgrading from a bus system to a streetcar system.
I think that we need to look once again at what the original intent of the systems where, LRT vs streetcar. Light Rail was specifically conjured to create a distinction between it and heavy rail, which is a competing alternative for the same relatively long corridors. Streetcars on the other hand are utilized to make short/local stops at a relatively slow pace catering mostly to the walking pedestrian in the downtown atmosphere.
The article makes the same conclusion as the graph below represents the rail service and the dedicated stops in which it is relative to its location. As you can conclude, there is generally more stops located downtown regardless of its mode as this is typically where pedestrian activity is highest.
A streetcar/tram system also has the ability to stop frequently along a single corridor, however this reduces time efficiency, therefore making it comparable to local fare bus.
When it comes to Indianapolis and their choice to use an LRT through the East Washington Corridor, I believe that it was the correct choice and was well thought out. IndyConnect is an important movement that needs to be investigated for the future of Indianapolis relies on it. I am not raising issues with the location of the mode, via East Washington, however I want to discuss the type of transportation that is installed.
I think that Light Rail (LRT) is the best choice for Indianapolis and this particular location. East Washington Street has always been and, seems as though, always will be a transportation heavy corridor. Beginning as Historic U.S. 40, the right of way (ROW) was maximized for the vehicle, a good and bad thing. Bad because it has deteriorated whats left of the historic structures and character of the area, eating five large lanes worth of public service area. Good because the land is prime for redevelopment. Yes, I said it. The area needs a major makeover. This is the opportunity to provide growth in nearly every civil, social and economic aspect the city has to offer.
“for every dollar invested in public transportation, four dollars is returned to the local community” –indyconnect
http://www.indyconnect.org/index.htm
The Light Rail option best suites the area for several reasons, although the ones that stick out the most, to me, are the initiatives that include the reinvestment of public transportation. The Light Rail provides efficient transit use in the downtown area, giving way to pedestrian utilization and dedicated reinvestment in the local economy. As the light rail begins to move outside the central core of downtown Indianapolis, it has the opportunity to gain speed, literally, and provide access to those suburban communities surrounding Indy. Even though we hate to accommodate suburban sprawl, it is a large part of what makes Indianapolis tick for now. There has been an outcry for help for public transit in these locations, and it is important to provide mass transit to these far away lands as it will get people downtown and out of the car.
An opportunity that the light rail on East Washington may have is the I465 loop as well as the communities that lie streetside. Just for a paragraph or so, put yourself in the shoes of a college student currently completing work to achieve his Masters degree through the Ball State University Indianapolis Center. ‘Wow, good job.’ One might say. I say, ugh. It’s a lot work, and especially because this person lives in Muncie, Indiana and commutes every Tuesday/Thursday to Indianapolis to attend class. The other days of the week are spent commuting northward for employment. On top of dealing with I69 congestion, I465 becomes a bear (but noone needs to get into that right now). Wouldn’t it be grand if there was a park and ride on I465 via the East Washington Street exit? Less gas spent, less spent on parking fairs/tickets and most importantly, less hitting of the steering wheel while sitting in traffic. I would say yes, yes it would be grand if there was an option to avoid traffic. The ultimate grand idea is to make a rail corridor from Muncie to Indy, however that’s a whole other blog entry.
Conclusion:
If a streetcar system were to be used for any of the aforementioned applications, it would surely be a failure. It becomes inefficient because the speeds are not high enough to ensure the necessary frequency. Light rail gives options for expansion, due to its speed opportunities. Streetcars become limited in their options. This leads me to believe that Indianapolis is taking the right strides in their transportation options. Keep it going Indy, and we’ll keep backing your decisions. Heck, we’ll even provide some design examples for your decisions if we like it enough.
I don’t know if they care anymore or not…
Posted on March 29, 2010 by erin | No Comments
Before I get into the most recent progress of the downtown revitalization plan, I’m going to take a step backwards and explain the two groups involved for the city. The first group is the Mayoral Round Table and is made up of community members that the mayor hand chose – mostly business owners downtown, city hall workers, or citizens that are very involved and interested in bettering the community. The Round Table’s role in the planning process is to essentially make the final decisions. They listen to the public’s opinions, our advice as planners, and decide what would be best for their downtown. The second group involved is obviously the public. They come to public workshops and work together to come up with ideas and review/comment on the plan to date.
So last week, the first Mayoral Round Table meeting was held. There were two main objectives to this meeting: 1) review the goals and objectives I wrote based upon the results of the first public workshop and 2) come up with alternatives for the downtown.
We initially asked the mayor to find about 15 people for the Round Table, but he was only able to get seven. That’s fine. It would’ve been nice to have a larger group, but seven would work. Except for only one person showed up. Luckily that person had the Mayor’s home phone number saved in her phone, because he didn’t show up either.
So basically the mayor, once he got there, and one downtown business owner created the future alternatives for the downtown that will be presented at the next public workshop.
Like the first public workshop, we were disappointed with the turnout, but the ones that were there had a lot of useful input. Likewise, the mayor and one person that were at the Round Table meeting last week had great ideas. They at least gave us a starting point.
So to recap, 14 people showed up to the public workshop in February, and two people showed up to the Round Table meeting this month. We have figured out that if we originally wanted 15 people for the Round Table, and less than that showed up to the public workshop, then maybe we shouldn’t limit the Round Table meetings to just the people that the mayor selected. We need more people to show up to everything, and limiting some meetings to just the Round Table might not be the best idea, especially in a community this size. I think from now on, we will invite the public to all of the meetings. Hopefully people will show up. And hopefully the mayor will remember.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Life in 2030
Posted on March 29, 2010 by mnfish | No Comments
What is the bigger picture for my life? Where will I be in twenty years from now? At age 23 asking myself where I’ll be at 43 is kind of a difficult, but yet very important question. While I have no idea where or what I’ll be in twenty years this blog will focus on what I hope to accomplish. I see myself taking one of two avenues, both of which I’ll explain in depth. However, each is similar because of my consistency of advocating for transit oriented developments and the neighborhoods that help support them.
Scenario 1: INDIANAPOLIS BOUND
In this scenario, I will have completed my Masters of Urban Design Degree and decided to stay in Indiana for a number of reasons, the most important being job availability that gives me the capability to advocate for the current Indy Connect Transportation Plan that is in the news now. In twenty years, I hope to have worked alongside of this plan in the private sector for a firm who does the design, planning, and routing for the transit systems. I will have been a key player in this plan at all steps from initial review (the stage we are in right now in 2010) all the way through to the end where it is implemented. In my fantasy world in twenty years this system will have been implemented and is up and running. I use it daily to get to work since I live in a neighborhood where one of the transit stations is located and has been redeveloped due to its location. The firm I work for actually redeveloped the neighborhood I reside in around transit. My family uses the transit system daily. My children use it to arrive at school and my husband and I both take it to work. In twenty years, the transit lines in Indianapolis will have helped transform the nature of our world to be less automobile dependent, one of the reasons I am thankful that I decided to stay in Indianapolis and fight for a better quality of life and implementing this transit system has helped! Being a part of such an endeavor will be one of the most rewarding experiences I’ll ever have in my lifetime.
While work and family life keeps me busy, I try to give back to the community the best that I can. Through work, I have helped put together an assistance team that uses parts of vacation time to attend to blighted areas and help those less fortunate reclaim their urban areas and have shelter and places to live. The team is comprised of all types of professionals from the building and design industry. It’s a great way to give back. (It is similar to the assistance teams that helped during Katrina and the Haiti Earthquake relief teams that are current to 2010.)
Scenario 2: WEST COST BOUND
This scenario takes me out of Indiana after the completion of my Masters of Urban Design degree to the west coast, mostly likely in Phoenix or Tempe Arizona. My main advocacy in Arizona would still be similar to that of Indianapolis which is to fight for better connected transportation systems. In 2008 (just a few years before I moved out there to start my career as an urban designer) Arizona had opened a light rail system. In twenty years this system will be much more fully developed- at the help of the firm I work for in the urban design and planning department.
My knowledge will be primarily on the benefits of transit oriented developments, but due to the climate in Arizona I will also become knowledgeable on water conservation strategies and sustainability. I will still advocate (just as in Indianapolis) for the location of transit stations to be strategically placed in neighborhoods in hopes to help revitalize the area. I think that living where I’ve helped transform an area is the best way to make sure the development is functioning as it should; therefore, I live in one of my own firm’s neighborhood revitalization projects. As I’ve said before, transit is much more developed and thus is how I get to work, the store, and entertainment choices.
As in the Indianapolis, I also keep very busy with my job. On the side; however, I have taken some time to write a book on the benefits of transit oriented development and the philosophy behind urban design. It’s not a best seller, but it helps me to know that I have gotten my thoughts out on paper and could someday be useful.
Also similar to the Indianapolis life, I have helped put together an assistance team that uses work vacation time to attend to blighted areas and help those less fortunate reclaim their urban areas and have shelter and places to live.
THE FUTURE OF BOTH WORLDS:
There are several areas from both stories that are common to each other. In each, there is an underlying need to give back to those who have helped me and those who need help. Due to this, in either scenario, I help at the local college teaching and critiquing when needed (either Ball State in the Indianapolis life and Arizona State in the Arizona life). I am also a mentor for local students. This has a profound impact on me because not only do I get to help local students, but I get to learn from them as well. It brings back great memories from my graduate work in urban design when I had a mentor that helped with projects throughout the course of the program. If there’s nothing else I’ve learned in the past twenty years it is that learning is never ending.
The person I am in twenty years I hope is someone who has achieved a lot in the profession of Urban Design and is a knowledgeable person on T.O.D’s as well as how to give a neighborhood identity through transit. That’s my passion at age 23; I hope it still is as strong at age 43.
_Barrier_Magnet
Posted on March 29, 2010 by Sherri Agnew | No Comments
Magnet
Urban Waterfronts are largely becoming the most stimulating, energetic and diverse components of cities around the world. The waterfront becomes a “magnet” connecting society, culture, production, services and opportunity. Urban waterfronts develop into places of expression, diversity and identity which prove to be a vital part of any successful city. The surrounding properties tend to be in high demand for any and all forms of activity and zoning, which is not a new phenomenon. Historically, waterfronts were used as forms of transportation of goods, people and acted as a hub of industries. Cities grew proportionally depending on location and opportunity along the waterfronts. Over the years, the land surrounding has since become a synthesis of creativity, opportunity and diversity which creates a high rate of realization of dreams. The urban waterfronts become essential elements of the larger framework of the cities they inhabit.
Chicago Waterfront
Barrier
Despite the actuality of waterfront success, waterways are natural geographic barriers creating obstructions of passage and land use. Today, these obstructions still remain true. In addition to obstructions, the waterfronts are not used for transportation of goods, people and industry to the same extent as they once were used yet they continue to thrive. We have continuously designed the waterfronts to be active, diverse places. Our mindset to design and treat those areas as active places causes the degree of success to sustain and amplify.
Barrier 2.0
Invention and ingenuity expand to all parts of our modern day lives yet we find ways to create new barriers and obstructions as a result of these advances. Currently, the MUD program at Ball State is analyzing, constructing alternatives and providing recommendations for a 2 mile stretch of East Washington Street on the East side of Indianapolis. Upon analysis of the corridor, we discovered that East Washington Street is used as a main through-way to the East side for commuters and transportation of goods. The largest impact East Washington has had on the surrounding corridor is it creates a barrier for pedestrians, cross traffic and land use. To the south of the Street, an industrial train track aids in forming a pocket of unfriendly, inefficient industrial land uses. A man-made barrier. The entire street and pocket of industrial uses have become a man made barrier in a neighborhood which was once a hub of diverse uses, industries and people.
The waterfronts act as barriers. East Washington acts as a barrier. Both have similar historic uses. People are drawn to water but is the only difference in the success of the waterfronts water? Or is it also our mindset?
One possible design for Ft. Myers, FL. Here we find creative design, diversity of activities and exciting pedestrian open spaces. news.caloosahatchee.org
What happens when we treat the existing pocket between road and rail as an urban waterfront? If we coerce a man-made asphalt and concrete barrier to become an urban “waterfront,” good design can have an outstanding impact on all of Indianapolis. The adjacent land contains high density residential stock which allows high potential for successful transitioning back into a holistic, dense semi-urban neighborhood. These neighborhoods become prime property along the Urban “Waterfront.” If the East Washington Rail Pocket is designed to be a vital part of the super-structure of Indianapolis, the corridor stands a far better chance for success than it does turning its back to the rail or maintaining only a street frontage along a busy transportation barrier.
How do we plan for an urban waterfront with no water? Create a pocket where commercial, social and economic uses vary. Compose an active, diverse node where light industrial, mixed use commercial, and mixed income residential entangle to form a place of opportunity, inclusion and creativity. Increase pedestrian infrastructure. Establish design-oriented connections, transitions and places for people. Urban waterfront cities are capable of transforming into new urban forms, urban landscapes and cultures, so there must also be room for flexibility and openness for change. East Washington Pocket can become a spark of regeneration for the entire city and the East side.
Here We Talk About the Next Generation of Indianapolis.
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