Comments for urbanOut

Comment on Goodbye Indianapolis – I’ll Miss You / Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You by minneapolisite

minneapolisite — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 23:41:53 +0000

Just over a month after you left Indiana I moved away from Ohio (Cbus specifically). I thought that my hometown wanted to join the big boys and become a great city. During the four years I lived near High St I certainly enjoyed the amenities there, but watching the streetcar get rejected by the public, the light rail-streetcar line get shot down afterward, the continued neglect of urban business districts that look almost unchanged from photos I took a few years ago, the investment in sprawling commercial areas including plenty of wider roads, lack of improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, a disengaged public who will only speak up online and never go to city council, a city council that is a yes-man for ODOT and only lifts a finger for big business and big developers: the writing was on the wall.

I guess I’m the odd man out since I didn’t move to the coasts: I found a city aggressively moving forward with rail, cycling infrastructure, and urban revitalization in the Great Lakes region that actually isn’t Chicago: that city is Minneapolis. The city basically takes what all the naysayers in Cbus would say about my recommendations (wishful thinking and little more) and here it’s reality: I get to live in the Columbus that never was and likely never will be. That “bad neighborhood” in Cbus (and with Indy I’m sure it’s the same deal) which would never see the necessary city investment for new entrepreneurs to flock there, does get financial assistance and storefronts in our “bad neighborhoods” are filling in with coffee shops, cafes, restaurants and what have you.

Seeing up-and-coming neighborhoods that really are up-and-coming as opposed to one or two new businesses every year or two if they were one of the lucky few neighborhoods, is so very refreshing. I can go in virtually any direction from Downtown (which in and of it self was mind blowing since I wasn’t expecting much at all, let alone a vibrant ten-block urban wall of car-free density) and there’s plenty to do with more progress being made where improvements are needed and every neighborhood is connected to the rest of the city through an extensive bike system. Progress is so tangible here: seeing the new light rail line under construction with my own eyes, visiting numerous places that opened up this year alone in once forgotten corners of town, riding daily along the two new bike boulevards that just debuted a month ago in my side of town, this alone is more than I experienced in the handful of years I lived near High St. It’s great to live in a city that embraces its urbanism, isn’t it?

Comment on Pittsburgh, N’At by Wayne Khoury

Wayne Khoury — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:11:26 +0000

I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. kudos

Comment on Every Body Walk by Kyle

Kyle — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:25:53 +0000

I think Walkable communities is key! I recently helped a man and his family move to Cincinnati. He and his spouse are blind and needed a walkable community. When helping them find a new home I really to had to think about how walkable the area was, if schools were close and if you could walk to a grocery store. I found that the older parts of the city did well with this, but the more modern neighborhoods were built for cars. The Clifton Gaslight turned out to be the perfect walkable neighborhood for this young family.

Comment on Goodbye Indianapolis – I’ll Miss You / Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You by Paul Roland

Paul Roland — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:44:47 +0000

Oh, I knew it would never last! A successful string of “firsts” but one knows when it’s time to move on. and congrats on winning the popular vote for Monument Circle redo. I was staying at the Columbia Club last week – sorry for the snobbery – I had time to watch from my window the comings and goings and agreed even more that your scheme was very correct. I shall watch also as you bring your excellent writings and urban ideas to other cities including Philadelphia. I too have a “love/hate relationship with Indy and the cons won out on my last stay. You really can’t go home again. I live in a very progressive part of Brooklyn, Park Slope, and had thought maybe I could make Indy work because of activist such as you and what seems to be a rapidly changing urban environment. But political and social attitudes change ever so slowly and time is not on my side. So, I’m staying put. I left on a good note, however. I did make a visit to Columbus and toured the Miller House. The down side to that is I’ll never be completly satisfied in any house in which I live! Having missed you in Indy, perhaps we shall have a chance to meet in Philadelphia or New York.

Comment on Out With the Ugly Infill by Out With the Ugly Infill | DFW REimagined – The future of real estate

Out With the Ugly Infill | DFW REimagined – The future of real estate — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:54:28 +0000

[...] Read more at Urban Out [...]

Comment on Out With the Ugly Infill by Jon

Jon — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:06:06 +0000

This is a development here in Cincinnati called City Home. Garage access is off a brick alley way behind the property. Along the street facades are pretty decent.

Nothing super fancy, but not the worst.

http://www.soapboxmedia.com/images/Features/Issue%2088/Pleasant_520.jpg

http://www.schickeldesign.com/gallery/thumbnails/cityhome-sm02.jpg

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.110691,-84.517731&ll=39.110595,-84.517691&spn=0.001399,0.002006&sll=39.110416,-84.517441&sspn=0.002797,0.004013&num=1&t=h&z=19

Comment on Out With the Ugly Infill by Phil G.D. Schaefer

Phil G.D. Schaefer — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:19:16 +0000

I totally agree, but one needs to be careful on the other end of the spectrum, design guidelines written by a city with no relation to the history of that city or the particular neighborhood’s architecture or character. One only need look up the City of Indianapolis guidelines for development along the central canal downtown in the late ’80′s to get a good laugh (and a bit of a cry).

Comment on Out With the Ugly Infill by Greg Meckstroth

Greg Meckstroth — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:44:47 +0000

Yes, there are plenty of examples of good infill in Philly – mostly in Center City and South Philly that I know of. There are also great examples of infill in Northern Liberties. But in NoLibs the bad has began to overrun much of the area south of Poplar and north of Spring Garden.

Comment on Out With the Ugly Infill by neilworms

neilworms — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:38:37 +0000

Do you have examples of good infill in Philly? I’m interested to see as its a good analogy to what would work in Cincinnati where too often there is very low quality infill.

Comment on Goodbye Indianapolis – I’ll Miss You / Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You by Peter Brewster

Peter Brewster — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:26:36 +0000

Greg— Barcelona is amazing, as it was the first time I visited. As a surprise, my cousin, and later my sister and mother, came to visit for my wedding here. You wouldn’t believe how differently I began to see it through their eyes! The truth is that I’ve had many ups and downs. The culture shock has presented itself frequently, although I didn’t expect it to after having spent a year in Mexico and then later some time in Spain and France (not to mention several months in Australia). I honestly believe the culture shock I experience here will continue until I’m able to achieve a job… although it seems it might happen very soon! Anyway, thanks for taking the time to ask, and if you have more questions, I’d love to take the time to answer! And of course, from one blogger to the next, if you want to visit some day, I’d love to give you a tour!