Walking the Walk: Car Free in Indy – Week 1

My butt is on fire, my legs feel like they are ripping out of my jeans, and my toes are tired.  Yes folks, I have been walking to the ends of the earth for the past week, living a car free lifestyle in Indianapolis, Indiana.  For the past 6 months, my (ex) boyfriend and I have been sharing a car, something that has been very easy considering we lived downtown and close to everything and thus I was able to walk to work or he was able to take the bike most days.  Well, as the story goes, we broke up, he moved out, and I have been left carless.  Tragic, I know.  Instead of entering the car buyer’s market, I have instead opted to give it a go (no, not IndyGo, not going that route quite yet although I am sure that experience will be coming in future weeks) and try living car free in Indy. 

I decided to go car free for a number of reasons.  First, I have never been much of a driver and have never had to hop behind the wheel much.  In Columbus and Cincinnati, I bussed it to work and back and walked almost everywhere else.  So far in Indy, I have had to drive more often but still in very short distances, as I live close to work, the gym, the grocery, and all my nightlife options.  Second, with my ex leaving town, never to be seen or heard from again, my cost of living has doubled, forcing me to cut some expenditures from my life.  I love the location of my apartment and don’t want to give it up, so something else had to give.  Third, as an urban planner/designer and an urbanite in general, my general philosophy and personal ethic promotes walkable, dense urban environments where pedestrians are king and the car takes the backseat.  I figure it’s about time I start walking the walk, ditch the car, and promote a lifestyle I think we ought to be designing around and catering to, especially in our downtowns. 

My first week without a car did not go off without a hitch.  On the first day, I came home to find my bike missing.  After a frantic call to the ex, I found out the bike was left outside and probably stolen.  Ugh!  There went my only wheeled transit.  On the second day, I had to borrow my friend’s car so I could make a mad-dash down to my other friend’s apartment on the far south side where I had left my keys in his car just moments before by mistake.  Ugh!  On the fourth day (Christmas Eve), I had the enjoyable experience of taking Mega Bus to Cincinnati, on my way back home for the holiday.  I was one of four people who actually got on the bus from Indy, the rest were traveling through from Chicago.  The trip was quick and painless, although it was quite depressing to see a bus packed with young people from Chicago heading to Cincinnati.  Most likely, many of these people were going ‘home’ for the holiday, back to where they grew up.  At some point, they all left the ‘Nati in search of greener pastures, to a place where their apparent car free lifestyle was supported: Chicago.  Brain drain at it’s finest.  Ugh! 

Despite a few mishaps, being car free in Indy has thus far been a positive experience (my legs may say otherwise).  I can say this only because of my friends who have so far been willing to take me shopping, home from the gym (that is the longest walk), or to the bar.  I see now that my schedule will often depend on what they are doing and will have to be flexible and willing to suddenly drop everything and go if I need a ride somewhere and someone can take me.  I guess this will be the biggest adjustment and something I must learn to live with. 

As my legs continue to grow in size by the minute, my butt firm up by the hour, and my walking wardrobe becomes cuter by the day (new boots here I come), I thought it would be fun to document my car free experiences and see how long I can last.  So here I am, at the end of week one.  Bring on week 2.  Time will tell, step by step.

D.C. I Love Thee

In case you haven’t heard (but really, how haven’t you???), last Tuesday the Washington D.C.  council voted 11-2 to allow gay marriage, making it the sixth U.S. state to grant full marriage equality to gays and lesbians.  Massachusetts, Vermont, Iowa, and Connecticut already allow gay marriage with New Hampshire joining them next month.  This news should come as no surprise, as earlier this year, the D.C. Council voted 12-1 to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.    So D.C., this is why I love thee.  This victory suggests that the momentum is shifting once again in the fight for LGBT equality.  The recent disappointments of Maine and New York are behind us and we can use such a high-profile win for future progress in places like California.

Now that the bill has been signed by D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty, it must undergo a 30-day Congressional review.  If no legitimate complaints are filed, then the gays can begin marrying by March 2010.  Meanwhile, back at home in the Midwest (and across most of the United States), gays and lesbians continue to enjoy second class citizenry.  Hopefully more and more states come on board with ideas of equality that New England and D.C. have now forged, forcing the federal government to eventually recognize gay marriage across the nation, ridding rogue, bigoted states the chance to continue to tolerate bigotry against the gays (I am looking at you the South and the Midwest….Utah too).  Hopefully that future, that right side of history, that fairness, is coming sooner rather than later. 

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3CDC is Displacing the Gays!

With the recent news that the Metropole low-income Apartment building in downtown Cincinnati will soon be transformed into the 21c boutique hotel by 3CDC, a significant controversy has surfaced, and rightfully so.  This news brings up numerous debates, including low-income displacement through gentrification, countless housing policies, and if low-income resident’s should be clustered together in this fashion or spread out across a region.  These are debates and conversations we ought to have….but not here, not now. 

The news also brought with it the realization that the two establishments that currently operate in the building will have to move: Trattoria Roma and Subway Bar and Lounge.  Trattoria Roma will likely stay in the area of 6th and Walnut, hopefully moving into one of the newly renovated commercial spaces by Mr. Sushi.  But what is going to happen to Subway, an underground (literally) gay bar.  Where are the gays going to go?  3CDC is displacing the gays!!!!!!!! 

But seriously, I think the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce and 3CDC needs to assist Subway in finding an appropriate location.  My past posts indicate what I think: Over-the-Rhine is the place for Subway, as it is Cincinnati’s emerging gayborhood.  Subway needs to move along Vine Street in the Gateway Quarter, along Main Street, or across the street from Below Zero, further solidifying OTR as a gay destination.  What needs to happen next is Adonis moving out of their east side slum and into the new large entertainment space along Vine Street and OTR will truly be the gay nightlife center of Cincinnati.  Like Mariah, let’s make it happen!

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Columbus, OH is So Gay

I just spent the weekend visiting friends in Columbus, Ohio.  I went to Ohio State for undergrad. and am very familiar with the city itself but unfortunately, I was not really out when I lived there and thus did not get to enjoy gay Columbus.  So along with the Gallery Hop, Columbus’s monthly arts celebration, this weekend was about experiencing a bit of gay Columbus’s night life. 

For those that don’t know, Columbus is gay.  Very gay!  For reason’s I am not sure of, there is an incredible, large, and thriving gay community here.  The Advocate knows this and recently rated Columbus as one of the best places in the country for gays and lesbians to live.  Plus, per person, Columbus donates the 3rd highest amount of money to gay rights organizations than any other city in the country (I am not completely sure of this fact so feel free to correct me if I am wrong).  So needless to say, Columbus is gay, out, proud, and absolutely fabulous. 

Gay Columbus is centered around Short North, an amazing neighborhood just north of downtown Columbus and just south of Ohio State.  Short North is officially Columbus’s arts district but the area could easily double as it’s gay village.  The surrounding residential areas are filled with gays and High Street contains numerous gay establishments all within a walking distance of  each other.  These include Level, Union, Axis, and Havana Video Lounge.  Plus, there are numerous clothing stores, galleries, and independent stores that are very gay friendly or gay owned.  This is definitely Columbus’s gay village, something I have clamored for in Cincinnati and Indianapolis in past posts.  Further, I think it is fair to say that outside of Boystown in Chicago, the Short North is the most gay-centric neighborhood in the Midwest.  It’s pretty amazing actually.

Below are a series of images of High Street, where the Short North is centered around.  High Street offers numerous restaurants, clubs, galleries, shops, and coffee houses.  It is a great urban neighborhood and in my opinion, has the best urban energy of any neighborhood in Ohio.  Most of the building’s themselves are unremarkable and architecturally insignificant.  But taken together, the buildings of the Short North provide a great urban form conducive to pedestrian activity.  Plus, there has been and continues to be a lot of infill development that, for the most part, compliments the existing form while providing contrasting styles with modern finishes.  Enjoy the Short North!  I love this place and miss it everyday. 

Cincinnati Is So European

Well, the city can look European anyways.  In so many ways and from so many views, Cincinnati can easily be mistaken for a 19th Century European city, perfectly preserved, perfectly provincial, perfectly unique.  The neighborhoods of Over-the-Rhine, the West End, Mt. Auburn, Camp Washington, Mt. Adams, and other center city neighborhoods are the places I am talking about here.   

The interesting thing about Cincinnati is it’s development history.  The city was America’s first boomtown, developing in the early 1800’s and becoming a major economic powerhouse by the mid 1850’s.  While cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit were still small settlements, Cincinnati was prospering, populating, and densifying.  Because the city was founded in a basin surrounded by hills, development had nowhere to go.  Therefore, the City densified at an amazing rate, becoming the most densely populated city in the United States outside of Manhattan. 

As time went on and technology improved, Cincinnatian’s built inclines and figured out how to develop past the surrounding hillsides.  As this happened, the population began spreading out across the region and the center city de-populated, leaving behind an amazing collection of 19th Century buildings and neighborhoods built in incredibly dense fashions.  As time went on and investment dried up in center cities across the nation, urban America saw their neighborhoods decimated by urban renewal programs and Interstates of the mid 20th Century.  Somehow, a large amount of Cincinnati urban neighborhoods, especially Over-the-Rhine, escaped the wrecking ball in a lot of instances (unfortunately the West End was decimated by I-75), maintaining an amazing built form in and around downtown.  This is what makes Cincinnati so unique, so interesting, so amazing – the existence of nearly intact, pedestrian oriented, dense 19th Century neighborhoods not found anywhere else in the country.

In past posts, I have briefly covered Over-the-Rhine, perhaps Cincinnati’s most famous neighborhood.  Below, you will find a collection of pictures from Prospect Hill, a sub-neighborhood of Mt. Auburn just north of Over-the-Rhine.  Prospect Hill is built on steep hillsides, offering great view of downtown and a great collection of 19th Century architecture.  The neighborhood has seen an incredible amount of investment, in large part by the gays, and is definitely one of the best places to live in the City.  Also, Milton’s is a well-known neighborhood bar that should be experienced by all Cincinnatians.  Enjoy Prospect Hill, and see why Cincinnati is so European, or at least looks that way sometimes.

Watching an OTR Reno.

A good friend of mine recently purchased an amazing building on Elm Street in Cincinnati’s historic and beautiful Over-the-Rhine.  This 19th century limestone building is large in scale and unique for the neighborhood, as the number of 4 story, non-institutional buildings in this part of OTR are rare.  The building also sits on the future Cincinnati Streetcar line, is a half block north of Music Hall, and a half block north of the soon to be revamped Washington Park.  Needless to say this is an incredible location that will only get better over the next few years.

I was recently in Cincinnati for an Opera event and so my friend, knowing how historic preservation and OTR get me all hot and bothered and weak at the knees, gave me a tour of the building, which is soon-to-be gutted and rehabbed into condos.  I figured I would snap a few pictures and get some before shots before work starts.  I am hoping to be able to get to Cincinnati frequently enough to follow the building’s progress.  As that happens, I will continue to post pictures and follow the building from start to finish.  Enjoy the pictures below. 

Recent Urban Designs in Cincy & Indy

I walk by the 3 Mass building all the time, and get all hot and bothered by its fenestration, wondering why the architect (eh hem Schmidt Associates) decided to create a hideous ground floor that does not fit in with its surroundings and certainly does not follow proper urban design.  These windows look more suited for ground level offices instead of retail or restaurants and certainly won’t help in any effort of activating the streetscape.  Essentially, these windows cut off the uses from the streets, deactivating the area and diminishing a vibrant street life.  This is when quality design is so important and why Indianapolis should not stand for this type of crap, especially in a location as important as 3 Mass.  I should note I am a fan of the increased density this building brings to the area and the numerous balconies and outdoor space.  So I am not suggesting all is bad here, but the most important aspect of the building, the ground level, is completely underwhelming and unfortunate. 

On the flip side, 3CDC has numerous high quality examples of proper urban design in OTR’s Gateway Quarter in Cincinnati.  As seen in the images below, the new street level retail along Vine Street is contextually sensitive and is completely open to the street, connecting the inside and out.  Plus, the new construction Trinity Flats, seen in the second image below, fits in with its surroundings and is a proper modern fit in a historic district while enhancing an open inside-out connection between the building and the street.    These activation methods should be a given in such developments and has a proven, successful track record.  Having large, open windows that extend along the street level can connect activity happening inside the buildings to the outside, creating and enhancing a sense of vibrancy  that otherwise wouldn’t be there if the uses were walled off from the street.

Image Source here

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I am glad to see 3CDC promoting quality, pedestrian oriented urban design in the most important Cincinnati neighborhood.  It would have been nice to see Schmidt Associates do the same in Indianapolis’s most important ‘hood as well.

Indianapolis – St. Joseph Historic Neighborhood

I have lived in Indianapolis for 4.5 months and am enjoying it so far.  I live downtown in the St. Joseph Historic Neighborhood just north of Mass Ave and just south of the Old Northside.  The area is very walkable, featuring a number of intimate streets that are pedestrian scaled with little to no building setbacks.  The neighborhood also has a nice collection of brick and stone rowhouses, wood frame single family homes, and mid-rise apartment buildings.  The area has also seen a lot of appropriate residential infill that is contextually sensitive yet modern in style.  There are a few commercial nodes, notably those around 9th and Pennsylvania and 10th and Alabama, but mostly, St. Joseph features residential structures of varying densities.  Also, the Bicentennial Mall and the Indianapolis Central Library are both located in the neighborhood, providing great public spaces and places for the area.  And yes, the neighborhood seems very gay friendly, as a number of gays I know live here.  Plus, gay friendly Abbey Coffeehouse and a gay restaurant/bar English Ivy’s are both located in St. Joseph (The Abbey actually closed very recently.  Sad!).  Below are a number of pictures of the neighborhood.  Enjoy! 

2 Steps Forward, 10 Steps Back

With the recent Hate Crimes Bill becoming federal law, the lifting of the HIV/AIDS travel ban, and the amazing National Equality March, the gay community has felt and saw real progress towards equality and fairness.  Finally, the President gets it, Congress gets it, and society gets it.  Well not so fast.  Lately, it seems for every 2 steps we take forward we are devastated with 10 steps back.  Last year it was Proposition 8 in California.  This year, it is another Prop 8 –esque measure, this time in Maine.  I am very sad and disheartened to say that yesterday, November 3^rd, Maine voters passed Issue 1 that overturned the state’s current recognition of marriage equality.

There are many who argue that gay marriage should not be our top priority and we ought to be focusing our efforts on more important efforts, such as equal treatment in housing and the workforce.  While I completely agree with this sentiment, I also realize the topic of gay marriage will always be a central debate in this country and will always grab headlines, good and bad.  We need to realize this and use the issue of gay marriage as a platform to tell our story, win over hearts and minds, and raise awareness to other inequalities and injustices.  So when we lose in an issue that garners so much attention, it can disillusion the community and give momentum to the other side. 

Thankfully, I know we are on the right side of history and eventually, our community will receive the rights we have fought hard for, fought hard for through personal triumph, public discourse, and political battles.  But of course, right now I can’t help but feel like I got punched in the gut, deflating my hope and pride I have recently felt.  It truly feels like 2 steps forward, 10 steps back.      

 On the bright side, Washington state voters appear to have approved Referendum 71, something that expands domestic partnerships to have every state-level right and benefit afforded to married couples.  I am also proud to have learned that Akron, Ohio has elected its first openly gay lesbian candidate, Sandra Kurt, to city council.  Get it Akron!  Plus, Kalamazoo, Michigan approved Ordinance 1856, expanding the city’s anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity.  These are fantastic news stories and things that need to be used as positive energy to continue our quest for equality.

Issue 9 Fails – A Great Night for the ‘Nati

Last night was a great night for Cincinnati and it’s rail transit future.  Cincinnati voters defeated Issue 9 by  a 56%-44% margin.  Proponents of this charter said giving people a say in rail transit matters would act as a check on unpopular projects.  Well, clearly Cincinnatian’s have spoken clearly on the issue: they want rail transit and they want it now.  Lets start talking openly about streetcar plans and the continued Over-the-Rhine revitalization, the 3-C Corridor Plan, the Eastern Corridor Plan, etc., etc., etc.  It is a great time to be a planner and transit supporter in Cincinnati and Ohio in general and I have never been more excited for Cincinnati’s future.  Also, I  am very proud of the Cincinnati voter’s for looking past Issue 9 proponent’s lies and deceit.  Get it Cincinnati!

And oh yea, looks like Ohio is getting casinos.  All I can say is if they put it in Broadway Commons, it better look good.  I mean goood.