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1. Downtown Connectivity
The crown jewel of urban Indianapolis is the Wholesale District, which is located on the southern fringe of Downtown. It contains most of the core's premier attractions, including the Circle Centre Mall, Monument Circle, the Indiana Convention Center and three professional sports venues. Prior to its designation as a cultural district, this was one of Downtown's most decayed and blighted areas. Since 1995, nearly $700 million has been invested in the immediate area, transforming it into one of the city's premier arts and entertainment districts.
While Downtown development is a key priority, Metro Jacksonville advises the Chamber to take note of something that most will fail to recognize. Once we get past all the glitzy capital projects, retail and dining options in the capital city, take note that this is not possible without the concepts of "connectivity" and "clustering." For downtown Jacksonville to regain its vibrant status, a discussion on connectivity and clustering complementing uses will have to move to the forefront.
2. Canal Walk
While visiting the White River State Park (Session #5 on 10/12/10), take note of the Indianapolis Canal Walk. Canal Walk is a linear public space designed around the old Indiana Central Canal. The path features a mix of old and new architecture, attractions, monuments, and a waterside promenade for jogging, inline skating, biking, and boating. Amenities along canal walk include Pedal boat rentals, bike rentals, murals, a waterside cafe, and waterfalls.
In Jacksonville, we have our own versions of Canal Walk that have been ignored for over a half century. Both McCoys and Hogans Creek can be better utilized to reconnect downtown and the riverfront with adjacent neighborhoods, enhancing residential opportunities in the inner city.
Exposing Hogans Creek
Downtown's Best Kept Secret: McCoys Creek
3. Clarion Health People Mover
Indianapolis has its own version of the Jacksonville Skyway, the Clarion Health People Mover. However, this privately funded people mover was constructed for $45 million/mile less and operates 24 hours/7 days a week with a $1 million annual budget.
In addition, walkable mixed-use development has taken place around its central station offering Indianapolis' healthcare industry the option of urban living, working and playing without the everyday use of the car. Considering that the Skyway is already in place, a look at the Clarion Health People Mover is a must if we want to better utilize this existing mass transit option in the economic recovery of downtown Jacksonville.
The Clarian Health People Mover
4. Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
The World War Memorial Plaza is a great example of a non-waterfront urban green space with pedestrian friendly amenities that is well integrated with its surroundings. The War Memorial and the parks in the plaza are an example of the City Beautiful movement, which supported classical, uniform, and beautiful public architecture. The plaza covers a five-block strip north of Monument Circle between St. Clair, Pennsylvania, New York, and Meridian Streets. In 1989, the plaza was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it was named a National Historic Landmark District in 1994.
Downtown Jacksonville will have its own three-block version of this space between the new Duval County Courthouse and Adams Street. Unfortunately, there has been no discussion on how the design of this space could possibly impact this desolate section of the Northbank. A walk through the War Memorial should give Jacksonville's representatives a taste of what could exist in a blighted section of downtown with vision.
5. Fall Creek Place
The future of downtown Jacksonville is directly tied to the economic health of its adjacent neighborhoods. While much focus has been placed on bringing life to downtown Jacksonville, it would not hurt Chamber leaders to consider ways to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods such as LaVilla, Brooklyn, Cathedral District and the Eastside. Located just north of downtown Indianapolis, Fall Creek Place is a great example of what Jacksonville's urban core can become through a combination of historic preservation, investment in public infrastructure and private sector affordable infill mixed use development and housing.
About Fall Creek Place
Quote
Fall Creek Place is bounded by Meridian Street on the west, Fall Creek Parkway on the north, just east of College Avenue on the east, and 22nd Street on the south.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_Creek_Place,_Indianapolis
The neighborhood consists of narrow, tree lined streets. Victorian homes from the late 19th century are the most prevalent house type as well as new homes built in period design. In the 1980s, the neighborhood fell into serious disrepair; entire city blocks were left abandoned. In 2001, city efforts to redevelop the area into a mixed-income residential community began. In 2003, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Indianapolis with a Homeownership Zone Award for the way the city used a $4 million HUD grant to stimulate other public and private investment in the Fall Creek Place redevelopment. Also in 2003, the American Planning Association selected Fall Creek Place as the winner of the 2003 Outstanding Planning Award for "Implementing Smart Growth." In 2006, the National League of Cities gave Indianapolis the silver winner Award for Municipal Excellence for cities over 500,000 in population for the Fall Creek Place redevelopment project.
The area was previously nicknamed "Dodge City," referring to the infamous western town of Dodge City, Kansas where there were shootouts in the streets. The area was plagued with frequent drive-bys during the 1980s and 1990s.
With vision and coordinated planning, there is no reason an established neighborhood like Brooklyn, LaVilla, Durkeeville or the Eastside can't undergo the same rapid renaissance.
About the 30th Annual Leadership Trip to Indianapolis, IN
The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce is heading to Indianapolis, IN, for the 30th annual leadership trip October 12-14.
This year, Jacksonville’s top business and civic leaders will see first-hand how Indianapolis leaders executed their vision on topics such as Downtown Development, Civic Leadership Structure, Education Reform and Holistic Approaches to Poverty.
This Year's Itinerary
Downtown Indianapolis aerial
Downtown Jacksonville aerial
Most of Indianapolis' major destinations, if moved to the Northbank, would fit in an area that stretched East/West from Berkman Plaza to Broad Street and North/South from the riverfront to State Street. When overlaying the Indianapolis footprint over the Jacksonville area, the Prime Osborn and Jacksonville Municipal Stadium are so far outside of that area that they can't be seen on the aerial. This should speak volumes for the importance of connectivity and the clustering of urban development.
Use this trip to gather ideas that will make Jacksonville better through quick and sensible implementation. Also, take photos and be willing to share what you have learned with all of Jacksonville's residents.
Article by Ennis Davis
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Keith-N-Jax
October 11, 2010, 08:11:07 AMMore tax dollars wasted IMO.
St. Auggie
October 11, 2010, 09:16:59 AMSorry. I dont believe it is wasted. Indy is exactly who this town should be emulating. They have done an AMAZING job with their city.
Captain Zissou
October 11, 2010, 09:55:36 AMI'm not sure if this is a good investment or not. If this has a profound effect on our leaders and causes them to transform our city for the better, then it was money well spent. Unfortunately, I don't think that will be the case.
JeffreyS
October 11, 2010, 10:01:11 AMI hope the chamber and city leaders take advantage of this primer for their trip.
simms3
October 11, 2010, 10:12:07 AMSomeone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Civic Council members who are in attendance are taking time off of their busy schedules and covering the costs of the trip themselves. Some of them may also be on the Chamber, so maybe not, but I think these trips are hardly "vacations."
vicupstate
October 11, 2010, 10:19:23 AMTax dollars pay for City Council members but not business folks, IIRC.
What has the city learned from prior trips that WAS ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTED
The Kansas City trip did lead to a new organization of local powerbrokers, can't remember the name. Hopefully, something good will come of that.
Keith-N-Jax
October 11, 2010, 10:38:56 AMMy point EXACTLY.
thelakelander
October 11, 2010, 10:39:16 AMThe KC trip lead to the creation of the Civic Council.
ChriswUfGator
October 11, 2010, 11:28:48 AMWell the first thing that stands out in that pic is that Indy has TWO WAY STREETS downtown. Hmmm...
Coolyfett
October 11, 2010, 11:44:03 AMKansas City? Indianapolis? Jax is learning from them?
Indy is set up nice. Id even say its kinda sexy. I like the Canal. Hogans Creek? yea... McCoys Creek? Hell no!
I mean the whole learning from KC & Thing? Why not New York, Miami & Chicago?? Im sure they could learn a ton from trips to those places. JV is cool, but Varsity is better.
Captain Zissou
October 11, 2010, 11:49:07 AMCoolyfett, I agree that varsity is better, but we'd be wasting our time. To follow your metaphor, Jax would be a chubby 4th grader with aspirations of playing in the NFL. We need to get to the level of the 2nd tier cities first, then go for the big dogs. There is more to be learned from Indy in the near term than NYC anyway.
Doctor_K
October 11, 2010, 11:58:38 AMLOL:
simms3
October 11, 2010, 03:54:53 PMI am really jealous of all those who get to go. Staying at the Conrad...great piece of architecture there. A talk at Indy's Scottish Rite? Wow. Indy is leagues above Jax right now.
And great points Lakelander, just to need to keep drilling it into people. I don't think we should stop private investment in larger projects (I would consider the Laura Trio rehab + Bank Hotel a larger project), but if the city is going to spend tax dollars spend it on exactly what you said.
thelakelander
October 11, 2010, 04:38:34 PM^There's nothing wrong with private investment of any kind. However, we can get more bang for our buck by better integrating it with complementing investment, land uses and development strategies.
RiversideLoki
October 11, 2010, 04:55:14 PMSo in other words "a viable replacement for David Garrard."
I think it's a waste of money to make the trip. But I hope they bring back something useful.
spuwho
October 11, 2010, 04:57:49 PMThe Canal Parkway in Indy has a huge tie in to their history and therefore not only is it a civic asset of high proportions, but a reminder of the history of what Indiana wanted to become.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Central_Canal
It nearly bankrupted the State back in 1847, but years later they have turned it into a jewel.
So what Boondoggle sows ear does Jacksonville have that can be turned into the golden purse?
Perhaps this is why the CoC travels so much, in search of some ancient asset that can be transformed.
This is what the Canal is today:
http://www.indygreenways.org/canal/centralcanal.htm
tufsu1
October 12, 2010, 11:06:01 AMas does Jacksonville.....do you think Indy has any one-way streets downtown Chris?
Doctor_K
October 12, 2010, 12:18:06 PMDid they one-way it for a long time like we did?
tufsu1
October 12, 2010, 12:25:46 PMwell a cursory look at Google Maps implies that they still have one-way pairs, just like us...these include:
Washington/Maryland (east-west)
Illinois/Capitol (north-south)
New York/Michigan (east-west)
Delaware/Pennsylvania (north-south)
New Jersey/Alabama (north-south)
It looks like they have two major two-way streets (Market and Meridian) in the middle of downtown.
CS Foltz
October 12, 2010, 12:30:20 PMChamber of Commerce going else where looking for that "Panacea" is not a problem with me! Atleast they pay for their trip themselves.............what I would like to know, what if any solutions have they brought back? I have yet to see anything concrete............idea's maybe, but something positive, nothing in sight yet!
thelakelander
October 12, 2010, 12:38:47 PMThere are still a number of oneway streets in downtown Indy. Here are a few images I took from Circle Centre Mall a couple of years ago.
Streets are also just as wide and busy as State & Union. Nevertheless, pedestrians still cross the street because there is something worth crossing on the other side.
CS Foltz
October 12, 2010, 12:42:11 PMSeeing the vehicles parked as they are, makes me ask..........what do they do about parking lake? Do they have the same system that we have here? I did note both of the provided pictures show one way travel!
thelakelander
October 12, 2010, 12:49:47 PMSimilar system but parking was much cheaper. The mall in the center of downtown has public garages that charge $1.50 for the first three hours. A $1.50 to be in a virbant downtown with tons to do verses $9.00 in DT Jax for the same period of time. You really can't beat that.
Steve
October 12, 2010, 01:14:27 PMOne common misconception is that Jacksonville changed their streets to be one way in the last 50 years or so, around the time of the parking meter. That's not the case. For most of this century, most streets downtown that are one way were one way 100 years ago. There are some exceptions (Main/Ocean, Broad/Jefferson, etc), but it's not a new phenomenon.
BridgeTroll
October 12, 2010, 01:33:55 PMIn the second picture... on the left... Are those parking meters?
CS Foltz
October 12, 2010, 03:50:32 PMtufsu1
October 12, 2010, 04:41:45 PMCS...there are several garages and lots downtown that don't charge more than $6 for the whole day...if you paid $10 it is because you weren't willing to walk an extra block or two...some call that "supply & demand"
ChriswUfGator
October 12, 2010, 05:50:21 PMI call it a shady monopoly, as relates to parking in our urban core...
Didn't we already hash this out before tufsu? Once we got ahold of the number of parking spaces, and once we determined the real number of people downtown daily minus all the BS DVI throws into their inflated figures, it turns out that when you add up every single downtown worker, each and every one would have to find a way to bring 4 or 5 cars with them every single day before parking demand would come close to supply.
The only reason the garage prices are what they are is because the garage owners pressure the city to ruthlessly enforce asinine parking policies that drive people into their garages so they can charge $9 despite the garage being mostly empty. The only reason anyone uses them at all is because that's cheaper than a $15 parking ticket. This is the very definition of a rigged market, and has nothing to do with supply and demand.
simms3
October 12, 2010, 06:51:04 PMI have always wondered about the 2 way street dilemna. Here we keep talking about converting the one way streets to two way as a cheap and effective way to promote ease of use, per se, of downtown. However, I have never seen a downtown of a major city that has more 2-ways than 1-ways (granted I haven't been most places). Successful cities that utilize 1-ways: New York, DC, Atlanta, Philly, and I never really paid attention elsewhere, but these cities come to mind. It seems as if most core streets in these cities except for cross streets (and even then) are 1-way.
Are we positive that creating 2-ways would benefit downtown more than inhibit it? I think 1-ways are easy...if you are walking (or even driving) you know which direction the cars are coming from. If you are driving you can get anywhere by making all right hand turns. Intersections don't need turn lanes or turn signals and lights can be more easily timed.
thelakelander
October 12, 2010, 07:09:00 PMTwo ways work but they won't do much alone. They need to be implemented with other pedestrian and business friendly practices. Downtown Lakeland is a great place to see the successful result of two way conversions.
fieldafm
October 12, 2010, 08:13:46 PMLast Friday I had to go to the UPS store downtown. I was deep in thought(aka being flighty) and sailed right past Hogan Street, which then turned into a 4 block-3 traffic light detour. I dont mind it, but that's the kind of thing that makes people want to follow the traffic patterns and heard right out of downtown instead of heading into downtown.
That's my .02.