Any successful revitalization of the Market Square Arena site demands restoring the former City Hall as the public’s house. City Hall’s decaying grandeur casts a long shadow over the neighboring parking lots created by the implosion of MSA 11 years ago and is probably overwhelming the facile designs associated with redevelopment proposals.
The rebirth of downtown and its continued viability are the result of clustered assets—hotels, the convention center, sporting facilities, familiar restaurants—and a strong convention business.
In which category do the 23 right-to-work states lead the nation? In poverty.
Absent a focus on county-wide educational reform, these efforts may address underachievement within IPS but fail to address needs of top academic performers, the large academic middle, and underperformers in all Marion County schools.
Who has the right to give away a state asset, as the IU name is, for what reasons and under what terms?
If Union Station was linked to an urban transportation system extending from downtown to the Hendricks County border, workers in the gargantuan warehouses west of Indianapolis would have access to a reliable transit system.
Unfortunately, despite the governor’s pledge, the dollars spent by public-private entities and the recession, Indiana’s per-capita income has not risen.
Rather than simply building and repairing streets, sidewalks, bridges and parks, ratepayers and taxpayers should demand that these projects set standards for construction in Indianapolis by reusing or recycling materials, using environmentally friendly products, and designing public spaces to encourage physical activity.
The challenges facing Indianapolis Public Schools are daunting. The socioeconomic level of its students and their families,
fiscal constraints, and a necessary heightened focus on security issues are just a few, but all contribute to high dropout
rates, low academic achievement, achievement gaps between middle-class and low-income children and declining enrollment.
A vibrant Indianapolis powers a dynamic Indiana and the governor, the mayor and the members of the General Assembly should all recognize that.
A reasonable and workable solution to the financial challenges confronting Marion County its Capital Improvement Board should include the following:
Although the Kernan-Shepard report focused on local government efficiencies, it is also clear that the management of Indiana’s
public resources and assets at the regional and state level has not kept pace with the technological and socioeconomic advances
of the last century.
Here are six recommendations to help Mayor Greg Ballard clarify his vision for Indianapolis as the city begins its second
year under his leadership.
The economic impact of a Super Bowl on the host city is subject to vigorous debate.
The city should organize a public-private partnership to create a multi-modal distribution community at the site of the former
Indianapolis Airport terminal.
On Aug. 28, the investment bank UBS downgraded its rating on the Australian investment bank, Macquarie Group. UBS noted that Macquarie faced the threat of a declining asset base, which it leverages to fund Macquarie’s dividend payments. UBS also posited that Macquarie may be inadequately capitalized. Macquarie Group should be familiar to Hoosiers as one of the two entities that leased the Indiana Toll Road in April 2006 for 75 years. To lease the toll road, Macquarie invested $385 million…
On Sept. 28, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 11246. In so doing, he advanced a revolutionary cause by stating clearly that, “It is the policy of the government of the United States to provide equal opportunity in federal employment for all qualified persons, to prohibit discrimination in employment because of race, creed, color or national origin, and to promote the full realization of equal employment opportunity through a positive, continuing program in each executive department and agency.” The…
Indianapolis has spent more than $2 billion on worthy civic projects such as the new airport terminal, Lucas Oil Stadium, and a new Central Library. The same sense of civic pride must be mobilized for funding improved criminal justice. Strong, coherent mayoral leadership is required to address the causes of increased criminal activity here, but a lasting solution requires a community-wide effort. Criminal activity is not simply the result of an individual’s motivation to offend. For crime to occur, the…
A recent Associated Press study of 62 major waterproviders across the country, including Indianapolis, found that nearly all their water had pharmaceutical product or indicators of pharmaceutical product in their water supply. P h a r m a c e u t i c a l products included antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones. The same AP study investigated watersheds and aquifers, large numbers of which were found to contain pharmaceuticals and other contaminants. Another national study of 139…
Over the last 20 years, life expectancy for residents of the United States as a whole has increased steadily. However, recent studies by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have shown that not all Americans are enjoying longer, healthier lives. The implications of these studies are particularly ominous for Hoosiers. The disparities in life expectancy are most pronounced between richer and poorer Americans, reflecting the pronounced growth of income inequality the last two decades. In 1980, the most…
