Urban design guidelines prohibit new drive-throughs along Meridian or Pennsylvania streets in the downtown vicinity.

Work is under way on the $12.5 million transformation of a three-block stretch between Pennsylvania Street and Capitol Avenue into a pedestrian-friendly corridor.

A new not-for-profit organization will try to raise more than $700,000 a year for the trail’s ongoing maintenance, and it will market the trail as a tourism and economic-development engine.

The $29 million will be used to acquire and demolish or rehabilitate foreclosed and abandoned homes.

Organizers are planning a weekend ceremony to dedicate a rebuilt covered bridge in central Indiana that was destroyed by a tornado more than two years ago.

State-by-state comparisons ranking residents' satisfaction levels are gaining traction in economic development circles. While rankings do not drive site-selection decisions, they do play a role.

Native Hoosier Aaron Renn, who writes the popular Urbanophile blog, said Indianapolis stacks up well against its Midwestern counterparts and can compete for jobs with national hot spots such as Portland, Ore.

The funds will be used for construction on the remaining 4.5 miles of the $62.5 million project, officials announced Wednesday.

A plethora of experts like Dan Collom are restoring the Moscow bridge, built in 1886 and destroyed by a tornado in 2008.

IndyGo, for all its faults, is the Cadillac of transit systems in the Indianapolis region. Service breaks at county lines and the absence of passenger shelters are among the deficiencies facing transit systems in surrounding counties.

Indiana is becoming more business-friendly, according to the latest national ranking from the Tax Foundation, which moved the state up two places to 12th.

They used to say that downtown Indianapolis rolled up the sidewalks at 6 p.m. No one says that anymore. Now they say those sidewalks need to be clean. Sidewalk cleanliness is important on a day-to-day basis for aesthetic reasons, but even more so when Indianapolis wants to put on its best face for major events like the Final Four, the Indianapolis 500 and the Super Bowl.

Cities must woo people while they’re young—in their 20s or early 30s—because after that age, people tend to hunker down. The Indianapolis area apparently appeals to at least two key groups of young people—particularly those already married, according to a new study by researchers at IUPUI.

 Regional economic development experts say cities must woo talented people while they're young--in their 20s or early 30s--because, after that age, people tend to hunker down. The Indianapolis area apparently appeals to at least two key groups of young people--particularly those already married, according to a new study by researchers at IUPUI.

There was a time when residents of Meridian Kessler, Butler Tarkington, and Broad Ripple viewed North Meridian Street as a connection between their neighborhoods. These days, the road feels more like a divide-an intimidating commuter highway between downtown and the northern suburbs that discourages pedestrian and bicycle traffic. A partnership of community groups including the Meridian Street Foundation is hoping to change that by giving the neighborhoods a collective identity--Midtown--and mixing private and public money to fund major infrastructure improvements.