One of the top priorities in American cities has been the improvement of business conditions in downtown shopping areas. Downtown Indianapolis, as other American cities is involved in economic revitalization in order to be able to compete with rapid suburban expansion. This revitalization effort seeks to attract more people to the city core.Downtown economic development is integrally related to the urban space revitalization. Since the beginning of cities, open spaces have been regarded as an important public amenity for providing quality urban environments. Open space provides the life of community and a place for human activity.As an entertainment center, Indianapolis can not just develop new sophisticated buildings, it needs also to comprehensively revitalize the open spaces. This project is an effort to demonstrate how urban environments located in the core area that have easy access, security, and comfort and also are joyful and attractive place for its citizen and guests.In this creative project, the designer/planner proposes an open space improvementconcept and program that can be implemented in the south-western section of downtown Indianapolis. The concepts derived m analyzing the potentials and assets that exist in the area today and responding to known future developments.The major goals of thesis project are:1 . Strengthening the pedestrian loop through out the project area in order to create a continuity of pedestrian spaces.2. Creating a pedestrian mall along five blocks of Illinois Street as a major effortto provide a pedestrian oriented environment.3. Creating a pedestrian corridor to connect the Circle Center Mall complex withthe Hoosier Dome and Convention Center.All planning and design concepts that are recommended in this project will reinforce the assets that already exist. The recommendations proposed within are meant to serve as "idea pieces" to aid in the planning and design of revitalization of downtown Indianapolis. / Department of Urban Planning

This proposal is a catalogue of considerable contextual issues that inform the architect about values, environmental qualities, and principles, found within existing building structures of an American downtown. It is the intention of this collection to help the architect considering a broader range of ideas in a new single building to be designed, with the intent of improving foremost the public quality of a future building in the downtown.The main architectural questions embrace the definition of the contextual influences, dimensional and non-dimensional, and the clarification what type of influences remain under the control of the architect.It is my overall premise that buildings in downtown are indeed of "higher quality" when they reflect the surrounding rules, i.e., when the architects, clients and any other powerful participants of the building enterprise know about the additional ideas that have been established around the proposed site. The downtown is often the oldest part of a city where first housing, first trade, growth, and the idea of neighborhood had its roots, where it all began. I specify downtown still as the traditional center of a community, a center, not defined so much geographically or architecturally as it is socially.How can a future best building become a piece of the existing downtown environment as an ideal. Is there such an ideal answer? Or is the downtown itself a conglomerate of random individual and uncompromising Inventions?What is the basic language, the common traits that all buildings in downtown shareMarkus Vogel, May 1997•What parts of a building are of importance in becoming a part of downtown and what reasons can we identify for attaching importance to those parts?What generates form, use and expression in downtown buildings which we consider as being a successful part of the place.Out of these questions, a catalog of influences will be presented, a reference framework of 21 issues, notions, and contextual influences, divided into dimensional and non-dimensional influences. Each of the influences analyses a single aspect out of the pool of qualities of downtown buildings. The consideration of non-dimensional contextual influences without any obvious visual dimensions such as contextual symbolism, questions of aesthetics, and behavioral aspects is of special importance. In defining the references the following set of questions serve as a guideline:A) Why are the notions important and where are they coming from?B) How can we look at them in downtown Indianapolis?C) What are the related suggestions and implications for a design study?The research includes visual, graphical and oral analysis whereby downtown Indianapolis serves as an example and as a resource city. The target groups includes senior students of architecture, architects and the community, or any other public client involved in design decisions or design reviews which supervise new developments in downtown.It is the position of this paper that only a consideration of all contextual influences together in one building may create what utopists could consider an ideal building. Aware of this heavily difficult ideal, an overview on those constraints that are not sufficiently under the control of the architect will be given in order to clarify the dualism between the ideal outcome and realistic possibilities. This proposal is therefore the creation of a methodology which defines questions and issues rather than providing the answers, describing final design implications.In conclusion, I assume that the belief and the application of such a contextual framework is characteristic of those people interested in particular and individualistic design responses rather than those individuals preferring universal and broad rules honoring all kinds of manifestoes that can be found in the pluralistic mishmash of present day's architectural theories. / Department of Architecture

The phenomenon of suburbanization has contributed significantly to the decline of many larger urban centers in many countries. As a result, many cities have experienced deterioration of infrastructure, a climate of disinvestment, and other consequences such as population losses, high rates of unemployment, increased poverty rates, fiscal distress, housing and neighborhood deterioration, and a negative image. In response to the impact of suburban expansion, public and private sector entities have implemented downtown revitalization programs intended to attract more people and restore diverse socio-economic, historic, and cultural functions to the core. The city of Indianapolis, like many others, has been involved in revitalizing its downtown city core to reverse the decline that took place following the World War II. Using a partnership of a proactive city government, strong neighborhoods, good public services and concerned private corporations they came together with one goal in mind: to restore a critical element of the city that being a regional shopping center in downtown core.This creative project researches the history of the mall and evaluates its present attributes and liabilities. It also offers possible strategies of using the Circle Centre Mall as a part of a balanced downtown urban system specific to its core. Lastly, this study will present some of the possible strategies and solutions, which can be used to stimulate downtown, street-level businesses integrating Circle Centre Mall's positive impacts in the process. It also contains an analysis and discussion of other components of the downtown revitalization programs, including: economic benefits; downtown urban spaces; skyways systems; facilities connectors; and the decision-making process.From this analysis, conclusions will be drawn that present facts and solutions about keeping the positive impacts of the Circle Centre Mall co-existing with growth of other downtown businesses, specially at sidewalk level, thus supporting the overall activities of the downtown core. / Department of Urban Planning

The purposes of this research study were to determine the extent registered dietitians were involved in the Indianapolis local television news reports; to analyze the content of nutrition-related information covered by Indianapolis local television news reports for their length of time, subject, context of nutrition-related information; and to identify the reporter, and any expert sources used. A content analysis was the chosen research method for this research proposal.A total of 33 nutrition-related segments were identified and analyzed from a two week sample of Indianapolis local television news programs. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 11.0. Registered dietitians were featured as expert opinions in six of the thirty-three news segments. The inclusion of either a registered dietitian or another trained health professional increased the rating of the news segments on the Nutrition Education Continuum. The two most common nutrition-related subjects covered by Indianapolis local television were disease prevention and cooking demonstrations. Results of this study provide modest support for the inclusion of registered dietitians in the local media when reporting nutrition-related information. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Lockefield Gardens was a 1936 Public Works Administration housing project for Indianapolis blacks. This study analyzes the Lockefield Gardens historic preservation debate in the period of 1975 – 1985. The historical and descriptive overview of Lockefield Gardens provides a sense of this unique place. The practical politics of historic preservation and the theory of § 106 review are considered as they impacted the preservation/development controversy. Lastly, the lessons learned from the Lockefield Gardens deliberations are offered to help improve historic preservation efforts in the future. These include consideration of such factors as time, diversity and political leadership. The conclusion offers suggestions for an improved memorialization of Lockefield Gardens, as well as the proud and vibrant African American community that once resided there. / New Deal architecture and historic preservation -- Historical and descriptive overview of Lockefield Gardens -- Preservation/development efforts 1975-1985 -- The theory of [section] 106 review and the practical politics of preservation -- The lessons of Lockefield Gardens.

This thesis has explored the development of the automobile showroom as a twentieth century building type. The showrooms of Indianapolis, Indiana were used as the primary source of physical evidence. Buildings erected specifically for sales and service of automobiles between 1900 and 1955 chosen. The development was traced in regards to size and layout of the departments. The involvement of manufacturers, dealers and architects was also traced. / Department of Architecture

During the nineteenth century, technological advances in grain elevator construction revolutionized bulk grain storage and handling. The mechanical elevation of grain in storage facilities was one such advancement. More importantly was the evolution in construction material from wood to reinforced concrete. Both allowed for the construction of massive grain storage facilities. Economic forces associated with the transition of agricultural production in the United States from domestic subsistence to international supplier encouraged the construction of large terminal facilities. This was particularly true in the years immediately preceding the United States' involvement in World War I. These technological advances and economic forces contributed to the development of Indianapolis as a major terminal grain center in the nation during the first half of the twentieth century. This thesis examines the history of this development, as well as, that of the reinforced concrete grain elevator in Indianapolis with a focus on three specific grain elevator facilities. / Department of Architecture

This study reveals the potential for urban design where multi-modal transportation corridors intersect. An overarching challenge to urban design and planning relates to the impact mobility has on the social, environmental, and economic health of America's cities, including Indianapolis. In response to this challenge, this study explores transit-oriented development, a strategy based on the principle that transportation and land use are closely related and should therefore be planned in coordination, as a viable alternative to current practices that force transportation to follow rather than inspire and enhance development.Two primary phases constitute the study. The first introduces the principles of transit-oriented development. This phase also highlights some of the urban design opportunities that stem from this alternative strategy and examines and evaluates how effectively transit-oriented development principles work in various American cities.The second phase explores how these principles may be applied to the city of Indianapolis and demonstrates how one site within the city can serve as a model for coordinating various modes of transportation with adjacent land use. This phase consists of selecting a demonstration site within the city, researching the existing and historical make-up of the site, and developing a master plan for the site. The master plan is based on two primary goals-to create a safe and efficient transportation node and to create a unique and vibrant urban "place" that functions as both an origin and a destination. / Department of Landscape Architecture

The City of Indianapolis, in wanting to become the amateur athletic capitol of the United States, needs to provide appropriate housing for training athletes and their coaches in order to fully realize the city's goal of creating the optimum amateur athlete environment. This project provided a master plan for an athlete housing complex located in the peripheral downtown area along the Canal, and near several sports training facilities. A major purpose of the project was to approach the housing site development utilizing Latin American Spanish Colonial planning-design concepts adapted to a North American urban site. Thus, the proposed housing and its site plan serve not only as a living environment for visiting athletes, but as an enduring post- X Pan American games commemoration of our respect and friendship for the people of Latin America. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This is the documentation of my thesis in which the project designed was a cultural center for Indianapolis, Indiana. Large theater, medium size theater, an amphitheater, a gallery, shops and studios, exhibition areas, restaurants, and parking structure.The cultural center is proposed for the part of white river park. It is bounded by Washington Street on the south, White River on the west, Blake street on the north, and the Blackford street on the east.The site chosen was of particular importance, since the activities that would take place in the cultural center would attract more people to white river park.The Indianapolis cultural center would act as a catalyst for the cultural development of the Indiana State. / Department of Architecture