Topics: College of Architecture and Planning, Indianapolis Center

July 27, 2009

Ball State students in Professor Harry Eggink's graduate architecture class and Professor Scott Truex's urban planning class spent the semester envisioning the northeast side of Indianapolis after a proposed light rail line is up and running. The line would run from 146th Street in Noblesville to South Street in downtown Indianapolis along the existing Nickel Plate rail line.

Now the public can see the future through the students' eyes thanks to a new, free exhibit.  "Next Generation Neighborhoods:  Investing in Transit" is on display at the Ball State Indianapolis Center through Aug. 21.

CIRTA (Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority) and the Ball State College of Architecture and Planning teamed up to create the exhibit, which is open to the public at the Ball State Indianapolis Center, located at 50 North Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis.

Approximately 20 display boards showcase transit history and depict new employment hubs, the revitalization of urban neighborhoods and specific station stops as well as the challenges of opportunities of each of those stops.

"The exhibit is meant to help us see the possibilities," said Ehren Bingaman, executive director of CIRTA.  "A lot of people have been talking about the possibilities, but when you get a chance to ‘see' what a transit stop at 22nd Street or 116th Street could look like and how it could affect a neighborhood, it takes the vision to a whole new level."

"Projects like this reflect the impact Ball State students are having on Indiana's economy," said Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora. "These initiatives are tangible, practical and, simply put, are helping Hoosier companies and communities move forward. And from an academic perspective, our students are receiving an education grounded in immersive learning experiences that cannot be duplicated anywhere else."

CIRTA was created by state statute in 2004.  Its mission is to develop a comprehensive system of transportation alternatives for Central Indiana residents. 

CIRTA is governed by a 16-member board of directors who represent all nine counties in the region (Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Shelby, Johnson, Morgan, Hendricks, Boone and Madison), as well as municipalities, and the labor organization for transportation workers. For more information, please visit www.cirta.us.