Streets With No Sidewalks the Norm in Central Indiana

In a planning area encompassing Hamilton, Hendricks, Boone, Johnson, Morgan, Shelby and Hancock counties in Indiana, streets with no sidewalks outnumber streets with sidewalks by more than two to one.

1 minute read

February 4, 2020, 11:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Pedestrian Activity

S. Winter / Shutterstock

Kellie Hwang reports from Central Indiana, where a recently released a pedestrian infrastructure map in connection with an ongoing Regional Pedestrian Plan [pdf] effort lays out the pedestrian risk in and around the city of Indianapolis.

"On this map of Central Indiana, there's a collection of bright green lines in the center, with more scattered throughout. The rest of the map is a glaring web of bold, red angled lines protruding out of the Indianapolis metro area," reports Hwang.

Green indicates streets with existing sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure. Those kinds of streets total 1,704 miles in the region. "The red lines show 3,748 miles worth of gaps where pedestrian facilities don't exist, either on one side or both sides of the road," according to Hwang.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization published the map after a year and a half of into the Regional Pedestrian Plan, which updates the original version of the plan, completed in 2006.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020 in Indianapolis Star

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Streetcar and bus stopped at station on Market Street in San Francisco with Ferry Building visible in background.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street

If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

April 16 - San Francisco Examiner

Parklet with wooden benches and flower boxes on street in Ireland.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces

Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

April 16 - Streetsblog San Francisco

Bronze statue of homeless man (Jesus) with head down and arm outstretched in front of St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington D.C.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.

April 16 - The New York Times