R.I.P. Branden Klayko.

In the words of my friend Steve Magruder:

"I'm shocked and I don't know what quite to say. This is a terrible loss that leaves a gaping hole in our city and our hearts. Branden left such an incredibly wonderful mark. He made us truly proud to be Louisvillians almost by sheer will but truly with a lot of insightful authorship. There's so much to be said here. Very sad."

Branden Klayko of Broken Sidewalk dies after battle with leukemia, by Joe Sonka (Insider Louisville)

Branden Klayko, founder of the local urban design and planning website Broken Sidewalk, has died after a yearlong battle with leukemia.

Since Klayko founded the website nearly a decade ago, Broken Sidewalk has been indispensable reading for Louisvillians interested in the urban core of their city — whether that be the latest development proposal, a historic preservation debate, the city’s approach to transportation, or strategies to reverse the proliferation of surface parking downtown. The reason for the website’s success and popularity was clearly both Klayko’s professional expertise on urbanism combined with his love of the city ...

Welcome back, Branden and Broken Sidewalk! Now, a look at what Louisville's doing right for bicycling, since Sharrows Rosenbarger keeps getting it wrong in NA.

This bicyclist seems mistrustful of the Main Street sharrows (2015).

First things first: Branden Klayko, we're damned happy you are feeling and doing better. We need you on the case. Welcome back!

Louisville becoming a more bike friendly city, but has room for improvement (Broken Sidewalk)

While I was gone, Louisville received some major recognition in its efforts to become more bikeable. First up, Bicycling magazine named Louisville the 31st best biking city in its biennial look at American cities. Rankings were determined based on an analysis of Census data, discussions with national and local bike leaders, and key bike-friendly indicators like the number of female bike commuters. The magazine cited the opening of Louisville’s bike and pedestrian Big Four Bridge connecting Waterfront Park with Jeffersonville, Indiana, among the city’s success stories. Since it opened in 2014, the bridge has been wildly popular, promoting walking and biking throughout the community ...

... These infrastructure improvements are also critical for Louisville to reduce its dependency on automobiles. Research has shown that the better a city’s bike network, the more people bike. Louisville’s network is beginning to reach a critical capacity with easy to use bike lanes and Neighborways where biking becomes a very comfortable and safe option for for a larger percentage of the population. Options like well-designed protected bike lanes can help encourage people who haven’t commuted by bike to give it a try. And with only 0.4 percent of the population saddling up to go to work, there’s plenty of room to attract new audiences.

What’s on your bike wish list for Louisville? Do you commute by bike? Share your vision in the comments below.

"New Albany has a long way to go on street safety," says Broken Sidewalk in an understatement for the ages.

From Broken Sidewalk,  the grim aerial view of Mr. Naps' pride 'n' joy.

I just can't wait until Tuesday morning, when the Board of Public Works and Safety will meet and say absolutely nothing about any of this. There'll probably be a gag order, so as to suppress the gag reflex.

In point of fact, the three members sitting on the board should immediately offer their resignations to the mayor, who should refuse them and accept personal responsibility for this inescapable fact (emphasis mine) quickly grasped by Broken Sidewalk ...

But the city should have seen this one coming. Back in 2014, urban planner Jeff Speck issued a report on the streets of downtown New Albany in which he identified Vincennes Street as “clearly oversized for its traffic” ... He recommended a reconfiguration to improve safety.

 ... because you see, that's what leaders do, as opposed to empty suits. Accept responsibility, and tell us how this is going to be improved.

Too bad the pages of Speck's report have been misused, one sheet at a time, for succor in the mayor's executive washroom. Too bad incessant warnings about safety are dismissed by the very people who are supposed to be monitoring such issues.

Too bad City Hall is dysfunctional, and too bad this thoughtful observation on Fb is true.

While I am glad to see another voice in the discussion, everything stated by Broken Sidewalk was already known, and you have been beating that drum for years. As I said before, I have no expectation that the current administration will do anything.

Now, about those towels ...

Woman killed by motorist in New Albany, by Branden Klayko (Broken Sidewalk)

Chloe Allen, 83, is dead after being struck by a motorist in downtown New Albany over the weekend ...

... While a great deal of information was rendered by an investigation, it’s unfortunate that for the sake of a catchy acronym, the unit is labeled the Floyd County Combined Accident Reconstruction Team. As we have discussed many times, crashes and accidents are very different things and should not be mislabeled.

All of the local news reported that the pedestrian was struck “by a vehicle” rather than the driver of that vehicle. Cars and trucks don’t drive themselves—people crash them into things. Both WDRB and WHAS11 labeled the crash an accident, with WHAS11 going as far as to include a large “Accident” graphic complete with cracked windshield illustrating its report ...

... New Albany has really let itself go at this intersection, allowing an anti-urban Walgreens, White Castle, and Rally’s to be built behind moats of parking that make walking unsafe. Low visibility crosswalks are clearly worn away by vehicle tires, compounding the walkability issue.

But the city should have seen this one coming. Back in 2014, urban planner Jeff Speck issued a report on the streets of downtown New Albany in which he identified Vincennes Street as “clearly oversized for its traffic.” Speck wrote of the three-lane street: “At no point do car accounts approach the number that would require a third lane. This condition is supported by the fact that the third lane, rather then (sic) being striped for left turns, merely provides northbound redundancy with no southbound counterpart.” He recommended a reconfiguration to improve safety.

R.I.P. Chloe Allen.

Smart Growth America's Complete Streets Fundamentals

We are the Killers.

Cartoon: Mayoral nocturnal transmissions.

At Broken Sidewalk: "Police officer strikes woman walking in New Albany."

To live in New Albany is to know that the default state of our prevailing Gahanist governing doctrine is a self-congratulatory, closed circle, as designed to retain information, enhance monetization and and exclude prying eyes.

It is very likely that we'll never hear any more about this pedestrian "accident," unless the mayor (he says he's a Democrat) can devise a way to use it against the police union.

First and foremost, that's because Jeff Gahan has no intention of being out in front and leading on the issue of the streets. He has not led for the past 1,438 days. He's not going to start now.

Fear and stubbornness play significant parts in Gahan's do-nothing calculus, but it goes deeper than these recurring handicaps. Jeff Speck's street grid fixes are examples of thinking urban, like a city. Gahan thinks like a suburb. His entire political career has reflected the sprawl-driven logic of the cul-de-sac.

I might as well ask one of my cats to devise a few algorithms before tuna.

Of course, I hope I'm wrong. Unfortunately, this one isn't a breath-holder.

Police officer strikes woman walking in New Albany (Broken Sidewalk)

On Wednesday, December 2, New Albany Police Department (NAPD) Officer Michelle Gilbert struck Tenille Splunge while she was crossing the street, leaving her with minor injuries. The on-duty officer was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox and turning from Elm Street onto State Street. Splunge was taken to the hospital.

The incident was reported by the N&T, NA Confidential, the C-J, WAVE3, and WHAS11.

Previously at NAC:

Pedestrian struck by police vehicle, and more accidents like this waiting to happen in wrong-way New Albany.

Broken Sidewalk dissects City Hall's tone deafness in the "Street Piano Debacle of 2015."

Broken Sidewalk collates the facts from multiple sources and presents an excellent overview of the Street Piano Debacle of 2015.

Please don’t injure yourself playing this artistic piano on New Albany’s downtown sidewalks, by Branden Klayko (Broken Sidewalk)

 ... New Albany’s off-tune reception of Roseberry’s street piano highlights a critical part of urban life today—that we must embrace experimentation in our public realm. As cities and urban areas continue to draw more residents and visitors, the community is eager to explore new ways of interacting with the city—and with each other. Whether it’s through tactical urbanism, public art, or simply just hanging out on the sidewalk, cities like New Albany would do well to encourage such citizen-led initiatives and reap the benefits of a revitalized urban society.

About the Broken Sidewalk blog, and why Mr. Duggins is unaware of its existence.

Broken Sidewalk is back, and this makes me happy. It is one of the places upon which the eyes of New Albany's economic development "leaders" should be trained on a daily basis.

I wonder how many of them even know it exists? There was more useful information in Broken Sidewalk's Friday news roundup yesterday than I've heard at various city meetings during the entirety of 2014.

Why? At some point, one comes to the painful realization that we're not particularly bright here in Nawbony, at least as it pertains to those selected to make decisions.

This does not imply acceptance, merely acknowledgement.

About Broken Sidewalk

Broken Sidewalk covers Louisville, Kentucky.

Broken Sidewalk (BS) is dedicated to the urban realm of the River City, from its neighborhoods to its transportation trends, from real estate happenings to the latest political struggle. The blog was founded in 2006 as a small site documenting the development of downtown Louisville. Since then, brokensidewalk.com has grown to cover the goings on of the greater metropolitan region. We are dedicated to reporting the latest real-estate deal, the most up-to-date project announcements, transportation trends, and all the neighborhood news related to living in our fine city. We follow the ongoing construction progress of exciting development projects and slip in a little of the latest rumor about the future of the city.

BS is a community interested in the future of Louisville. We are young professionals, small business owners, independent musicians, medical researchers, architects, students, teachers, and neighbors. In short, we are Louisville and we are compelled to know what’s affecting our neighborhoods and our lives.

Are you a part of the Broken Sidewalk community?

BS is more than a news source; its a dialogue. What makes brokensidewalk.com work is the input from our community of users. This site has been designed to encourage as much interaction as possible. Each post carries your comments and opinion polls track the pulse of the latest hot topics. Our community also helps run the site. Tips and questions help generate the most cutting-edge content and keep brokensidewalk.com at the forefront of Louisville’s development and neighborhood news. (To send in a tip, simply e.mail tips@brokensidewalk.com.)

Elected officials, please note: "It Takes A Lot Before A Building Can’t Be Saved."

Broken Sidewalk devotes a brief but powerful post to a notion that seemingly flies over the heads of Floyd County's "leadership" class: It Takes A Lot Before A Building Can’t Be Saved.

You really need to follow the link and see the photos. Here are the first three paragraphs as enticement.

When in architecture school in St. Louis, I remember professors often saying that a building is salvageable until it’s town down. It just depends on the priorities of the community and the willingness to take on a challenge.

Take the above partially collapsed rowhouse in St. Louis as an example. If this building were in Louisville, it would likely have been torn down soon after it suffered the collapse, but in St. Louis, demolition requests were denied and the structure was renovated as seen in the photo below.

While this example is in the up-and-coming Lafayette Square neighborhood of St. Louis, there are also examples of similar renovations in in less well off neighborhoods with similar result. Based on these examples, it seems like demolitions like these shouldn’t have ever happened.

A few links to prime stuff at Broken Sidewalk.

What happened to Saturday?

I awoke at 4:30 a.m., decided to read The Economist to kill some time, drank too much coffee and listend to the birds chirp outside. Then there was a morning of work, an afternoon of finishing "The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War" (by Caroline Alexander), early evening biking along the new Clarksville Levee path, then finally a pleasant growler of beer and cigars, porchside, with friends.

Time has been fleeting and will continue to be so. I'll be doing more signposting here than I like, because any time when there's time to tie together more than a few paragraphs, these go toward my various column obligations. In this vein, following are three links to a blog that is a must-read for New Albanians interested in the urban experience in metro Louisville. Have you ever wondered how many of our city councilmen read (blogs like Broken Sidewalk), and if they did, how much the experience might change their views on such matters?

Welcome to Broken Sidewalk! Here, we report on and discuss neighborhood news in Louisville, Kentucky. Any given day, we might be talking about real estate development, transportation, architecture, urbanism, or the nitty gritty of urban life. Please join in the conversation, or learn more about Broken Sidewalk and the stories we cover here. If you like what you see, consider subscribing to our RSS Feed (it's easy). Thanks for stopping by.

Jeffersonville Canal District Logo Unveiled And Related News

Bridges Project Turns Second Street Bridge Into An Off-Ramp

Could A Second Street Bridge Bike Lane Increase Bike Ridership?

New Albany the defending champion as Neighborhood Derby 2010 gets under way.

It's Neighborhood Derby time again at Broken Sidewalk: Announcing Round One Of The 2010 Neighborhood Derby.

As you may recall, last year New Albany won it all.: New Albany Crowned BS Neighborhood Derby 2009 Champion.

We won because we played to win: Neighborhood Derby voting winding down ... limited supply of Kessler 1/2 pints remain in play.

Now we're seeded first. As my roomie used to say on his answering machine, "You know what to do, and when to do it."

Livable Louisville Public Forum is Tuesday, March 30.

(press release ... I'm hoping to attend)


March 12, 2010

Contact: Branden Klayko

Livable Louisville Forum to unite city’s leading urban thinkers

Panel discussion about Louisville’s greatest opportunities and challenges

Louisville, KY – Join experts in the fields of urban planning, architecture, development, transportation, and sustainability as they discuss the interconnected forces that will shape Louisville’s future. The panel discussion and multimedia presentations will be enlightening and thought provoking.

The Forum will be held at the Clifton Center (2117 Payne St.) on Tuesday March 30th from 6 to 7:30 PM, and will be preceded by a reception beginning at 5 PM. There will also be a post-forum gathering at Clifton’s Pizza where attendees can ask for an “L2” drink special.

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so everyone is encouraged to reserve their seats and learn more at www.LivableLouisville.org.

Moderating the lively discussion will be LEO Weekly’s Editor Sarah Kelley. The esteemed panelists include:

• Gill Holland, Entrepreneur, Developer, and Film Producer
• David Morse, Transportation Advocate
• Steven Sizemore, Urban Planner
• Bill Weyland, Real Estate Developer
• Steve Wiser, AIA, Architect and Historian

The Livable Louisville Forum is presented by Broken Sidewalk and LEO Weekly. The 5 PM Reception is generously sponsored by Heine Brothers Coffee and Bluegrass Brewing Company.

Remember, Keep Louisville Weird!

Bicycling news on a cold January day as Erika solicits Europa.

I'm getting ready to limber up, bundle up, and saddle up for a brief bicycle ride in the direction of NABC's original location, where I have two faxes to transmit.

Faxing is so very old school, isn't it? Not exactly rotary dial like Cappuccino's cell phone, but perilously close.

First, I need to ride down to the post office on the bike lane created especially for me, and communicate with my dear friends at the IRS. Then it's back through the urban street grid, past Uptown's future gated community, and out to the north side. Following are two links pertaining to people like me who don't drive their cars to the foot of the 50-ft driveway to collect snail spam.

Kentucky Bill Considers Banning Transporting Minors On Bikes, at Broken Sidewalk.

A Kentucky House Bill was submitted January 13 that could make it illegal to transport children on bike on Kentucky state maintained roads. Representative David Osborne, representing a small portion of Jefferson County and part of Oldham County filed the bill but when confronted says he plans not to pursue the proposal.

The Broken Sidewalk piece reminds me of something that fellow cyclist DH sent to me last weekend. It represents the results of her license plate survey, and prompts the usual round of acrimony from distracted drivers. In turn, her nudge reminds me that I should eavesdrop on the Clark County forum more often.

You might want to check out an interesting thread going on about bicycling/driver attitudes on a local forum in Clark County: Bad Drivers, Should I stay away from God?

Broken Sidewalk: "Bridges Project Threatens Other Local Transportation Projects."

From today's Broken Sidewalk blog, reprinted in its entirety: Bridges Project Threatens Other Local Transportation Projects.

The Ohio River Bridges Project could threaten smaller transportation projects around the Louisville region. The C-J reported today that because there’s no financing plan for the $4.1 Billion fiasco, the Federal government could freeze important short-term transportation projects. A December deadline has been imposed to settle on a financing plan.

“Four years ago, officials expected that the states’ federal gasoline tax revenue would be enough to cover the cost, which was estimated at $1.4 billion.

“But now that the project has climbed to $4.1 billion, Kentucky and Indiana are looking for more money — possibly including tolls — and the federal government wants details.
…

“The government requires all federally financed transportation projects to have clear sources of funding to keep unrealistic projects from tying up money.”

We’ve known that the demands of financing this mega-project are far greater than the expected return. For merely half the price, the 8664.org plan solves the same transportation problem without requiring tolls or the destruction of Downtown Louisville. It’s definitely not too late to fix our transportation issues in a responsible way. Perhaps the Feds will finally realize that the Spaghetti Junction-two-bridge solution is as “unrealistic” as many have know for so long.

Eastern Parkway's "Road Diet" explained.

Stretch Of Eastern Parkway Going On ‘Road Diet’, by Branden Klayko (Broken Sidewalk blog).

A “road diet” is a relatively new technique that enhances the overall functionality of a road. Transportation officials admit is seems a little counter-intuitive to make a better road by removing lanes, but that the idea generates support over time. Officials point out that without a turning lane, traffic is hindered at turning movements and intersections, effectively transforming a four lane road into a two lane road as one lane is blocked.

Broken Sidewalk: "More Evidence 8664.org Is A Smart Idea."

Too good to miss ... from the Broken Sidewalk blog:

More Evidence 8664.org Is A Smart Idea

By now, you should know we are fans of the 8664.org proposal. If you ask us, it just makes too much sense, saves too much money, and steers Louisville’s future growth in a direction that would provide for a real urban, vibrant, and livable city. But as we continue down the road of outdated 20th century planning, we’re more and more going to be associated with mega-mistakes of the past.

We’ve been compiling a set of links that demonstrate some of the reasons 8664.org is the right way to go. The issues surrounding such a massive idea are diverse and complicated, so it takes a lot to get through. We highly recommend you check out an article by the Urbanophile about 8664.org, as well, for background, commentary, and convincing arguments. You can see our previous coverage of this issue here. Each article linked below is worthwhile and expands on the point we’re trying to make.

Broken Sidewalk asks: Another bar business start-up in downtown NA?

The C-J scooped the Tribune on Wick's, and the Broken Sidewalk blog scoops all of us with this story:

Retail Watch: New Albany Preparing Another Downtown Bar

Someone, somwhere was telling me something about this, but I don't remember what it was.

Anyone know what's going into the buildings on Main ... and is there an update on Toast on Market?

Lots about urban bicycling at Broken Sidewalk.

It's a very good piece, and required reading if you take you bike on the street.

Bikes Follow The Laws, Laws Follow The Bikes, from the Broken Sidewalk blog.

More from The Ville Voice's Rick Redding about the accident prompting the preceding: Irony in Bike Accident.

"And the winner is… *drumroll*… New Albany."

New Albany Crowned BS Neighborhood Derby 2009 Champion

This was a marvelous opportunity to talk about the good in New Albany. As neighborhoods go, we're far from perfect, but there is value in articulating what's possible. Congrats, New Albanians.

Neighborhood Derby voting winding down ... limited supply of Kessler 1/2 pints remain in play.

It's the final hours of voting: BS Neighborhood Derby 2009.

Mr. G made a comment during the discussion at Broken Sidewalk, and it is well deserving of citation here. He is writing of the two neighborhoods that made the final, New Albany and Germantown/Schnitzelburg/Paristown.

I love both of these places and for roughly the same reasons–they’re gritty, got history out the wazoo, and a funky atmosphere that which includes residents who care about things even if it means being out of step with more gentrified folk.

Great bars and joints to eat? Yep. Plenty of creatives? Check. A bunch of different churches that care why they’re there and have members coming in from the burbs. You betcha’.

I frequently go to Sunergos for my beans, like Check’s and Flabby’s because they remind me of good old N’Awlins places and was sorry to see the Germantown Cafe close because Steve really did make the best fried chicken.

But you can stretch out more, get a view, and find more choices in the little places in New Albany. Studios has a better beer selection and a menu that lets anybody in your group be happy. We have mo’ better beer, and make it here. I can go the Preston’s on Pearl St. to buy my pens and walk over to Destinations for a better selection of good reading than any Borders holds. The Carnegie Center is a jewel, literally, and all this being on the river caters to some water rat spirit in me, here where I can’t have the sea or mountains.

I’m delighted these two odd neighborhoods made the finals, because they’re scrappy, hard-working, and full of promise, and so often overlooked by more gentrified folk who think the sun must revolve around their center of the universe.

BS Neighborhood Derby Final: New Albany and Germantown-Schnitzelburg-Paristown.

I was supposed to be eating Duck (not "cold" duck) and drinking Thunderfoot tonight, but my stomach turned up sour after a demanding day and I'm recuperating at home. I'm not happy about it, seeing as I've missed three potential evening activities all at once. So be it. Maybe I should be living a bit cleaner.

So far the neighborhood derby voting has been Bluegill's baby, and after he gets finished with his portions of Chef Josh's repast, perhaps he'd like to add his thoughts below. Jeff, feel free to alter this post.

Until then, here's the link to the finals between New Albany and Germantown-Schnitzelburg-Paristown, which upset number one seed Highlands.

Vote here: BS Neighborhood Derby 2009

Remember, folks: Don't be dishonorable.

By the way, rumor has it that Steve Price wants to vote against New Albany, and can't because there aren't any five-year-olds around to help him with Internet access.