This post will be slightly different from what we have previously posted on this blog feed. However, I think it is important to discuss the personal side of the housing crunch here in Bloomington-Normal. Life can change quickly and housing situations can go from secure to precarious in a matter of days. Embracing a time-testedContinue reading "Housing Flexibility Through Boarding"
Sidewalk Mural Completion & Updates
Our group has done over 153 volunteer hours to complete the sidewalk murals between the Bloomington Public Library and the Museum Square in Downtown. With the completion of our Sidewalk murals campaign, I want to remind you all of our membership empowerment program. This campaign was a member’s (Katherine McCarthy) idea, and we gave herContinue reading "Sidewalk Mural Completion & Updates"
Meet Your Candidates for Executive Committee!
All members of the Bloomington Revivalists are eligible to vote for candidates for the Executive Committee. The EC is responsible for the behind-the-scenes action. Ballots will be by ranked choice, and the top vote-getters will receive two-year terms while the rest will fill the one-year unexpired terms of departing members. The Annual Meeting will beContinue reading "Meet Your Candidates for Executive Committee!"
Downtown for “Everyone” Means Everyone
This history of exclusion in American cities is vast. The way we build our cities can be used against certain populations. One way we see this today is in the physical accessibility of historic buildings. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires a minimum level of accessibility for all publicly accessible buildings, was signedContinue reading "Downtown for “Everyone” Means Everyone"
2025 Annual Membership Meeting! Save the Date!
The Bloomington Revivalists: Strong Towns Blono will have our annual meeting on Saturday, April 26th, from 1 to 3 PM at the Bloomington Public Library. It will be open to the public, but only dues paying members in good standing will be allowed to vote in the election and on any resolutions. We will beContinue reading "2025 Annual Membership Meeting! Save the Date!"
Sidewalk Wayfinding Murals Artist Finalists Selected!
After much deliberation, the Sidewalk Murals Committee has decided the three finalists to create design proposals for the temporary mural between the Bloomington Public Library and the McLean County Museum of History. Ethan Lubin Delia Kerr-Dennhardt Carolina Rodriguez These artists have until March 30th to submit their final designs, the city and the Committee willContinue reading "Sidewalk Wayfinding Murals Artist Finalists Selected!"
When the Wrecking Ball Comes…
On Monday, several proposals will be brought before the Bloomington City Council to deliberate the futures of several landmark parcels in downtown. The Front N Center building, the adjacent DUI Countermeasures building, and the former Elks building across Madison Street will be slated for demolition due to horrible mismanagement by the out of town HuffContinue reading "When the Wrecking Ball Comes…"
Pedestrian Safety in the Community
This post was Initially created for Lever & Ecker's Website Campaign for Pedestrian Safety. It was reposted here by their permission. Pedestrians are vulnerable road users with a high risk of catastrophic injury or death in motor vehicle accidents. Pedestrian safety is everyone’s responsibility. Drivers have a duty to follow traffic laws and use reasonable careContinue reading "Pedestrian Safety in the Community"
Adaptive Reuse: How to Build More Housing Fast
By: Quinlan Tisdale, Secretary Since the pandemic left office buildings empty all across the country, adaptive reuse has become a popular method for cities to increase housing stock quickly and cheaply. Instead of building houses from scratch, adaptive reuse renovates unused or underused buildings to serve a new purpose. The housing crisis is in fullContinue reading "Adaptive Reuse: How to Build More Housing Fast"
Downtown Tax Analysis: It’s All About Value Per Acre
After several meetings of the Downtown Survey Committee, we're ready to share some preliminary findings using publicly available data and our open source GIS software. The Downtown Survey was voted as one of our priority campaigns for 2024, so much of our efforts this summer was in collecting available data, sending in Freedom of InformationContinue reading "Downtown Tax Analysis: It’s All About Value Per Acre"
Strong Towns Blono 