Equitable Downtown Placemaking Strategy
City of Indianapolis
HR&A’s equitable placemaking strategy is guiding how Indianapolis manages and activates its most prominent public spaces. Our work with the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) created programming, financial, and governance frameworks for Monument Circle, Georgia Street, Canal Walk, and Lugar Plaza that advance equity while supporting DMD’s oversight of nonprofit management and South Downtown connectivity planning.
The four public spaces the placemaking strategy focuses on range in size, adjacency, activity, and usage but share potential to fill voids in Downtown activity. HR&A created a programming vision identifying and expanding potential audiences, proposing activity types, and detailing how inclusive programming can be planned and executed. We developed an operating budget establishing long-term sustainable operations while aligning costs and revenues with equity goals. Our governance framework delivers the equitable programming vision, increases accountability and efficiency, and distributes power to those historically excluded from decisions about Indy’s public spaces.
This comprehensive strategy positions the four Downtown spaces to drive economic recovery, advance community wealth creation, and foster belonging and sense of place for all visitors. The plan currently guides DMD as they oversee public space management by two local nonprofits and undertake participatory planning for new public realm connectivity in South Downtown, demonstrating how strategic frameworks can transform iconic spaces into equitable community assets.
