CROSSROADS: A city of neighborhoods at the intersection of access and opportunity
Problem Statement:
The various types of access and opportunity that Indianapolis and its civic infrastructure and programs successfully provide today are far too limited. The clever slogan that Indy is “at the intersection of access and opportunity,” raises the question, “for whom?”
More work is needed to attract graduates of a cluster of several of the nation’s top universities and university towns within a few hours drive: Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State, Miami-Ohio, Michigan and Michigan State, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and many more to Indianapolis. What if the desirable thing to do upon graduating from or completing research at one of these universities wasn’t to go to New York, Chicago, SF/Silicon Valley, Washington, Portland or Austin, but to the nearby, affordable, fun and welcoming Indianapolis?
Indianapolis is simply “not on the map.” It does not have a big enough draw where people (both inside and outside of the Central Indiana region) choose Indianapolis to live, work, create or play. How can Indianapolis transform underutilized areas in its’ neighborhoods, make new connections, and catalyze community, regional and national events across the city in order to become a better– or the best– American Event City?
The final fellowship report is available here.
