Indianapolis Cultural Trail

by Brian Payne, President, Central Indiana Community Foundation

The first questions most people ask me about the Cultural Trail are:
“Where did the idea come from? How did it start?”

In 2001, the Cultural Development Commission was formed and Mayor Peterson appointed me as one of nine commissioners. Our charge was to develop ways to position Indianapolis nationally and globally as a cultural destination city, as well as to make Indianapolis a city of choice for the world’s best talent when looking for a place to live and work.

Our first strategy established the six cultural districts: Mass Ave, Indiana Ave., the Canal and White River State Park, the Wholesale District, Fountain Square and Broad Ripple Village. The Cultural District program promotes walkable areas of town that feature several arts, cultural, heritage, sports and entertainment venues. These areas or districts offer both residents and visitors the opportunity to experience places and neighborhoods versus singular venues. While promoting this idea, I kept hearing from my colleagues, donors to the foundation and board members that the districts needed to be connected somehow to really work.

That spring, I joined thousands of walkers, joggers, roller-bladers, strollers and cyclists on one of the first beautiful days in April on the Monon Trail. As I strolled my young son along the trail, I thought: “Why couldn’t we build an urban version of the Monon downtown to connect the Cultural Districts?”

The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. The more I talked to young people and families moving to Indianapolis, the more I heard that the Monon Trail was one of their most valued assets in Indianapolis. Over time, after literally hundreds of conversations and generous financial support, it has become a reality. I’ll admit: it is so much more than I ever initially envisioned. As the Cultural Trail vision has grown due to the involvement and creativity of hundreds of partners and supporters, so too have our ambitions.  We now know that the Cultural Trail will not only change the landscape of a city, but also the values of its people.

The real lesson from this story is that the idea of the Cultural Trail was inspired by something we already have and that already works well – the Monon Trail and our greenway trail system.

It begs the question: What else do we value so highly, already works well and could be leveraged into the next big idea for Indianapolis?  Send us your thoughts.

by Kevin Osburn, ASLA, Rundell Ernstberger Associates, lead designer Indianapolis Cultural Trail

From October 6 – 10, I was invited to attend the Walk 21 Conference in NYC to speak about the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. An annual, international conference highlighting Walk 21’s worldwide efforts to promote the development of healthy, sustainable, and efficient communities where people choose to walk. The folks at Walk 21 “have a vision to create a world where people choose and are able to walk as a way to travel, to be healthy and to relax.”

The conference was hosted by the NYC Department of Transportation, who, under the leadership of Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, has implemented an inspiring series of pedestrian and bicycle improvements throughout New York City, including the closure of lanes of traffic on Broadway Avenue from Columbus Circle to Madison Square to create additional space for pedestrians and bicyclists. By making these improvements in a very quick, efficient way, the DOT has seen substantial positive results, including reduced traffic fatalities, more efficient traffic movement, significant increase in the use of bicycles as a mode of transportation, and widespread public support. These projects, combined with the recently opened High Line in the city’s meatpacking district, made New York City the perfect venue for a conference focused on the state of the art in walking and bicycling.

I had the opportunity to speak with people from around the world – Mexico City, Toronto, Bogotá, Copenhagen, London - who were very interested in what we are doing here in Indianapolis. Most were impressed by the scope of the project and the amount of private dollars donated; others were impressed by the design – the use of high end materials, attention to detail, sustainable design practices, and the innovative manner in which the project is being integrated into the city’s grid of streets. All were amazed that the project is actually being built - I heard many stories of well intentioned pedestrian and bicycle projects that are awaiting funding or the political will to move ahead.

Though short, the trip to the Big Apple was refreshing and recharging. The interest and enthusiasm generated by our project confirmed several things for me:

• we are on the right track – with the on-going implementation of the ICT, Indianapolis is on the cutting edge of 21^st century urban design.
• we are building something that is unique to our city – this is not a design that can be easily transported to another city.
• this project will transform the way current and future generations experience and move about our city and is leading the way toward a more sustainable, walkable, healthy, and liveable city.

Click here for a short film about the Walk 21 NYC conference.