What makes a place cool, or vibrant, and how can Indiana create communities where people want to work, live and play? A new statewide initiative aims to find out.
The initiative, dubbed the Indiana Quality of Place Learning Partnership, brings together designers, policymakers and other stakeholders to discuss what works when creating a quality place.
The effort kicks off Thursday with a three day event in Columbus called "Prove It: A National Summit on Design Excellence as Civic Practice."
Richard McCoy is executive director of Landmark Columbus Foundation, which will lead the initiative. McCoy said when it comes to creating a place, there's more than meets the eye.
"We know it's money, we know it's buildings, but how can we talk about what actually happens for Hoosiers when they're out in a public space?" McCoy said.
Columbus is widely known for its modernist architecture and has sustained decades of cultural innovation hinged on that history.
The state supports this work through the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative. READI grants provide funding for projects centered around arts, culture, economic and historic improvement.
In a statement Gov. Mike Braun said quality of place investments, including affordable housing, parks and community improvements, are taking shape around the state.
"As we look toward the future, we're focused on leveraging data to measure the economic impact of these investments and create a framework for what comes next," Braun said.
A cohort of five communities will study places across the state over the next two years, then report its findings.
"Where I think it digs in is that you start to build a greater sense of how these things benefit people and who benefits, and we'll do that in real time with and out in communities," McCoy said.
Indiana has 15 READI regions that will be involved in the initiative. The READI program has invested $1.25 billion in efforts to strengthen communities.
The Indiana Quality of Place Learning Partnership includes Landmark Columbus Foundation's Civic Design Institute, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the Indiana Arts Commission.
Contact WFYI Managing Editor Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org
