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State Capital in Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis

Rediscovering Lost Treasures

When Indianapolis became the capital of Indiana in the early 19th century, urban planning was of little concern. The city occupied one square mile, and that seemed enough for anybody. By the mid-20th century, Indianapolis had grown far beyond that, overflowing into surrounding Marion County . Then-mayor Richard Lugar responded with the innovative “ Unigov” plan, which combined the city with the surrounding county in a merged governmental structure. For awhile that seemed to be the answer: the city would not be left to fend for itself while its middle class fled to the suburbs in search of better schools and safer neighborhoods.

But sprawl has a way of exceeding expectations. According to the 2000 U.S. Census only half of the region's 1.5 million inhabitants live within the Unigov boundaries, and once again, Indianapolis is being threatened by rapid decentralization. After population growth slowed through the 1970s and 1980s, the economy began to surge in the 1990s. But the city's 6.7 percent population spurt since 1990 has occurred mostly in the outlying metro area, where population went up by almost a third. In other words, by the end of the 20th century Indianapolis was a nice place to work, but you wouldn't necessarily want to live there. And there didn't seem to be anyone in a position to deal with a level of uncontrolled sprawl that was once unimaginable.

Now that may be changing. Over the last decade, citizens and CDCs have united to create a coordinated plan to reclaim Indianapolis 's center city as a place that attracts not just commuters but potential homeowners. Leaders from the public and private sectors coordinated investments to bring businesses and residents back to downtown. Accomplishments are impressive, and Indianapolis has set a standard and pace for urban renewal among the larger U.S. cities. The FOCUS (Fostering Commercial Urban Strategy) Initiative encourages the development of retail in urban neighborhoods. The construction of Keystone Industrial Park , a 62-acre park zoned for commercial and industrial use, is bringing shops and jobs to the inner city. Finally, citizens are taking on the task of smoothing out the bureaucratic tangles resulting from sprawl. The recent formation of CIRCL (Central Indiana Regional Citizens' League), encompassing Marion and eight other counties, holds out the promise of a strong, unified approach to revitalization.