The New Downtown Indy Wish List

This article is part of Indianapolis Monthly’s The New Downtown package, which includes a guide to five hotspots, a few big city problems, and a look at what’s next for the city. For more content on navigating the new downtown, click here.

Staffers at Downtown Indy, who recently established Georgia Street as a destination from scratch, know the city center better than anyone. And they have perhaps the biggest dreams for it, starting with these:

“An Economic Improvement District (EID), which is used in every other downtown in the country. It’s a way to collect a dedicated reserve that would be used in the district to stay competitive on maintenance, beautification, etc. The EID could fund a circulator, like Nashville, Tennessee’s.” —Catherine Esselman, real estate development director

“Turn Georgia Street into a true pedestrian district: shops, outdoor markets, cafes, and restaurants spilling into the street.” —Erika Hinshaw, planning and data manager

“Move the freight traffic out of downtown and convert the CSX rail line to something like The High Line in New York.” —Sherry Seiwert, president

“A garden to attract monarch butterflies and pollinators. Development destroys native habitats for these important species.” —Anne Maschmeyer, beautification director

“More activities in downtown parks. Large, interactive, vibrant art pieces, similar to Chicago’s Millennium Park.” —Jennifer Hanson, senior communications director

“A bike/pedestrian bridge over West Street would open up downtown to the thriving energy of IUPUI.” —Bob Schultz, senior vP Of marketing, communications, and events

“I see a lot of potential for White River as an active recreation space for hiking and water sports, such as paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. Much like Friends of the Chicago River cleaned up the waterway, we need a plan to continue making steps toward better water quality.” —Amanda Dorman, communications manager

Use Facebook or Twitter to tell us what is on your downtown Indy wish list and we’ll post some of our favorite ideas. #IndyWishList