Build It and They Will Come: The Impact of the Cultural Trail on Indianapolis Downtown Development

Who would have thought seven years ago, that the proposal of a bike and pedestrian path through downtown Indianapolis could have had such a profound impact? What began as a vision of Brian Payne, president of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, has by far exceeded everyone’s imagination, attracting both new residents into the downtown sector and increasing development opportunities for businesses to serve them. David Leazenby, Co-founder and Vice President at Milhaus, says, “Of all of the things Indianapolis has done to invest in downtown, the Cultural Trail has been the most impactful to downtown living. There isn’t even a close second.” In fact, The Cultural Trail recently bested 23 other entries to win the 2013 Pinnacle Award for the best public space in the nation, which was based on capital improvements to a downtown area’s design, physical function or economic viability.

The $63 million dollar, eight-mile, pedestrian and bicycle pathway connects downtown Indianapolis with several of its designated Cultural Districts such as The Canal and White River, Massachusetts Avenue and Fountain Square, areas that already offered unique shops, entertainment, local restaurants and art galleries. Today, a year after the grand opening of the Trail, these hotspots are bustling with bicycle and pedestrian traffic—people now live, work, dine and play all along its route. Creating a bike trail to link these growing neighborhoods with the types of places residents enjoy combines recreation and transportation, increases people’s desire to be out and about, and provides the one thing that every neighbor wants, connectivity.

Now that residents have become accustomed to the Trail’s safe, fun recreation and easy access to popular venues, the economics of development have begun to change. Leazenby notes, “The differences between being “on,” or “off” the trail are measurable. Developers now know they are going to have the best success if their projects are touching the trail.”

What this means in terms of city investment, explains Leazenby, “is that we have discovered a proven formula. If the city wants to encourage investors into areas where they want to boost development, then extending the Trail into those neighborhoods makes sense. I believe we need to extend the Cultural Trail north of the Central Library all the way to the Children’s Museum where potential redevelopment opportunities exist all along the route. Now that we know it works, we could use the Trail as a development tool,” laying the ground work, so to speak, for others to follow.