Indianapolis Central Park

Will Indianapolis ever create it's own “central park?” Could we create a center of activity that would bring people to the core, drive the value of its urban center, and connect the business, residential, religious and arts community with a central space for congregating, entertaining, relaxing, and interacting? Great cities that seem to really attract value all seem to have their iconic park surrounded by these uses, and acting as a central point such as Millennium Park in Chicago, Central Park in New York, or the multiple parks in London such as Hyde Park. These areas always seem to drive the most significant price points around them.

Indianapolis has two sizable parks in the center of the city, but both of them fail to meet two important elements of a “central park.” That is, a major urban park should be designed for some type of recreation and be very accessible to pedestrians, either residents that live nearby or visiting tourists. First, the War Memorial Park in the center of downtown is hardly a “central park” in terms of recreational opportunity. Architecturally and symbolically, it is an honorable tribute to our fallen soldiers and much needed place in our urban fabric. While the park hosts a variety of events throughout the year, unfortunately it does not provide a significant recreational function to the residents that live downtown.

Second, there is White River State Park on the western edge of downtown. It fails in the other aspect of great urban parks. While it has great recreational opportunity, it is not very accessible, with little value to be created for the land around it and no integration to the residential neighborhoods. The park is a great addition to our city, and a location I really enjoy, but it just doesn’t accomplish a “central park” role.

In both cases, the potential economic impact to the core is not being realized due to the proximity and design of these parks. Indianapolis has now connected so many cultural districts with the Cultural Trail, which is a historic achievement. Now, for the next evolution of our public spaces, we should be focusing on creating a series of pocket parks and a more serious central park, enhancing the quality of life for urban dwellers and the accompanying tourists.