Indiana is made of complex physical and social systems that combine to create the places we know and understand. With the help of community engagement in 2023, the following primary systems were identified:
Open House - Held July 11, 2024
Natural & Built Environment - Goals
Indiana will be a place that preserves the buildings and outdoor spaces that make it great, while encouraging adaptive reuse and context sensitive new development.
1. Create Balanced Land Use Controls
3. Spur Development Activity
The Borough is a complex community with different functional areas. We believe that these areas can be used as a basis for land use approaches that balance the residential, commercial and institutional needs while enhancing the quality of life within the Borough at large.
Strengthening the community’s tax base is essential to long term success. In targeted areas, there are opportunities to leverage old and new tools designed to encourage and assist the development envisioned.
2. Protect the Historic Built Environment
4. Build a Cohesive Parks and Open Space System
The preservation of Indiana’s historic built environment (buildings) is crucial to the future vitality of both downtown, and the residential neighborhoods.
Planning for parks and open space in the Borough has been limited. This planning is critical to developing, managing, and protecting parks and open space in ways that improve the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
Economy & Downtown - Goals
Indiana will be a regionally recognized hub for business, commerce, and culture by encouraging entrepreneurship; improving public spaces; and increasing downtown activity through festivals, events, and the arts.
1. Cultivate a Diversity of Enterprises and Services
4. Develop & Market a Coordinated Identity
Downtown Indiana needs a variety of enterprises to support the community with jobs and services, from regionally attractive businesses to local makers.
Cultivate a unique identity for downtown and community at large by bringing key stakeholders together around the culture, history, and aspirations of Indiana and use this to market the community.
2. Support Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Communication
Indiana will increase its competitiveness, stabilize its economic base, accelerate growth by supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.
5. Prioritize Physical Improvements Downtown
Indiana views its downtown as the historic hub of the community at large. As such, context sensitive investments in its physical form and infrastructure will be a priority to cultivate business and downtown living.
3. Promote Cultural Development
Art and creativity are critical ingredients in transforming local economies. Embracing culture has been shown to increase the attractiveness of a place as a destination to live, visit and invest in.
Healthy Neighborhoods - Goals
Indiana will be a place made up of welcoming neighborhoods where
people feel safe and included.
1. Re-inhabit Abandoned Student Homes
The evolution of IUP has had dramatic impact on the rental housing market. Intentionally reusing these properties can decrease vacancy and restitch the holes in Indiana’s neighborhood fabric.
2. Enable Greater Housing Diversity
Maintain a variety of different housing types—from single family homes to multifamily, from rental to family housing and elder housing—to meet current and future needs of people seeking homes in Indiana.
3. Promote Social Cohesion Among Neighbors
Indiana is committed to creating neighborhoods with strong social fabric by working together to connect long-time residents, student populations, and others.
Adopting Anchors - Goals
Indiana will connect with and support its anchor institutions (IUP, IRMC, IASD, Government, and Community-Based Organizations) in ways that create new opportunities for shared success.
1. Formalize & Broaden Collaboration
Promoting meaningful dialogue between anchor institutions, municipalities, and local neighborhoods connects the people, knowledge, physical spaces, and economic power of anchors and their surrounding communities in ways that to create healthy communities and mutually beneficial, sustainable local systems.
2. Support Anchors in Recruiting & Retention
Given the symbiotic nature of the anchor-community relationship, it is important to work collaboratively with local anchors in attracting and retaining the people that drive the success.
3. Improve & Create Physical Connections
Physical connections between Indiana’s anchor institutions and the larger community are important in weaving together the assets and opportunities connected to the work of the anchors and the life of the community and vice versa.
Mobility & Connections - Goals
Indiana will prioritize connecting people with places.
1. Prioritize Mobility as An Economic Driver
3. Connect People and Streets
People want to live in places where getting around is easy and safe. Indiana will prioritize good roads, connections to regional destinations, accessible transit, and convenient ride sharing and micromobility modes of transportation to encourage investment and improve the quality of life for residents.
Create opportunities for people to use streets for functions other than carrying cars. Complete streets, adaptive streets, and open streets are tools that Indiana will use to not only prioritize pedestrian and bike safety and healthy lifestyles, but also build community.
2. Invest in Active Transportation
Provide a well-planned network for non-motorized modes of transportation. This network will offer safe, connected, and convenient mobility options and recreational opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
4. Improve Wayfinding & Signage
Helping people navigate is a way of creating a welcoming environment. Indiana will establish a unique, cohesive, well-designed system of signage, markers, and gateways for local destinations that orients visitors and builds community identity and pride.