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Indianapolis, USA

Famous for racing cars, this city is now proud to boost bikes and pedestrians

Construction is underway on what may be the nation's most advanced urban greenway system.

Indianapolis, Indiana, is taking what may be the boldest step of any American city towards supporting bicyclists and pedestrians. Known as an extremely auto-oriented city, famous for the Indianapolis 500, it is one of the last places you’d expect to see vehicle lanes being replaced with more space for bicycles and pedestrians.

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail, 8 miles of separated greenway, is currently being built through the downtown core of Indianapolis. Led by the Central Indiana Community Foundation in partnership with the city, the project is a bold response to skyrocketing obesity and an opportunity to improve the downtown area.

Downtown Indianapolis before the Cultural Trail.

Downtown Indianapolis as envisioned after the Cultural Trail.

More than just a separated bike path, the Cultural Trail is an economic development tool that will help support and connect the city's many cultural and civic destinations. It will help revitalize the inner city by bringing more people downtown and increasing the length of time that people spend in the central city. It will also enhance street life at existing destinations and help foster new public spaces throughout the downtown.

The Trail will connect and define several districts within the downtown core.

A combination of private and federal funds is being used to pay for the project. Public spaces have generally not attracted this kind of private investment, particularly in car-dominated heartland cities, but a bold vision and strong leadership at a community foundation has now raised the bar for other cities.

The design of the path will give pedestrians and bicyclists a sense of safety and comfort.

Project for Public Spaces has done Placemaking training for the grantees and partners of the community foundation's Inspiring Places Initiative. PPS was also involved in the design team for the Cultural Trail project, doing the international best practices research of separated bike paths that influenced the final design.

Sidewalk extensions make pedestrians and bicyclists more prominent on car-dominated streets.

The Cultural Trail is creating a powerful impetus for Indianapolis neighborhood groups to begin redefining their streets as public spaces that can satisfy a broad range of community needs. Indianapolis -- a quintessential Midwestern car town -- has decided that a street can and should be more than just a place to drive and store motor vehicles.