In August of 2019, the City of Indianapolis, through the Department of Metropolitan Development and the Department of Public Works, published a Request for Qualifications looking for potential Placemaking partners. As described in the document, it meant an opportunity to craft and deliver a holistic, world-class public space experience for all those who live, work, and play in Indianapolis. The mission of the City was to engage and enliven four signature downtown public spaces through community collaboration, creativity, and interaction. The Herron graduate program in Design was invited to be part of this initiative by investigating the people’s experience in the Downtown Canal Walk. The project was conducted in the course setting of the Collaborative Action Research in Design class. Research activities began in the Fall of 2019 and continued through the Spring 2020 semester. By following a human-centered design approach, the research team studied people’s perspectives and experiences in the Canal Walk and public spaces of Indianapolis. This report aims to serve as an instrument to inform stakeholders of this initiative and contribute to delivering a holistic, world-class public space experience for all those who live, work, and play in Indianapolis.

This project was supported by the Department of Metropolitan Development of Indianapolis and the Herron School of Art and Design.

Graduate Students:

Amrita Datta, Herron School of Art + Design

Luis Garcia, Herron School of Art + Design

Brendan Bow, School of Informatics and Computing

Faculty:

Youngbok Hong, Professor of Visual Communication Design. Graduate Program Director of Design Thinking and Design Leadership

Department of Metropolitan Development, Office of the Mayor

Rusty Carr, CFO / COO

Cailin Ellis, Property Manager