Calling all Midwest Strong Towns Members! On November 12, join fellow Strong Towns members from across the Midwest for a lively Member Week gathering focused on connection, conversation, and community.
Some perspective: If Indianapolis completely eliminated parking minimums today, we would be the 101st city to do so. When we elected councillors who said they’d make progressive urban reforms, we would’ve been the 36th city to do so.
Want to meet fellow Hoosiers that are interested in Strong Towns, and make a positive impact on your community?
Sign up with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful for Nov 15th, where we'll be going to Brookside Park to pick up trash and remove invasive plants!
We look forward to meeting you!
#strongtowns
Forcing developers to include a minimum amount of parking can add tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a project.
This is one of the reasons why repealing parking mandates is part of the 6 strategies for becoming a Housing-Ready City.
The Nickel Plate trail makes an appearance in this! Sadly no mention of the Monon trail here in Carmel
Looking forward to our next meeting tomorrow at 11am at the Carmel Library on Main Street!
Map of existing 2014 built and proposed greenways (built is solid green, 2014 proposed dotted green) and new greenways (gold)
The city of Indianapolis is proposing a new greenways master plan as the buildout of the 2014 network nears closer to completion. Learn more and provide your input here: gis.indy.gov/portal/apps/...
3 people who appear to be two parents and a child wait for a light on their bikes. They’re riding on Bryant - a sidewalk level protected bikeway
If you don’t frequently see families with kids traveling to destinations by bike, your bike network isn’t safe enough (&/or your zoning forces sprawl & car dependency).
Great job with organizing all this info! I hope you're able to gather more support for these zoning changes 🤞
https://tinyurl.com/murje2k4
Join us for our monthly meeting on October 25th from 11am-12pm at the Carmel Library!
We're excited to have @jefferytompkins.bsky.social join us to talk Indiana urban planning.
Please RSVP via the link in the comments or scan the QR code in the image.
Lots of other states and cities have already legalized ADUs
Carmel doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. We can follow in the footsteps of so many other cities and states that have legalized ADUs to provide one more option for housing.
We can learn from our neighbors in South Bend, who created a catalog of pre-approved plans.
ADUs are only legal to build in 1% of zoned land in Carmel, IN
Unfortunately ADUs are illegal to build in 99% of Carmel.
Fortunately, there's huge potential for new housing if we legalized ADUs in the 70% of Carmel that's currently zoned SFH only.
ADUs create sustainable growth without changing neighborhood character.
Unlike massive redevelopments with 5-story apartments, ADUs provide sustainable housing growth without drastically changing the neighborhood character that people love about Carmel.
ADUs can be more affordable than other housing because they are built on land that is already owned and are typically smaller than the single family housing in the neighborhood.
ADUs can help people stay in their homes by promoting multi-generational living and supporting homeowners with additional income or space as needed.
ADUs provide much-needed affordable rentals in single-family neighborhoods.
They help people stay in their communities by being flexible enough to work for different stages of life.
Whether you're housing grandparents, adult children, or downsizing yourself, ADUs provide an option to stay at home.
An ADU is a small house or apartment on the same property as a single family home.
ADUs are found in all types of places and are often hidden in plain sight.
So what is an ADU? It's a small house or apartment on the same property as a single family home.
You might know them by a different name: backyard cottage, casita, granny-flat, or carriage house.
They are often invisible if you don't know what to look for.
There is significant demand for more housing options. The majority of people surveyed want more affordable choices in Hamilton County and Carmel.
People in Carmel and throughout Hamilton County want more diverse and affordable options for housing.
The demand exists but the market can't effectively meet it, partially due to zoning limitations.
What's the problem? Not enough housing, making it difficult to afford housing for young families, working class people, and those on fixed incomes
There are not enough small housing options for
* young families looking for starter home and
* older people looking to downsize
Carmel's housing stock is mostly single family and mostly too big for the average household.
Keeping Carmel Strong with ADUs - a small solution to a big problem
Carmel, like every city, is looking for solutions to the housing affordability crisis.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are one possible solution.
"Housing has become so unaffordable for people to be able to live in downtown Carmel, near all of that walkable vibrancy." - @simpixelated.bsky.social
The work continues for @strongtowns-carmel.bsky.social 👏
bit.ly/46CAEzH
I'm stoked to have been invited to talk about @strongtowns-carmel.bsky.social on this podcast with @bthibbs.bsky.social!
We talked about what makes Carmel unique, why we chose to move here with just one car, and why I don't wear spandex 😆
open.spotify.com/episode/4doT...
Creating spaces for people, not cars, enhances the beauty, appeal, safety, and economic sustainability of our city. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, and have a tremendous amount of hope for future developments in Indianapolis.
#urbanism #strongtowns #glowup #indianapolis #naptown #indiana
More info including directions and RSVP link:
strongtownscarmel.org/blog/meeting...
Join us for our monthly meeting on September 27th from 11am-12pm!
Please RSVP via the link in the comments or scan the QR code in the image.
We have a chance to fight this. Write to PlannerOnCall@indy.gov and ask them to deny petitions 2025SE2003/2025PTN155
Here’s the full letter I originally sent to my local newspaper before they asked me to cut it down under 300 words.
We’ve now published the full version on our @strongtowns-carmel.bsky.social page. Feel free to borrow from it if you’d like to write your own letter to your community leaders. 👇
👏👏👏
This is about more than just bike lanes.
via @americanfietser.bsky.social: bit.ly/3JzM9jm
We're a small Strong Towns group now, but also a great group of people focused on building community and safer streets as our city works towards each newer version of itself.
@strongtowns-carmel.bsky.social 🙂
A newly updated version of this @davewalker.bsky.social classic, Why We Love Cycling
Be sure to check and support his substack: diagramclub.substack.com
