1.0 INTRODUCTION Planning Focus
Community leaders recognize the mutual dependence of IUP and the communities that surround it - White Township and the Borough. While the community supports a healthy downtown and a number of stable and attractive neighborhoods, several trends and conditions in the community have raised concerns that require attention; for instance: • The district character of the two major corridors through the community does not present a positive image to visitors which impacts the ability to market to new residents. • New student-oriented rental housing units have been developed in White Township, in places leapfrogging over single-family neighborhoods, creating impacts to traffic, campus access, and parking needs near campus. • New developments near campus have raised concerns about the appropriate scale of buildings, placement of buildings relative to the street, and the design of the buildings relative to the historic architecture of the core area of the community. • Pedestrian and non-motorized travel in the community surrounding campus has increased, causing the volume to overwhelm existing sidewalks and paths. In turn, pedestrians moving towards campus must travel along and across corridors that do not accommodate safety. • Existing student housing, near-campus apartments, and single-family homes are struggling to remain competitive with newer apartments. Also, many of the older apartments offer limited amenities and unattractive settings. The past student housing and commercial development patterns, and public street infrastructure have resulted in a District that is unwelcoming, unattractive, and difficult to navigate. Newer development has addressed many of these fundamental concerns, but has missed the mark in key areas, such as building scale. Unhappy with both historic building patterns and new development, the community recognizes the need to refine and improve local planning and redevelopment strategies for the District. At the core of resolving these issues is the need to increase the quality and consistency of the outdoor environment of the community - what some refer to as the “creating a sense of place” or “place making.” Place making can be defined as “structuring the placement and design of built and natural elements to create unique places where the community interacts and lives in a way authentic to that place.” Elements of the physical environment that influence the sense of place include street design, architecture, open space, and connectivity. Attributes of placemaking that provide value to communities include:
• Attracting people, businesses, residents, students, tourists, and development is a critical focus of place making • PLACE MAKING IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL, not just a trend to make things “pretty” • High quality places are interesting and memorable - they are places where we want to be • A community’s unique physical and social qualities should be emphasized; be authentic to the community • A strong sense of identity for the community must be created and maintained in a way that fits the people and attributes of that specific community • A walkable and connected place is a key attribute to attracting and retaining younger and more active residents The community and IUP have significant assets from the place making perspective - many beautiful campus places, high quality open spaces (e.g. Mack Park), and a compact, walkable downtown. Building from these strengths will allow the community to reach its potential to become a stronger place, and elevate the quality of life for residents. The planning process for the District was organized in three distinct phases, each of which involved a robust
Development patterns in older student housing areas are visually cluttered, disorganized, and lacking in open space.
Indiana Community University District
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