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Monon Boulevard

Carmel, IN, USA

2019 Charter Award Winner, Congress for New Urbanism

Slow-speed driving, recreation, and landscape combine to create a popular new heart for a suburban city.

Client

Carmel Redevelopment Commision, City of Carmel Department of Engineering

Collaborators

Gehl, REA

Timeline

2010-2013

Category

Suburban Retrofit, Streets & Networks

Budget

$23 million

Scale

0.5 mile corridor

Status

Completed

Reference

Jim Brainard, Former Mayor, brainardjc@aol.com

A controversial proposal to surround a recreational trail with a multimodal avenue quickly wins converts and unites a downtown.

Carmel, Indiana reintroduced walkable urbanism to a largely car-dependent region with a renovated Main Street and a new Civic Center that are both attract considerable pedestrian activity. Unfortunately, these two areas were separated by a half mile of empty and light-industrial parcels. With the goal of creating a unified city center, Mayor Brainard commissioned the firm to create a plan for these one-hundred acres.


The greatest challenge surrounded the disposition of the Monon Trail, a regional recreational axis that bisects the site. Rather than placing it at the backs of buildings as suggested by previous plans, this proposal surrounded it with a grand avenue, where it is now celebrated as the heart of its neighborhood.


This controversial proposal was commissioned after three previous proposals failed to win the support of City leadership. Upon completion, this design was enthusiastically embraced and quickly lined by new businesses and housing. The downtown of Carmel, once “bipolar” is now continuous.

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