Indianapolis people's planning academy

Summary

In 2017, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development created the People’s Planning Academy. Prior to the Academy, most residents who participated in city planning did not represent the majority of the population in Indianapolis. Now, the Academy is creating a space for historically underrepresented communities to learn more about city planning and participate in upcoming land-use decisions and projects. The City has successfully offered two cohorts of the Academy since 2017 and is preparing a virtual cohort for spring 2021.

Planning involves the complex intersection of many different aspects of a community: land use, infrastructure, environmental issues, resident desires, the supply and demand for certain types of real estate, and more. Planning decisions have implications that are not always easy to see: impacts on human and environmental health, a community’s tax base and ability to provide high-quality public services, the ability of a place to evolve and retain its value, and the ability of residents to access housing, jobs, education, and health care. To address the lack of diversity in voices heard throughout the City’s planning process, the City of Indianapolis wanted to create an inclusive engagement opportunity. Leadership across the planning department and community partners came together to create a training series, with the goal of demystifying planning processes and empowering neighbors to take a more active role in shaping the future of their communities.

To ensure resident perspectives informed the development of the Academy, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development worked in partnership with the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center. They began by forming a committee of staff and experts to create an enriching curriculum for participants. The committee worked to provide entertaining teaching methods during workshop sessions to create a more interactive class for the participants. One strategy to promote interaction involved the development of a city planning board game. During this game, participants were asked to designate different land uses on the city grid represented on the board. Then, participants were asked to think about factors that may affect these land uses, such as how a model family may access different transportation options via the incorporation of sidewalks, bus routes, and road construction. Additionally, the program offered flexible times, including both weekday and weekend options.

To promote the Academy, the City partnered with AmeriCorps VISTA to investigate who has been historically underrepresented in City planning processes. The VISTA fellow worked with people of color and other underrepresented groups to find out why they could not or chose not to participate. The VISTA fellow worked to build trust and encouraged Academy registrations within each community. The goal of this project was to market the Academy to underrepresented groups and build long-term relationships with these residents.

To participate, residents registered online or by phone with the City. Then staff from the Department of Metropolitan Development verified participation in both the Academy and asked whether or not the registrant had an interest in additional activities, such as participating in the community mapping phases of the Marion County Land Use Plan. The City offered optional in-person sessions throughout the six-week course. Prior to the in-person classes, participants were required to watch a few brief videos. Staff provided digital copies of the Workbook, the Plan 2020 Bicentennial Agenda, the Land Use Plan Pattern Book, and any handouts from guest speakers. Upon completion of all the sessions, attendees were invited to participate in the land use plan stakeholder committee.

As of fall 2020, the City of Indianapolis has hosted two People’s Planning Academies and is planning for a third later in spring 2021.

Funding

The Central Indiana Community Foundation and Eskenazi Health funded the program with a $5,000 grant. Indianapolis also received a grant from Indiana Humanities to support People's Planning Academy: 200 Years of Planning, which is inspired by the city's bicentennial. 

Timeline

Fundraising and curriculum preparation began in early 2017 and took approximately six months to complete. The first Academy was offered in fall 2017, the second in fall 2019, and a third will be conducted virtually in spring 2021.

Equity and justice were the primary guiding principles in the development and execution of the Academy. The Academy supports the City’s goals to make decisions in a fair and transparent manner. Specifically, the goal was to provide historically underserved populations with the opportunity to learn more about and participate in city planning processes. Since underrepresented communities are usually the first to be impacted by the consequences of climate change, their voices must be involved in how decisions are made in the City’s resilience and preparedness efforts. 

Importantly, there is no fee for participation, and free childcare and free dinners are provided at all in-person Academy events – all of which are efforts designed to reduce barriers to participation. Additionally, staff chose an accessible location for in-person events. Since Indianapolis is a relatively spread out city, the planning committee worked hard to find a centralized location that was near a bus line and had free parking.

Furthermore, during the Academy, the committee emphasizes how city planning can impact participants. For example, the City introduced a new bus line that would run from the north side of town to the south side. City staff made used relationships they had built through the Academy to inform people from underrepresented communities about the transportation proposal and encouraged them to get involved in public meetings, provide feedback about the new bus line, and provide feedback on what it could mean for routes to work, school, and the grocery store.