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.
OVERVIEW
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 through Collaborative Action Research in Design. 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.
PROJECT PARTNERS
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
METHODOLOGY
The team used the Herron Design Process Model as a research framework. This process consists of seven steps: Understand, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Evaluate, Plan, and Act. The scope of a project with a focus on Understand was to identify opportunities in this problem space. In this project, the word “problem” is used interchangeably with the word “opportunity”.
