A worthy vision for new life 6.20.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

From jazz to baseball to auto racing, Indiana Avenue and 16th Street have deep historical and cultural connections to this city. But in recent decades the commercial and residential areas along both streets have been badly neglected.
East of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 16th Street is a depressing tangle of fast food joints, industrial sites and neighborhoods struggling to hang on. Indiana Avenue, as it slices toward Downtown, in an uninspiring stretch of urban real estate that reflects little of its rich history as a one-time arts and culture hub.
This week, however, Mayor Greg Ballard and other city leaders introduced a bold plan to pump new life into the area with what they're billing as 16 Tech, a life sciences park that will stretch from Bush Stadium on 16th Street to a new apartment complex at 10th and Indiana. In between, the city hopes to lure dozens of life sciences companies, which in turn would create thousands of jobs, strengthen the tax base, and attract more commercial and residential development.
A new green space, called Helix Park, will run parallel to Indiana Avenue. It's expected to feature bike trails, jogging paths and public art, amenities that would help create a lively and inviting urban environment.
It's an intriguing plan, which if it works over the next decade or two could not only transform the immediate area but also enrich the entire city.
But can Indianapolis pull it off?
The city has made solid gains in recent years in building up its life sciences sector. The strength of the Indiana University School of Medicine and Eli Lilly also give the city a great foundation to build upon. Yet, competition is intense among cities striving to land life-sciences firms.
The timing also may hinder the plan, at least in its initial stages. The national economy is still staggering, and many companies remain hesitant to invest and expand until economic conditions are less volatile.
Still, this initiative is exactly the type of large-scale effort Indianapolis needs to revive more of its urban core, attract and keep young professionals, and improve the quality of life for all residents.
How the details of this plan are managed in the years ahead will be critical, but for now the vision of creating a major life-sciences hub in the heart of the city is worth embracing.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110618/OPINION08/106180379/A-worthy-vision-new-life