SPOTLIGHT: NIRPC’s Creating Livable Communities Report
Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) developed Creating Livable Communities to support community-based transportation/land use projects that bring vitality to communities in order to fund development and redevelopment projects.
The Creating Livable Communities report was created with the understanding that strong and consistently implemented public policies regarding land use and transportation benefits are needed to ensure that population and employment growth occurs in a sustainable and responsible manner. It was with this understanding that the Comprehensive Regional Plan strongly endorses a future pattern of focused growth based on the concept of Livable Centers. Livable Centers were defined as compact, mixed-use, walkable and transit-accessible areas with a wide choice of affordable housing options that are developed at a density and scale appropriate to their community, whether urban, suburban or rural.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analysis was performed to identify areas preliminary Livable Centers. This data was analyzed to identify planned livable centers. Next, data was gathered through the completion of a Livability Checklist for identified communities. Then, existing and proposed zones were established. in those zones, Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) reports were utilized to examine thoroughfare characteristics and plan solution that would preserve and enhance community and natural environments. After CSS evaluation tables were developed, meetings with elected officials and practitioners in the 41 communities in Northwest Indiana, to identify and define and map the geographic boundaries of the Livable Centers. NIRPC then developed a sustainable funding source for local governments to fund projects that advance livability in Northwest Indiana. Recommendation based on Design Principles and Scale were made for each assessed community.
Timeframe to Complete Project: Months to Years
Cost Range: Cost Varies
Keywords: Community & Cultural Assessments, Planning, Advanced, Community Planning, Community Organizing and Event Engagement, Long-Term Community Development
Click on the button below to access the Creating Livable Communities Report.
This project was created by Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. NIRPC serves Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties in Northwest Indiana as a council of local governments that provides a forum for Northwest Indiana’s elected officials to address regional issues relating to transportation, the environment, and community and economic development. Click the link below to learn more about NIRPC.