Paint, Planters, and People Power: Indianapolis' Grassroots Makeover
From WRTV’s coverage of Indianapolis’ colorful new barriers.
In Indianapolis, a quiet revolution is reshaping the city's streets—one painted barrier and community-led project at a time. Through tactical urbanism, residents are reclaiming public spaces, enhancing safety, and fostering stronger community ties.
“Walking or riding a bike in Fountain Square got a little safer,” WRTV reported, following the rollout of a new set of colorful barriers and murals along the overpass connecting Fountain Square and Fletcher Place. The $13,000 project, led by local advocate Tucker Born, aims to calm traffic and reconnect neighborhoods long divided by I-65 and I-70. “The barriers were my baby,” said Born, who emphasized that “narrower lanes slow people down.”
“We often wish the neighborhood was a little more pedestrian friendly,” said Lindsey Cornett, a Fountain Square resident. “People come through real fast.” In early April, Cornett was among more than a dozen volunteers who gathered to paint plastic traffic barriers for a new tactical urbanism installation. Some adorned them with polka dots and flowers; one read simply: “❤️ Indy.”
Longtime resident Elizabeth Ryan, who has lived in Fountain Square for 25 years, joined in too. “I’m making my neighborhood beautiful,” she said. “It helps to have stuff to look at… flowers, murals, public art—that keeps the bike ride or the walk interesting.” She added. “One of the things we love to do is walk around the neighborhood. So we’re excited to have another nice place for us to walk to go see all the cool shops and restaurants in the Square.”
The colorful redesign focuses on the high-speed intersection where Virginia Avenue, Woodlawn Avenue, and Shelby Street converge—an area long lacking safe infrastructure for people on foot or bike. With painted bump-outs, planters, and the now-colorful barriers, the changes visually narrow the road, encourage drivers to slow down, and make crossing the street less daunting for pedestrians.
WRTV coverage of the barriers.
The project was funded through a partnership: the neighborhood raised half the cost, and the city matched the contribution. As Fountain Square Neighborhood Association board member Vince Reese put it, “When this interstate was implemented half a century ago, it really divided the neighborhoods.”
The Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) has helped amplify these grassroots efforts through its tactical urbanism lending library, which offers neighborhoods access to removable barriers, plastic bollards, and speed humps. “The goal of the program is to help neighborhoods achieve their infrastructure dreams,” said DPW Director Brandon Herget.
Other neighborhoods have seen measurable safety improvements. In Community Heights, a tactical project on 10th Street led to a 73% reduction in crashes between Arlington and Emerson avenues. These successes reinforce what tactical urbanism advocates already know: even low-lift, low-cost community-led design changes can dramatically improve public safety and neighborhood livability.
You Don’t Have to Wait for a Crash to Act
When your constituents call for safer streets, they aren’t asking for a study that takes years or a plan that sits on a shelf. They’re asking for solutions—now. Crashes are happening today, and communities are looking to you for leadership that responds with urgency and results.
The good news? You don’t need a massive budget or a multi-year capital plan to begin making change. What you do need is a way to focus attention, ask better questions, and start working with what you already have.
That’s exactly what the Crash Analysis Studio offers: a shift away from a system that blames individuals, and toward a practical, repeatable process that helps you identify dangerous patterns, test immediate interventions, and build momentum toward long-term improvements. It’s not about fixing everything at once—it’s about preventing the next crash tomorrow.
The results in Indianapolis speak for themselves: a grassroots experiment sparked real change. What began as a small, temporary intervention proved so effective that it helped shape a permanent redesign. That’s the power of acting now—with the tools you already have. The results weren’t just visible—they were undeniable.
Your residents are counting on you to act—not someday, but now. Get expert, on-site help building the Crash Analysis Studio model that’s right for your place.
Asia (pronounced “ah-sha”) Mieleszko serves as a Staff Writer for Strong Towns. A dilettante urbanist since adolescence, she's excited to convert a lifetime of ad-hoc volunteerism into a career. Her unconventional background includes directing a Ukrainian folk choir, pioneering synaesthetic performances, photographing festivals, designing websites, teaching, and ghostwriting. She can be found wherever Wi-Fi is reliable, typically along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.