Neighborhood Profile: Wholesale District

After graduating from Ball State University in 2008, I moved to New York City to work with an urban design/landscape architecture firm.  While New York City is one of the biggest cities in the world, it's remarkable how each distinct neighborhood can make the city feel small. Each neighborhood has its own identity of parks, landmarks, cafes, and vibrant life in the streets.  I moved to Indianapolis in 2010 and found a similar quality in Downtown.

I started working with RATIO Architects, and since I had relied on the NYC subway for the past few years and wanted to continue living without a car, I found a place to live across the street from my office. Almost everything I need is within walking distance: work, the grocery store, amazing restaurants, pubs, and urban parks like White River State Park and Georgia Street.

I live in the Wholesale District near Georgia and Pennsylvania St.   Across the street is Banker's Life Fieldhouse, and the Indianapolis Convention Center is just down the street. Monument Circle, the City Market, White River State Park, and Lucas Oil Stadium are withing a 5 minute walk. If I hop on the Cultural Trail, I can get down to Fountain Square or up to the Indianapolis Museum of Art in a short bike ride. Living so close to the center of the city means there's always something going on nearby.

It's easy to take things you see everyday for granted, and I'm embarrassed to say that only within the past year had I made my first trip to the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument that hosts spectacular 360 degree views of Indianapolis. So I try to make it a habit of being a "local tourist" whenever I can.

I feel lucky to say my personal and professional passions mirror each other. I'm a Landscape Architectural Graduate and Urban Designer at RATIO Architects, and the founder of URBN DSGN. I believe the built environment organizes our daily lives: socially, environmentally and economically. As such, I strive to improve communities' baselines as an agent of social change, a steward of the landscape, and a catalyst for improvement.

The momentum in our city makes it buzz with amazing organizations, motivated social entrepreneurs, and new local business shaping Indianapolis into a better city. There's an uplifting charge of momentum in Indy that few cities can match.