Between 2013 and 2014 I spent 18 months collaborating with the Indianapolis-based informal collective We Are City. The loose group was led by area residents with a shared interest in strengthening city life. They brought expertise in fields including ecology, design, music, public relations, neighborhood organizing, and architecture. The core contributors were John Beeler, Tonya Beeler, Tim Carter, Matthew Hale, Laura Holzman, Michael Kaufmann, Ryan Puckett, Brian Staresnick, and Jason Williams.
To jumpstart conversations about urbanism in Indianapolis, our work involved three regular activities:
- [BRIEFING] A twice-weekly newsletter that highlighted positive attempts to strengthen cities in Indiana and across the globe.
- [SUMMIT] An annual conference on sustainability, innovation, and urban living.
- [IMPORT] A residency program that brought creative thinkers to Indianapolis to conduct short-term projects that directly engaged with some aspect of the city.
When the group ended its work, I curated We Are City [EXPORT] to highlight the products of the [IMPORT] residency and share We Are City’s story with a new audience in Columbus, IN. Read more about [EXPORT] here.