Carmel: A boomburb goes urban

Recently we received an email from the mayor of Carmel, Indiana, who touted the work that the city is doing to create urban amenities and improve the quality of life. Carmel is a typical "boomburb," north of Indianapolis — growing from 750 people in 1950 to 85,000 in 2012. Many boomburbs have struggled since the housing bust, but Carmel was recently named the best US mid-sized city to live in by Money Magazine. Over the last decade and a half Carmel has worked to transform itself — building new urban neighborhoods, creating a successful arts and design district, and building a new downtown with three to eight stories of mixed-use, mayor Jim Brainard says. The city has also replaced many of its traffic lights with modern roundabouts — it has 57, more than any other city in America. The city is still transforming, notes the mayor — urbanist Jeff Speck was hired to create a plan to connect the new downtown with the arts and design district. More here.

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