Downtown Indy ‘Most Vibrant’ in 50 Years

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While some U.S. downtowns are struggling with urban flight and changing demographics, the chief executive officer of Downtown Indy Inc. says downtown Indianapolis is performing exceptionally well. "Our downtown is more vibrant than it has been in 50 years," said Sherry Seiwert, who adds the solid performance is broad-based. "Office occupancy is up, higher than it has been in ten years, residential numbers continue to climb (and) we’ve got 28,000 residents in our downtown footprint now." But Seiwert cautions there are some troubling signs, too.

Seiwert appeared on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick with Brad Segal, president of Denver-based Progressive Urban Management Associates, who said he continues to be impressed by the city’s performance.

"This year, we were a little concerned that we’ve seen a dip in the perception of safety and cleanliness in downtown," said Seiwert, citing results of an annual consumer perception survey. "When asked the question, why that is, we were told the homeless and panhandling population."

The organization recently released its 2018 community report during the annual State of Downtown event.

View the full interview: