Data tracking + Evaluation for Planning & Placemaking

Spark: Tracking data for planning and future programming Jim Walker Big Car Collaborative/Spark Placemaking

WHY DOES INDIANAPOLIS NEED BIG CAR COLLABORATIVE? TOO FEW PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THE JOY AND FULFILLMENT OF CREATIVITY. Cultural events should be for everybody, everywhere. We should all get to imagine, make, and play.

OUR SOCIETY IS TOO DISCONNECTED. Still, people long for positive social experiences and opportunities to interact with each other.

We often suffer from a LACK OF EMPATHY for others who are different from us.

Our city’s neighborhoods need CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO CULTURAL PROBLEMS. Who better than cultural workers to address this?

Public spaces aren’t realizing their potential. And this leads to MISSED OPPORTUNITIES for economic development, engagement, and civic pride.

Indianapolis struggles to attract and retain talented and CREATIVE WORKERS, including artists, who are vital to a strong community.

The vast majority of citizens here aren’t strong ADVOCATES or supporters of the arts.

But this is likely due to a lack of opportunities to connect with creativity.

HOW DO WE, AS ARTISTS, ADDRESS THESE NEEDS? • A MOBILE AND FLEXIBLE APPROACH to program delivery • SMART PLACEMAKING that includes the activation of public spaces with programming • MORE ENGAGING OUTLETS for all people to get creative, where they are • A VOICE at the table as leaders work to boost livability in our community • A “DESIGN FOR GOOD” PROGRAM that helps neighborhoods, coalitions, and other nonprofits • PAID OPPORTUNITIES for artists who work collaboratively and are dedicated to improving our city • INCUBATING AND SUPPORTING emerging cultural initiatives and arts entrepreneurs • CONSTANT RESEARCH and regular travel to help us connect with others and learn

CREATIVE PLACEMAKING: Artist-led, community-driven collaborative projects and programs.

Key ingredient: people.

Spark’s overall approach This project uses the tools, techniques and strategies of creative placemaking, tactical urbanism, and socially engaged art to accomplish three main goals: 1. Through temporary programming, honor the history and civic importance of the space while offering insights and information helpful for further planning for future uses of and approaches to Monument Circle 2. Help improve the quality of life for residents by providing a thriving civic and social space in the center of the City; 3. Provide an enjoyable, memorable, and surprising experience for visitors to Indianapolis. Â

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• Creative — in low-pressure ways kids and adults will make art, record or write stories, make music, and see that everyone can and should create • Curious — we’ll encourage people to ask why and how things work and participate in joining others in finding these answers • Informed — people who understand the context and history of their community feel stronger allegiance to it and develop passion for preserving important aspects from the past while furthering the future • Adventurous —people take chances, and trying and learning new things • Tolerant — people of different backgrounds and cultures will collaborate, socialize, and learn from each other • Connected — life is better for people who feel connected to their community and to others, as well as to the arts and cultural offerings of our city • Healthy — our activities will include physical aspects like relaxing, playing, walking and cycling and we’ll focus on local, green, healthy eating, and nutrition with projects related to cooking and gardening • Happy — by providing positive, playful, and fun activities, we’ll do little things to brighten the lives of those we meet Note: These goals are shared by Big Car Collaborative for all of our work %%

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Monument Circle

Participant Total

BUTTS IN SEATS + PARKED BIKES

Program Participant Log

Count all people sitting on Monument Circle. Include merchant seating, Sparket seating, people sitting on the ground, people siting on the retaining walll on the inner Circle, and people sitting on the flight of steps adjacent to the sidewalk on the inner Circle.

Evaluator Name:

Name:

Date:

Date:

Weather (temperature:

Weather:

Event/Program:

Notes (Events seating changes:

Start Time:

Parked Bikes NW

NW

NE

SE

SW

SE

SW

End Time:

Participant Information

NE

Socializing with Food or Drink NW

SW

NE

8 0 . & /

SE

Start: Socializing without Food or Drink (please start at 12:00) NW

NE

SE

SW

NE

SE

SW

18+

$ ) * % 3 & /

End: Alone with a Device NW

. & / Alone without a Device NW

NE

SE

SW

18+

4 & / * 0 3 4

Game Check-out Log Evaluator Name: Date: Weather (temperature, sky conditions: First Name

Gender M/F/O

ZIP Code

Item #

Checkout Time

Time Returned

d Car D I s te Sta Key

Oth

er

MORE THAN

ENJOYED SPARK PROGRAMMING OR SEATING over the 11 weeks

SPARK offered more than

HUMAN-SCALE

SPARK employed and worked with more than CULTURAL AND BUSINESS PARTNERS Outside of the purchase of materials, SPARK invested of its $400,000 budget IN ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS

Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, SPARK brought IN OUTSIDE DOLLARS INTO THE INDIANAPOLIS CREATIVE ECONOMY Monument Circle business owners reported up to a during SPARK

SPENT AT THE CIRCLE because of SPARK Average time spent ranged from 30 MINUTES TO ONE HOUR (Only three people reported spending less time on the circle because of SPARK)

TIME BREAKDOWN: • 30 minutes to an hour (38%) • More than an hour (37%) • 15 to 30 minutes (20%) • Just passing through (5%)

to Monument Circle

(of 1,975 visitors asked for zip codes) 2% from OUTSIDE AMERICA 5% from ELSEWHERE IN INDIANA 10% from OUT OF STATE

63% came from INDIANAPOLIS 20% from the SIX-COUNTY REGION surrounding the city (Hamilton County 6%, Hendricks County 5% Johnson County 3%)

WALKING 41% PUBLIC 4% TRANSIT MOTOR 9% VEHICLE (in a carpool) BICYCLE 10% MOTOR VEHICLE 36% (not in a carpool)

of visitors had a WITH SOMEONE NEW at SPARK

30% of them reported that they DON’T USUALLY TALK with people they don’t know

24% visited SPARK ALONE

76% visited in GROUPS

said SPARK was what brought them back to Monument Circle

WHY?

1. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE 2. The visibility 3. The variety of activities

(some not listed) PARTICIPATION

GAME RENTALS 61% MUSIC / SOUND ART 25% WAGON OF WONDERS 23% BOOKMOBILE 9% ASK-AN-EXPERT 8% THEME WALK 4%

ACTIVITY

SPARK visitors enjoyed (ranked in order): GAME RENTALS FREE EVENTS FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES CULTURAL EXPERIENCES EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES

SPARK encouraged nearly the amount of people to

on Monument Circle

On a typical good-weather Wednesday lunchtime before and after SPARK, less than 50 people sat outside around Monument Circle.

During SPARK, the average — on days with good weather — was On Sundays, before and after SPARK, about 12 people sat outside at lunchtime on Monument Circle on nice days.

During SPARK, the average was

People sent more than around the world from Monument Circle as part of SPARK.

SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING/MOST COMMON SUGGESTIONS WE RECEIVED FOR THE CIRCLE

• Have a big playground event • Putting dance steps on the bricks • DJ and dance floor • Scavenger hunt or geocaching • Paint and canvas • Friday Night Flicks: outdoor movies • Pony rides • Activities for people with disabilities • Make the circle a pedestrian plaza- no cars!

• Community garden • Water fountains

• Woodworking classes • Farmers Market • Bike race (tour de monument) • RC boat racing in the fountain • Charging stations • Pool table • Mini golf • Live science and youth workshops • Tricycle 500 • Basketball • Pop-up shops

City Market East & West Screen Line A + B

City Market West

Screen Line A

City Market East

Screen Line B

City Market East and West

Going forward…

DAILY LOG

Name:

Partnering with IU Public Policy Institute to: • Dig deeper into financial benefits to the community

Date:

• The value of the impact on perception of our city.

Weather:

Describe the day in a few sentences (include a comment or two from visitors, challenges or cool experiences).

Name: Date:

• Explore the value of interpersonal connections created.

Time:

Time:

Weather:

Describe the day in a few sentences (include a comment or two from visitors, challenges or cool experiences).

Name: Date:

Time:

Weather:

Describe the day in a few sentences (include a comment or two from visitors, challenges or cool experiences).

some new questions • Does Spark increase the number of people shopping and spending in the surrounding area?

• Does it affect behavior and in the long run? Does it impact community networks and resiliency? Key question here is: Are there now conversations occurring, and is there follow up or do they last? And then, over time, do any of the conversations that occur in the space begin to show up in the network?

• Is Spark affecting impressions of the city/region. If participants are from Indianapolis are they more likely to stay and live here? If they are not from here, has the experienced changed their opinion of our city?

Might this increase the odds of them moving here?

THANK YOU!

jim@bigcar.org www.bigcar.org @bigcar