Community engagement is central to By Design.
This project is about integrating our understanding of policy and history, with our understanding how Indianapolis residents define wealth, what goals they have for themselves and their communities, and how they experience the systems and programs that are meant to support opportunity.
Community Voices highlights the engagement process, the people who helped shape it, and the themes that are actively informing the Economic Empowerment Blueprint.
The purpose of community engagement in By Design was to help the City:
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understand how residents define wealth and wealth-building,
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learn how residents interact with City programs and systems,
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identify where City processes may be creating friction,
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understand residents’ goals around opportunity, stability, and legacy,
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ensure the Blueprint responds to real community priorities rather than assumptions.
Community input is actively shaping the Blueprint and helping guide City decision-making as the work moves forward.
The Engagement Process
By Design included a community survey and four facilitated community conversations held across Indianapolis. These sessions were designed and led by Joi Harmon of Success Plug, with the goal of bringing the City a grounded, community-informed report to guide blueprint development.
Joi Harmon also conducted stakeholder interviews with local elders, historians, and neighbors to provide additional context to the historical research informing the project.
Themes emerging from engagement include:
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the importance of homeownership and the ability to pass wealth across generations,
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access to information and the sharing of information,
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investing in one’s own community,
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the ways systems can either support or hinder economic opportunity.
What We’re Hearing
Art and Community Connection
As By Design moves into blueprint drafting, artists will play an important role in helping more residents connect with the project and provide feedback in different ways.
Three artists will be commissioned to create work inspired by themes that emerged through engagement. These artist activations are intended to reflect lived experience, spark conversation, honor community knowledge, and create new entry points for participation and feedback.