RENN: Downtown Indy needs a Purdue research center
Other major research universities in college towns are already making this kind of push into the heart of nearby major cities.
Aaron M. Renn / Special to IBJ
Articles
Aaron Renn: Regionalism is a concept Indy can’t ignore
We don’t often think of Unigov this way today, but in 1970, it was an early response to the challenge of regionalism. It created a regional government covering Marion County. At the time, this included most of the suburban development in the region.
Aaron Renn: Indy needs to become a magnet for non-Hoosiers
Turning the city into a national, not just a state or regional, talent magnet can happen. Indy will never compare to the coastal giants, but it very much can replicate the success of Southern boomtowns like Nashville.
RENN: How about it? ‘Naptown’ as Indy’s brand
Naptown is easy to connect to Indianapolis and can easily be imbued with positive connotations, implying a cool, urban, edgy vibe. Think Naptown Roller Girls and you’ve got the right idea.
RENN: Indy is still the Midwest growth champion
Add it all up, and Indianapolis appears to be demographically strong, with a strong appeal to Hoosier and ethnic newcomers, and an emergent black growth engine as well.
RENN: Beyond brain drain to talent magnet
Indy is no longer a sleepy, backwater state capital. While it certainly has a way to go in some departments, it is at the point where it can compete at a much higher level than many think.
RENN: Hoosiers shouldn’t gloat over Illinois taxes
Illinois may be content to tax itself into oblivion, but just because Indiana has taken care of fiscal business, it still has plenty more work to do.
RENN: Indianapolis must reinvent itself … again
Despite outperforming not just the Midwest, but America as a whole, long-term challenges facing Marion County put the region at risk.
RENN: Indiana builds through the hard times
Major infrastructure investment at the state and local level is a significant reason for optimism for the long-term competitive positioning for the city and state.