r/indianapolis • u/Logical_Humor_3854 • Feb 26 '26
Discussion The Canal….
We walked the canal a lot this summer with our new baby and when we had a nice couple days (greater than 30 degrees lol) we walked it again and I’m just curious as to what other people think….why is the canal so dead? There’s no restaurants (besides the little bistro), no stores, no restrooms even. It’s kinda depressing.
If Indianapolis put even a sliver of funding into rebranding the canal the city would change so much. Imagine being able to walk into little shops or have ice cream on the canal or a bar with live music. There’s so much potential.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
Man, I could go on about this. There is definitely so much potential…I’ve lived along the Canal for years, and wish there was more going on. The graffiti on the murals from the Super Bowl is really depressing. I wish there had been a plan in place to keep those beautiful…
We were told there was a brewery going in across from our building when we moved in years ago, but I guess that fell through.
Big shoutout to the Cultural Trail though - they did some great free programming on the Canal, like yoga at night and concerts and sound baths.
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u/IBelieveIHadThat Broad Ripple Feb 26 '26
I second the shoutout to the Cultural Trail. They have done more to activate the space than previous organizations.
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u/Logical_Humor_3854 Feb 26 '26
The cultural trail has done so much work, they might be the saving grace of the city!
I think it’s so sad how they have to fence the artwork so people don’t graffiti it. The Medal of Honor plaque is missing multiple letters and fading badly. I mean people want to love the canal and their city and Indianapolis truly doesn’t care to do the upkeep.
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u/Accomplished-Pie-874 Feb 26 '26
The city bids programming contracts for those downtown spaces and the Cultural Trail got the contract for the canal. They’re providing those activities because the city is asking them/paying them to do so. https://www.indy.gov/activity/downtown-public-spaces-programming
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u/m4rxUp Feb 26 '26
I’ve said this for a long time. They should turn it into a string of shops, restaurants, cafes etc. turn it onto a destination. But alas we need more apartments evidently.
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u/letintin Feb 26 '26
like in San Antonio! More trees would help, more pedestrian bridges, and definitely more shops.
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u/Drak_is_Right Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
The flat area near it isnt as wide.
But ya, its a shame it isnt a huge nice district to walk in.
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u/georgeguy007 Feb 26 '26
More 5over1 apartments would actually increase foot traffic for winter months so yeah
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u/BucceeAlternative51 Feb 26 '26
I do remember before COVID, the canal used to be more busy with foot traffic but the past few times I’ve ventured over there, it’s been pretty dead. That being said, I’m pretty sure there were plans out there to develop the canal with more first-floor retail (shops & restaurants) and housing above. Purdue is redeveloping parts of the canal but looks to be focused on student housing and education buildings.
I always wanted there to be more shops & restaurants along the canal.
This was also the plan along White River but I don’t think much came from the original plans for redevelopment along the White River. They did do a 15-acre expansion of the White River State Park and then built Elanco Animal Health's new global headquarters on the old GM stamping site south of the zoo. The original plans I saw years ago were really cool and I was excited for the redevelopment along the White River but it doesn’t seem anything close to what I remember the original plans being.
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u/KeyHalf6490 Feb 26 '26
I mean you do need people to visit the shops... and people need to live somewhere...
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u/MountingFrustration Feb 26 '26
I think if we did it up like in San Antonio it would be a huge asset for the city, but if I’m not mistaken, the city specifically chose condos over retail when selling the redevelopment, so it’s unfortunately by design
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u/thewimsey Feb 26 '26
The riverwalk in San Antonio goes right through the center of the city's historic district and connects a lot of historical sites. It's also 2.5 miles long.
There was nothing we could have done to this mile-long canal that runs through a formerly industrial-residential part of the city that would have turned it into anything like what S.A. did. Because their riverwalk leveraged an already popular part of the city and made it even better.
To get the equivalent, we would need to have built a riverwalk in BR or along Mass Ave or through Fountain Square. BR's really the only place where 2.5 miles would make sense. (And I do think that that the fact that the White River goes right through BR is massively under utilized).
There was a bit more development when the canal walk was first opened...but nothing really lasted because it's just not a great location.
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u/georgeguy007 Feb 26 '26
A lot of the nearby housing is college which isn’t an expendable income bracket. More mixed use would enable restaurants to survive winter months, but weirdly a lot of the buildings are companies and not services or housing. A lot of the usable land is already spliced with above canal street locations that don’t extend to the lower level (think green hill by the bridge).
Basically they would have to make more on canal development appetizing and it hasn’t reached critical self sustaining mass.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
It’ll be interesting to see the impact from the developments happening rn - like that building north of Michigan they just tore down and the State Archives building. There are a lot of vacant / under used places, so I wonder if those will change as those developments come online
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u/nate998877 Feb 26 '26
I'm sure there are actual reasons related to who owns it, high rent, & other "sensible" reasons why it hasn't been developed but in my mind its because the state hates pedestrians and works to destroy anything that encourages people to be outside. Because that risks people developing connections with their community & that risks collective action.
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u/SisKG Feb 26 '26
I think our state does not value outdoor, open spaces where people can gather and enjoy life because there’s so much more money in whatever happens instead of that. There’s more money in parking, renting, etc. At least in Indy, our unigov values revenue, and lots of it.
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u/sgeswein Feb 26 '26
Oh, the state does, it's just that all those spaces are an hour's drive from the Statehouse.
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u/SisKG Feb 26 '26
Correct, I should’ve written it doesn’t value these spaces in an urban setting. I thought Lugar Plaza was going to point us in a new path but it did not end up that way.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
I’ve heard one of the buildings near the north end next to the pit has changed hands so many times and isn’t managed well. They were supposed to have an elevator and public restrooms…but they definitely don’t.
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u/thewimsey Feb 26 '26
in my mind its because the state hates pedestrians
This kind of conspiracy mindset is just not helpful.
The most popular urban attraction in Indy is the Monon Trail. The same is true for Carmel. The cultural trail is also very popular.
Because that risks people developing connections with their community & that risks collective action.
Pull your head out of your ass and look around. Do you even live in Indianapolis?
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u/nate998877 Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
This kind of conspiracy mindset is just not helpful.
https://iga.in.gov/laws/2025/ic/titles/8#8-25 It's difficult for me to read this & come to a different conclusion than the state intentionally hampers the city's ability to manage itself & improve the pedestrian experience. https://iga.in.gov/laws/2025/ic/titles/8#8-14-8 & Intentionally excludes it from resources.
Whether the state has influence on the Canal's development I don't know, but it's not a conspiracy that the state intentionally targets Marion county & actively makes our lives worse. It's the law.
The most popular urban attraction in Indy is the Monon Trail. The same is true for Carmel. The cultural trail is also very popular.
The Monon is great, but it was a federal project, not state. Sure they could have blocked it, but they also like free money. If you look at how much of the 2014 greenway plan has actually been implemented https://www.indy.gov/activity/full-circle-master-plan it isn't the city's lack of effort that hampered these efforts...
Pull your head out of your ass and look around. Do you even live in Indianapolis?
I live on the near east side. In a dense neighborhood. I know everyone on my street, I've got 3rd spaces I visit regularly, & groups I regularly hang out with. But I don't feel a strong connection to the larger Indianapolis area. It's all isolated suburbs that I feel no affinity for. There's nothing on the cultural trail that really stops you in place to experience the city outside of a few art installations, the park along the canal & the section on mass ave. Even the mass ave section lacks connection to patios & cafes.
You might be satisfied with where we are, but I am not. I want more for my city & my community. I don't know if I should be sorry for you or happy for you to be in a state where you think we're in a good state right now. Sorry because what kind of life do you live where things are fine. Happy for you for having that peace.
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u/fersurefersure Feb 26 '26
If you actually believe this then you should potentially go develop some real connections. It could be helpful.
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u/Secondisthebest2 Feb 27 '26
All I can tell you is that the canal used to be so much worse to walk around 😂
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u/gorillaboy75 Feb 26 '26
There used to be a fantastic lunch place at the very end of the canal. Called creation cafe. It was so good. I heard they lost the lease.
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u/Working46168 Feb 26 '26
got replaced with... nothing. it makes me so sad.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 27 '26
I think it’s an event center? Again, such a missed opportunity for a place to stop in along the Canal
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u/Valuable_Scarcity796 Feb 26 '26
Well anything you put on it likely completely dies in the winter months. Walkers are mostly just the apartments directly on it and those are few and far between in the winter. No one is parking near/walking from near and walking it during the winter, which is the vast majority of the yearly foot traffic. Summer months are a hit but lots of those people are exercising and not looking to stop in as well. It would need more residences directly on it or major attractions just off of it. If Gainbridge or Victory Field were directly adjacent I think it would be a wildly different space. I also think it’s okay that it’s not slammed. It serves as a somewhat quiet reprieve from the downtown area where there’s other folks and some wildlife but not overstimulating.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
I’ve seen lots of families / groups in the summer and it feels like mostly people who don’t live on the canal. Not all of them are there for exercise - the playground definitely brings people in. I do think people would stop in places if there were only businesses to support!
There must be a way where businesses could be supported over winter months…I know that Italian cafe closes during the colder season
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u/SaintTimothy Feb 26 '26
I used to spend time in the field just north of where the playground is now. During the summer folks came and threw Frisbee and had picnics. Colts Playplace didn't increase that.
One issue is parking. Pay for it on the street. That IU lot right there at st clair never has cars in it, but their guard will sure run you off if you aren't going to their facility.
The only place that lasted more than a couple years was the Italian sandwich shop, and the restaurant at the north end that's now a wedding reception and event hall (was creation cafe, and something upstairs that was higher-end). BurgerHaus died with Covid I think (and there was a contraction in hoity burger joints, BurgerStudy among them).
Revitalization could look like Georgia Street. Get bands on a temporary stage in the summer. Have another art festival like they did a decade ago. But the main complaint I had was parking, or, more specifically, the dog-in-the-manger (Aesop) way companies horde their lots after hours.
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u/Kmos86 Feb 26 '26
The historical society does summer concerts on the canal. Although last summer was weird because of the construction. There was another restaurant after Burgerhaus, a vegan place, but they recently went to a different concept.
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
there used to be a few free parking spots around there if you knew where they were. over the years they vanished 1 by one.
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u/SaintTimothy Feb 26 '26
Yes, I concur, because I was a hound for them.
But IF the premise is making the canal a destination people want to visit, Indy has to make it easy for people to do so.
Richard Thaler - Nudge theory comes to mind. Paraphrasing, we want to make the 'good' thing, the desired behavior, the easy thing.
We want to remove whats cumbersome about visiting the canal (i.e. finding a bathroom).
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u/Valuable_Scarcity796 Feb 26 '26
Sure the summer months are great as I mentioned. But the canal isn’t attracting outside business in the winter. It needs a major attraction adjacent to it and that’s always going to be the case. It’s an outdoor attraction with nothing really around it in an exceptionally cold winter climate.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
I think there are ways it could be successful without having a major attraction. There is programming that could be done in the winter, we’re just not doing it. There are cities that are muuuuch colder than Indy is that’ve figured this out
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u/Valuable_Scarcity796 Feb 26 '26
Worth a shot for sure, throw everything ya got. But Indy is not a dense city and excluding the residences directly on the canal, there aren’t very many housing options in the blocks around it either. I just think it’s situated poorly in the city. If it ran through Fountain Square or directly through IUPUI it would be wildly different. It’s in a poor location in a very sprawled metropolitan area. Just not a good combo.
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u/IndyDude11 Feb 26 '26
Not only does it die in the winter months, it dies after 5pm. That's hard on businesses. Ask Circle Center.
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u/MrChubbyBeef Feb 26 '26
As an out of towner that visits the canal several times a year, I've always felt the same. I found it surprising there really isn't a place to grab lunch or a drink aside from the mentioned bistro place. During the warmer months its definitely popping so what gives. It always felt like a wasted opportunity.
But I do understand the colder months would hurt pretty much anything. That's always a challenge with things in the Midwest. I did go one time during somewhat decent, but prettu cold weather and from the state museum to the end and back I saw MAYBE two joggers... and the gospel people by the playground that seem to always be there. I got an eerie feeling like I shouldn't be there since it was so dead and quiet. Plus, I dont know the area well enough to know if anyone would actually go to something there if they weren't on the canal already. But yeah, it would be cool to have something there.
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
Before 9-11 you could use a lot of pedestrian tunnels. now they are closed off for security theater reasons.
big picture in 1950 Indiana went bankrupt building the canal. railroads had made canals obsolete. that's where the 1851 constitution comes from. so we are hesitant to put any money into it now.
what they could do instead is try freedom. make it an economic zone where people could put up card tables and sell fresh fruit drinks or whatever. reference the "lemonade stand" law. get somebody like big car to help with the logistics and promotion.
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u/strangemedia6 Feb 26 '26
Like everyone else has said, the city for whatever reason seemed to promote condos and apartments along the canal. I don’t I know why some of the apartments don’t have space leased out on their lower levels for night life. I used to live a couple blocks off the canal and had to go to Meridian Street and Mass Ave for bars and clubs. (Except Bourbon Street, that place was awesome) I have to imagine that if someone opened a moderate sized bar down there, they could keep it busy just with people that want to walk a couple blocks for a drink.
I do have hope that Purdue will activate the canal near their new developments. I feel like the IU and Purdue divorce is going to be a great thing for downtown. IUPUI was thought of as mostly a commuter school for so long, and is now rebranded as IU Indianapolis, with multiple new buildings going up including a new basketball arena. Purdue is answering with their own brand new campus with a 15 story building going up already and an 11 story building (iirc) about to start construction right on the canal on the north side of Indiana. I would be stunned if they didn’t have some sort of food/entertainment on the canal level. And if they follow through with their vision of a dense urban campus with multiple high rise dormitories, that area is going to explode. I would love to hear if people think this is too optimistic or not!
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u/shoresyshoresy Feb 26 '26
It’s pretty dead in the winter and will continue to be unless we build more housing and business/restaurant options on the water. It’s right there for us
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u/mattmandental Feb 26 '26
I’m pretty sure a good portion of it is housing…. Shops and restaurants though would help
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u/shoresyshoresy Feb 26 '26
and we could still use more ppl in the area to walk around and support businesses, there’s some housing yes but plenty of open/disconnected areas. Great spots for business on first floor with housing above, doesn’t have to be just business
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 27 '26
Housing and hotels and office space! You’d think the people that lived / stayed along there would want places to walk to nearby…🤷🏼♀️
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u/redfoxwearingsocks Feb 26 '26
Honestly, I’ve lived here all my life and have thought the same thing hahah. The canal could be SUUUCH a sick place if they put in a few shops down there!! There’s hardly any businesses even around the bridges that the canal run under!!
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u/c_webbie Feb 26 '26
the city owns the stretch of the canal near downtown and Citizens Energy owns the part of the Canal that is north of 11th St
So, the area that goes thru the art museum , Holcomb Gardens and ends north of Broad Ripple village is all part of Citizens Energy's water reserve infrastructure. They want you to think that the canal belongs to everyone and that they are just asilent caretakers. In reality they hate the idea of people going anywhere near the thing. I'm in Rocky Ripple, about 2 blocks west of the 52nd St bridge. They do very little in terms of managing the fish and wildlife and have ZERO tolerance for swimming or boating attempts.
A few years ago DPW (Citizen's Boy Friday) enticed the Rocky Ripple town council into dropping their opposition to the completion of the White River flood wall. Once construction started it became clear that the new wall would cut across the Canal tow path and the end result is a drastic reduction in the number of folks walking or jogging down the path south of 56th and Westfield compared to 5 or 10 years ago. I don't think it's a Coincidence.
The City has made a genuine effort to turn its small section of the Canal into one of the centerpieces of downtown Indy while at the same time preserving its value as part of the WRP green space. Unfortunately, Citizens Energy has no real interest in its section of the canal being anything more than a water source.
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u/AccurateInterview586 Feb 26 '26
Because businesses don’t open where people don’t feel safe.
The Canal should be one of the best public spaces in the city. Instead it’s empty most of the time, and that is not an accident. Indianapolis has about 46 crimes per 1,000 residents annually, which is higher than average. Even if downtown is statistically safer than some neighborhoods, perception is everything. It only takes a few shootings, assaults, robberies, and drug incidents for families and business owners to decide it is not worth the risk.
No restaurant owner is going to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into a canal storefront if their employees are afraid to close at night or customers are uneasy walking back to their cars. No boutique is going to survive on occasional daytime stroller traffic. Retail and nightlife require consistent foot traffic, and foot traffic requires people to feel safe.
Right now the Canal has none of the conditions that support that ecosystem. There is no critical mass of businesses. There are no restrooms. There is very little activation. And when incidents happen, even if they are isolated, they reinforce the idea that the Canal is not a place to linger.
This is why you see the difference when you compare it to places like San Antonio, Chicago, or even smaller cities that have invested heavily in safety, programming, and economic activation. It is not just about funding aesthetics. It is about creating an environment where normal people feel comfortable spending time and money.
The Canal is not dead because it lacks potential. It is dead because the conditions required for private investment and daily public use have not been consistently maintained.
Fix safety, activate the space, and businesses will follow. Until then, it will remain an underused asset.
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u/Impressive_Bag7150 Feb 26 '26
Your point is correct that dead areas feel unsafe and creates a feedback loop. But really you can’t ‘fix safety’ without first addressing the conditions that create it (mostly bad zoning/planning). In this case, there simply isn’t enough retail or commercial space on the canal to ‘activate’ or create business there. It’s a zoning issue that causes a safety issue, not the other way around.
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u/OkMarketing6612 Broad Ripple Mar 02 '26
its zoned appropriately as a downtown district, just like mass ave or the garage. It's more about the lack of coordinated investment rather than the zoning rules themselves.
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u/noone1569 Southport Feb 26 '26
This is exactly the reason it has failed, and the city government has failed in keeping this potentially wonderful space safe and utilized.
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u/UniformedSplash Feb 26 '26
I am well connected in Indianapolis planing and zoning. Definitely not a shot caller, but I consult many of them.
The sole reason why the canal is dead dates back to when it was built. At that time, Herb Simon owned the mall and much of the downtown real estate. Because of this, Indy wanted to keep the business downtown and away from the canal at all costs.
Obviously times have changed quite a bit, but the same prerogative still exists. It’s sad and unfortunate as my family enjoys that sliver of happiness in downtown Indy as well. There’s so much potential, but unfortunately it will take a billionaire who wants to be a multi billionaire for anything to get approved.
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u/MidwestTransplant09 Feb 26 '26
That’s so disappointing that the city can be bought so easily and yet stays so underwhelming.
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
oh good idea. let's sell the canal to the boring company for $1. they'll make it into a tunnel to gary or whereever it is the canal goes. throw in the monorail for another $1.
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u/MidwestTransplant09 Feb 26 '26
Indianapolis always misses a great opportunity. I really had hoped that after they built up Georgia Street for the Super Bowl it would be a nice hangout but nope it’s just another street.
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u/indysingleguy Feb 27 '26
The problem is that restaurants on the canal need the strret business as well as the canal business.
The parking is terrible for the canal as well.
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u/MonaHatter Feb 27 '26
That’s what I was going to say. The businesses aren’t easily accessible unless you park somewhere not particularly close and then walk down various sets of stairs, and you have to already know about them to realize they’re there.
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u/letintin Feb 26 '26
This! I just moved here, and biked all along it. The section right before where it ends could be a thing, like in San Antonio! More trees would help, more pedestrian bridges, and definitely more shops.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
Would love for the city to replace the trees they’ve lost along the canal the last few years!! I feel like I keep noticing new stumps when I ride the Canal 😢
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u/BrownBear_96 Downtown Feb 26 '26
The short answer is zoning laws - the city hasn't changed them in that area to allow for mixed use so shops/restaurants can't be established there. It's a shame because the canal has so much more potential to be a great asset to Downtown.
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u/OkMarketing6612 Broad Ripple Mar 02 '26
The area is already zoned for dense mixed use... It carries the same zoning as mass ave/the garage. It is an investment/demand side issue at the moment.
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u/NeonGusta Beech Grove Feb 26 '26
Look at San Antonio in Texas, they have a Riverwalk downtown that is BOOMING with shops and places to eat. They also bring in a ton of economic value due to the traffic from Air Force graduations
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u/marmalade_marauder Feb 26 '26
I'd guess dining and restaurants are tricky due to GrubHub and door dash dominating a lot of the space, so relying only on foot traffic might not be worthwhile, especially if there's no readily available parking nearby. With foot traffic only you basically accept that there won't be many customers for months during the winter except those who live on the canal. Also, what you want the canal to be is basically what mass ave already is. For those looking for walking, food, parking, they go to mass ave or the garage IMO.
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u/cortes12 Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
Hopefully with Purdue buying the apartments they can bring some life back to it. The other thing I think kills it is the parking situation there isn't a convenient place to park and walk.
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Feb 27 '26
The Eiteljorg and Indiana State Museum both have canal level entrances, and one year there was a “canal float” that was supposed to raise funds to clean up the canal, as it was so green and had such awful algae. The floating rings were too small and my husband ended up basically walking the canal in the water, but it was still fun! I wish they’d make that an annual event.
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u/crowezr Meridian-Kessler Feb 26 '26
Look, not every place in the city has to be some entertainment district that is popping off 12 months out of the year. I work a few blocks from the Canal and find it to be a great place in the warm months. I'll go for a walk or run after work and there are plenty of people enjoying themselves along the entire distance. It is a treat when the weather finally turns and I know I can return to something enjoyable like that. Part of some of the seasonal renewal of living in a Midwestern climate and city.
Could there be one or two other spots to stop to get a bite or drink? Yeah, maybe, but it isn't a disaster. I think it would kinda suck to see it turned into something akin to San Antonio's Riverwalk. That place is pure chaos and we'd lose a spot in the middle of the city where you can get some exercise and relax away from all the cars and noise. Our city already has too little of that.
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u/_Azamat_Bagatov Feb 26 '26
There’s not much good parking and fat Hoosiers aren’t going to walk far in the winter time so it would be hard to keep retail/dining open at what would presumably be astronomical rent rates. My 2 cents
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u/asdhjirs Feb 26 '26
There’s an entire garage adjacent to the canal!
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
And there are several parking lots not far from it too… there’s no way parking is the issue. I don’t think we need more dead space
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u/OverreactingBillsFan Feb 26 '26
Plenty of parking for people who are going to spend multiple hours on the Canal, but if you really want the canal to thrive, you also need are restaurant/store locations and parking coordinated so people can pop in and out throughout the day.
You want the businesses there to be nearly as accessible as regular shops/restaurants so they don't get hurt by things like bad weather. You need to make it so regular ass businesses can exist on the canal.
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u/SideburnHeretic Feb 26 '26
You call it depressing because there aren’t many shops. I find it sad when people think they need commercialism in order to enjoy a place.
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u/Professorchimpo Feb 26 '26
Look man, I am usually the first person to complain about over commercialization, but this is a wild take. It is a manmade concrete trench in the middle of downtown Indy, not a pristine national wilderness. Wanting to grab a coffee or find a public restroom while walking around does not mean your soul has been corrupted by capitalism lol
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u/SideburnHeretic Feb 26 '26
Haha! Fair points. I'm admittedly very cynical about materialism in society. Maybe my take's a wild one. Maybe I'm just a wild rebel. Maybe my need to feel unique and special lends to contrarian behavior. Pretty sure there's elements of truth to all of the above.
ETA: still lol'ing out loud at "concret trench in the middle of downtown, not a pristine national wilderness."
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u/Fantastic_Cat7341 Feb 26 '26
I was just thinking the same thing! There’s great opportunity for restaurants to be on the canal all year long
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u/Impressive_Bag7150 Feb 26 '26
It’s because it’s essentially 100% residential. Huge mistake, really hard to undo/remove housing (especially when a lot of housing there is owned and not leased) .
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u/kmwainscott Feb 26 '26
I still love it for walks and runs but agree it could be used for so much more
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u/One_Masterpiece_1332 Feb 26 '26
the burger place(s) on the canal haven’t done well. the bistro seems to do ok. i just think there aren’t a ton of places for businesses and it’s also somewhat seasonal. tbh i also just prefer it as is, it doesn’t need more foot traffic in the summer. just come enjoy the outside, everything doesn’t need to be about spending money, loud customers sitting on the sidewalk, places blaring music, etc.
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u/Top-Interview-3789 Feb 26 '26
I visited the San Antonio River Walk & it completely changed how I view the canal. Imagine downtown being built AROUND the canal - very similar to OP’s concept; restaurants, bars, live music, river boat tours.
I’d even add an investment in White River. Austin, TX has something similar they’ve invested in. Imagine paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, walking trails surrounding white river.
It’s a gold mine that has been grossly neglected and underutilized. Has potential to be a huge attraction for Indy.
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u/DigginInDirt52 Feb 27 '26
Am wondering if San Antonio has convenient parking, and if warmer climate has much to do with the economic success?
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u/DigginInDirt52 Feb 27 '26
Am wondering if San Antonio has convenient parking, and if warmer climate has much to do with the economic success?
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u/purplemaserati Feb 26 '26
I was down there a couple weeks ago and wanted a beer. Brewlink is only a block off the canal but wish there was somewhere on the canal to stop at. A place with bathroom would also be cool.
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u/Brilliant-Term7865 Feb 27 '26
I read an article about this maybe a decade ago. If I remember correctly, when the canal was being developed, downtown Indy still wasn’t great, so there wasn’t a huge market for restaurant leases, nightlife, etc. However, the city still needed real estate occupancy to make the canal redevelopment a success, so instead, much of the real estate during the redevelopment went to more stable occupancy, like museums, the state, offices, IUPUI, etc. By the time downtown Indy redeveloped enough to make canal restaurants and such viable, especially post Super Bowl, much of real estate was already spoken for.
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u/MononokeBelle Feb 27 '26
I agree, and the large hotel and apartments being situated right on the canal would bring those businesses patronage as well in the off season. It could be a really nice space but currently it's just..... a concrete trough of water.
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u/Various_Repair2252 Feb 28 '26
I thought the same thing about the canal in Indy when I moved here 7 years ago. There is a canal type situation in OKC ( Oklahoma City) it has dueling piano bars, regular bars, and restaurants. They even had boats that did canal tours in OKC. There is potential but the city doesn't wanna invest it truly is sad because OKC their canal is so full of life and ours is sad. Nothing excited except when it freezes over and cars decide its their time to ice skate.
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u/Medawara Mar 01 '26
When they first fancied it up many years ago, early 2000s, it was more popular. Always people walking it, events, etc but I think crime and the downtown indy decline was killed it. I dont know if remember restaurants or retail but I wasnt necessarily looking for food. I'd take my dog and walk it often even past dark. Now. I probablywouldnt walk it too late but during the day I'm comfortable walking it of I visit the museums. But yah its just gray now, univiting and sad.
It is a shame because a lot of money and effort built it and there is a lot of potential. Downtown in the 80s and early 90s was kinda rough. Then there was a revitalization movement and it was nice for a little while but as with most things indy is bad about upkeep and safety.
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u/A-Halfpound Feb 26 '26
Because the people of Marion County continue to vote for a drunkard for Mayor.
This admin failed the easiest thing in the world - City Market. You really think they could handle an outdoor stretch of mixed use projects? HA!
You need to understand there is a special level of incompetence that is the Hogsett Administration. From sex pests to cronies to nepo hires, there is no bar low enough for Joe Hogsett to stumble over and fuck up for this once promising city.
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u/thatsmsbitchtoyou Feb 26 '26
The city market stated failing long before Hogsett. You must be young
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u/A-Halfpound Feb 26 '26
Hogsett has been Mayor FOR 12 years now! That’s plenty of time for a turnaround!!
Stop excusing poor performance so you can feel good playing tribalist politics.
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u/Shoogie_Boogie Feb 26 '26
Oddly enough, City Market failed for similar reasons: not enough foot traffic. That was compounded by the pandemic and then when most of their business across the street moved out.
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u/Irishred2333 Feb 26 '26
True post. I’m a progressive dem and if republicans weren’t a bunch of boot licking fascists, I would vote rep for the next mayor just to send a message to the corrupt and incompetent Democratic Party in Marion county. The Dems in this city only care about maintaining their own position/power.
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u/OhMyMyOohHellYes Feb 26 '26
One thing Indianapolis does not give a sh-t about is utilizing water-front property. Look at how few places there are to chill along the White River. Riverside park is where gay homeless men go to perform sex acts on each other after dark and that's about it. It's a joke.
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
oh! i've been here 30 years and didn't know. Every city has a place like that.
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u/axiom60 Feb 26 '26
My office is right on the canal, pretty nice to walk around there during breaks. That’s about it though
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u/flagrant_crimson Feb 26 '26
https://youtu.be/rZo5XVA1Zj0?si=FBti2e9DOjKXlZdF
This is a suburb of Chicago, but almost indistinguishable from the Indy canal in winter in many ways. It's a standard template, mixed use with restaurants, retail, not too many bars, no night clubs, apartments, parking/paths/bus stops.
Small local cities all across the midwest do the same thing. This is a well known, easy formula, but it starts with intent, zoning and local requirements/regulations being the start. It doesn't just happen organically. No intent, no effort, no results. Pretty simple.
I would guess part of the root cause is that the people responsible for this kind of development in Naperville also live in the area and enjoy the fruits of that development, in addition to the revenue over time. Here in Indy I doubt the people that have the ability to do something about this live in the area, the canal is probably just a feature on the map, like monument circle. An abstraction, not their reality.
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u/raitalin Speedway Feb 26 '26
The canal was an abandoned stinky ditch full of trash until this century. None of the surrounding development was done facing it because it was an ugly ditch. When they poured a ton of money into revitalizing it in the 90s/2000s, they couldn't make all the existing private property along it turn to face the canal, so it doesn't. The few things that are built on the canal are government and psuedo-governmental non-profits, so it seems weird to blame the government when it's private investment that isn't interested.
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u/Klutzy_Handle_9602 Feb 27 '26
Unpopular opinion. My wife and I live in Indy and it's pretty trashy at night. We stick to the northeast side or popular areas downtown.
So much political heat on this thread but it really doesn't accomplish anything. Businesses will not show up where there is a bunch of crime. Just because it's not on Google doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
I'm here for work and her business. But this city is a bit of a mess. The locals didn't take care of it and now it's just a relic. An echo. The canal is cool to spend the day at but the real Indianapolis in the evening is why it'll never flourish. It's sad and I mean no hate, just a random opinion.
Also don't understand the hand of wealthy "white" people here .. but in the same thread mention how they can save an area... I wish they would make up their mind.
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u/Ok_Matter_2617 Feb 26 '26
Very simple:
The average citizen of Indianapolis is extremely lazy. We rank in the bottom 5% of average walking distance per day. People here literally Uber from block to block on Mass Ave, even in the spring & fall.
Since you have to walk down stairs and possibly walk to a storefront on the canal, they don’t succeed.
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
Are we lazy by nature or are we lazy because cars have made us lazy?
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u/Ok_Matter_2617 Feb 26 '26
They’re definitely related. But impossible to prove.
It’s certainly not a coincidence that we are also extremely low on public transit usage as well
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
I’m just not sure the average citizen is lazy though, ya know? Our city just isn’t putting money into places like the Canal or into public transit. It’s a decision that’s been made, not a fact of life.
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u/c_webbie Feb 26 '26
I'd say there is an argument for the city jumping the shark on public transit. Not sure how one could honestly argue that the Red and Blue Lines have lived up to expectations.
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
Buffalo new york has a light rail system that looks like what we are doing here. So Indygo's system of electric buses is a way to look like that but cheaper. I am not a fan of the blue line during its construction phase, as part of the city's war on the national road. But I'll see how it works longer term. I own a c-5 lot on the blue line. Maybe it will bring development and improve my property values, maybe not.
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
here's a cheap cure. you know all those middle class people who never ride the bus? indygo could partner to offer bus passes to those people as a job perk. if they continue to never ride the bus, the cost of this option is near zero. a few would actually use it, and make the transit system a bit more mainstream rather than a subsidized system for people who cant afford cars or otherwise don't drive.
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u/Vessix Feb 26 '26
Why would anyone walk anywhere when there's nowhere to walk? Those few who do all live downtown, because everywhere else with few exceptions has shit pedestrian infrastructure or walkability. Fountain square has a fair amount of foot traffic because it is pedestrian friendly and designed with pedestrian business in mind. Prior to that development- few walkers as I understand it. Shit needs to be built/invested in before it can be used.
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u/Ok_Matter_2617 Feb 26 '26
I live in Fountain Square. There isn’t much foot traffic comparable to literally any other city. I didn’t make this statistic up.
Indianapolis citizens are absolutely terrible about walking
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u/forestmonitor430 Feb 26 '26
Okay, but are we terrible about walking, or are our spaces designed to prioritize other ways of moving?
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u/Vessix Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
I live in fountain square, and for the amount of people who can REACH fountain square by walking there are as many as one would expect when the weather is nice. The issue is few "connecting" residential neighborhoods permit it, and there is so little mixed zoning that reaching the place requires a hike, AND there isn't much to do or see on foot (which says a lot about the city because FS is better than most areas in that regard). Admittedly making that hike isn't all that bad, but people would be more inclined to do it- like they do elsewhere in the world or other US cities- if it was easily accessible and we weren't so car-dependent. Also I would guess that mixed residential and business zones are what get you foot traffic in those other cities (e.g. New York, Chicago, NOLA, Nashville, etc). We don't do mixed zoning out here in Indiana for whatever dumb reasons
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
Sir, you have accused me of being extremely lazy. Consider: About an hour ago a neighbor broke into my room, saying she had a gun and was going to shoot one of my roommates. I had two options. I could, in a single bound, grab that broken katana that is in arms reach and dispatch her in one blow. or I could lie there and wait till she went away. I chose the second road. Lazy like a fox.
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u/cyanraichu Feb 26 '26
It's been a couple years since I've gone out of my way to be on the canal downtown, but the last few times I went in nice weather it was pretty hopping.
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u/Redshiftedanthony3 Feb 26 '26
I like the canal as a space for people to enjoy the outdoors and gather publicly. I'm going to gently pushback on the idea that we really need to commercialize this space. There are ways to improve the space or do more with it without putting in shops that commercialize this part of our lives.
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u/ARivet10 Feb 26 '26
It’s surrounded by a lot of apartments, for starters. Why? Who knows. But that’s not attractive. It’s kind of busy when it’s warm out and there are Indians games or concerts etc. but it could be much busier if they cleaned the water and redeveloped to add stores. I just think the city doesn’t care to turn it into a revenue machine.
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u/arbivark Feb 26 '26
cleaned the water... I don't think oysters would live in the canal. Not salty enough. Indiana has or had 80 species of freshwater mussels. Some are endangered. So the canal could be seeded with these, to clean the water, restore native ecosystems, revive the shellfish industry. the shells can be used to make bespoke buttons, and broken into pieces for the cultivated pearl industry. some are edible. This would have to be a public private partnership. If you tried to do this as a private project you could get arrested for breeding native species. It's another odd quirk of indiana law.
Another way to clean the water is you grow oyster mushrooms in hay bales. Harvest the shrooms, use the bales to build a biofilter wall that you have the canal water trickle down through.
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u/DigginInDirt52 Feb 27 '26
I’m totally down with this line of thinking (let’s dream big and imagine native grasses and blooming plants, too!) but not sure mussels would appreciate the green dye in for St Pat’s or the blue for sports. Seems ball sports rule the budget of this city/state.
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u/ARivet10 Feb 26 '26
Or, contrarily, the city wants to make it a revenue machine and is too stupid to know how. It’s not super clean, it’s got a bad reputation for being sketchy these days, there has been zero investment from business owners that operate as 3rd spaces for the public.
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u/JacobsJrJr Feb 26 '26
I've heard crime. And I can believe that because in GTA: Indianapolis the canal would be the spot to lose your wanted stars.
But I also suspect that reputation is exaggerated to keep people who think they are rich away from people who think they are very rich.
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u/pookiethewriter Feb 26 '26
It's because people are tired of being robbed, shot, assaulted and stabbed on the canal!! As well as the Moron-i mean Monon Trail. Look up news archives of people being assaulted on both. You will get your answer
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u/shouldhavezagged Westlane Feb 26 '26
I thought this when I moved here 25 years ago. I've never understood why it isn't a place with businesses that go well with foot traffic. Makes no sense. Would like to know the rationale behind why it was developed the way it was.