Strong Towns Carmel

Join Us in February for our Monthly Meeting!

2026-02-16T00:00:00Z

What: Strong Towns Carmel: Monthly Member Meeting
When: Saturday February 28th, 11am - 12pm
Where: Java House @ Carmel Main Street Library - 425 E Main St, Carmel, IN

Join us for our monthly meeting to discuss local development, infrastructure, and community resilience.

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Atlast Wild Podcast Interview

2025-11-06T00:00:00Z

I was recently invited to speak about Strong Towns Carmel on the Atlast Wild podcast hosted by Brian Thibodeau.

The following is a version of the transcript, edited to improve readability and clarity.

Brian: How do you explain Strong Towns to people who've never heard about it before?

Jordan: I'd say Strong Towns is a grassroots movement that brings together people who want to make their city or town better. That's the of the heart of it. Our local group is interested in making walking and biking safer and accessible to more people, and bringing more housing options, especially more affordable housing, to Carmel.

Generally just making it so that more diversity can exist in our city, whether that means more local coffee shops, more people, different incomes. Those are the kind of things that make cities more resilient, interesting, and a better place to live.

Brian: Amazing! So what is your role with Strong Towns?

Jordan: Strong Towns is a national nonprofit, but they have this thing called Local Conversations — I helped start one in Carmel earlier this year. There's not a lot of bureaucracy or structure. We try to meet monthly and have done a few volunteer events helping out other local nonprofits (like HAND). We're just getting started and figuring everything out.

Brian: How did you first learn about Strong Towns and why did you want to get into it yourself?

Jordan: I’ve followed Charles Marohn, who started the organization, for at least 5 or 6 years now. People call it being orange-pilled (because of Not Just Bikes) or urbanism-pilled, mostly from YouTube. CityNerd is another good example. It’s this sphere of people promoting walkable and bike-able, people-oriented places that we see the need for all across America, and really, the world.

I loved the ideas Marohn talked about with Strong Towns for a long time and I was excited to finally put them into practice. There’s a lot of American cities that look like they’re growing and flourishing to some extent, when in fact they’re struggling financially. It became especially obvious after the housing crisis in 2008 — there are a lot of cities that have depended on this idea of continuous growth. Strong Towns calls it the “growth ponzi scheme”. The idea is you just keep building new housing developments, which bring in tax revenue, and you keep doing that forever. But those require a ton of infrastructure — you’ve got streets, sewer, water, fire and police department coverage. Everything gets stretched thinner and thinner. That’s fine at the beginning, when everything is new. Over time, the infrastructure needs to be maintained and replaced, but you’re not getting new sources of income without building. Maybe the land value goes up a little, but it won’t be much with suburban sprawl. Instead you end up with a downward spiral: having to support more and more housing developments with services but not getting the tax income to balance it.

Brian: What is your perception of Carmel? What are we doing right? I’d love to hear your perspective and some of the goals you might have.

Jordan: I could have moved almost anywhere, but our family choose Carmel specifically for the downtown and all the events and things happening there. In general, Carmel is a very typical suburb, especially once you leave downtown. But within the core, they’ve done a lot of very interesting development that I would say is unique.

After World War Two, there was this change in how we developed neighborhoods in the US. We came back from the war, were successful, we had all this manufacturing built up, and then we started expanding the highway system. We started focusing on this idea of suburban living, away from where you worked and commuting in by car. We had the GI Bill to help build housing. It ended up creating this sprawl that is ubiquitous across the American landscape.

Suburban sprawl

Carmel, like a lot of post-war suburbs, is a town that grown up after all that happened. So while we had a train station, which the Monon is named after, it wasn’t a streetcar suburb like those outside of Chicago or Philadelphia. When Mayor Brainard came into office, there wasn’t much of a historic downtown, but he was inspired by what he saw in Europe and wanted to recreate some of it in Carmel.

So we have this spine of the Monon Trail, which is a multi-use, off-street path through the entire city that goes from our neighboring cities in the north like Westfield, all the way to downtown Indianapolis to the south. Around that there’s mixed-use development with apartments, condos, restaurants, and shops — all accessible by bike or by walking. I moved here so I could experience that without needing a car.

Brian: I've seen you and your family embrace that in a really inspiring way. You guys just walking to everything, biking to everything, and really trying to support the things that are within that kind of range.

Jordan: That is the cool thing about the Monon. You can ride it to downtown Indy if you wanted. It's very, very accessible.

Brian: Why did we take that turn as a society after WWII? We were selling kit homes out of a Sears catalog. We were building tons of tract houses. What was the realization that this probably isn't the best way forward and what's the pivot?

Jordan: I think we're still in that pivot. Many communities have made the realization to some extent, but lots of places are still behind, still focusing on car oriented infrastructure. In the post-war period, there was this vision of an amazing prosperous future where cars would create freedom. We could live wherever we wanted and still drive to work. We could have cities full of massive skyscrapers where we did all the productive things, but then surrounded by acres and acres of parks. Cars helped facilitate that vision. Instead of having the space between your house and work be filled with grime and dirt and possibly even poor people, you could fill it with beautiful parks. That was part of the suburban experiment. A lot of it was racist; white flight — “let’s get out of these scary cities to where it’s safe” and cars enabled us to do that.

I think people that don’t normally care about urban planning or how infrastructure is decided on and gets built are starting to come around. They realize how beneficial it can be to live near where you work or shop or take your kids to school. There’s so many benefits, even if you still drive! There’s a statistic from the Department of Energy that said something like 30% of all trips people make are less than a mile away from home. People just want to go to the closest coffee shop, not drive 20 minutes away. But people are still driving because cities have been designed around cars. It just feels more comfortable and safe to drive. That’s the easiest way to do things.

Places like Carmel, and they started with the Monon Trail, have realized that when you get people out of cars they can live more active, healthier lifestyles. New Yorkers walk everywhere and that contributes to staying healthier because physical activity is built into their daily life.

Also, walkability is more affordable for cities, which is a Strong Towns thing. Cars are heavy and they put a tremendous amount of wear and tear on public roads. It costs a lot of taxpayer money to constantly fix, which we see is a huge problem in Indianapolis — they’re constantly behind trying to fix pot holes. That’s because cars damage the streets. We continue to make them heavier. EVs don’t help — the batteries make them even heavier. So there’s financial benefits to orienting a city around walking, biking, and transit. You can get more people around the city without as much costly infrastructure.

It's interesting to see now there's a trend of authentic, non-corporate, urbanist content on social media. People are just going outside, seeing problems in their neighborhoods, and filming it. They’ve putting it all together in this slick marketing package that describes why it got this bad and how we can improve it. More people are waking up to these ideas and saying they want more bike lanes, they want to be able to ride a bus to the park. People want these things.

Brian: How much of this story do you think evolved post COVID? Do you think that was a catalyst for some eyes opening and some minds opening?

Jordan: Absolutely! There's a really good book called The High Cost of Free Parking by Professor Donald Shoup. It's kind of revered by anybody into urban planning. In it, Shoup talks about how we have all this extremely valuable land in the center of our cities. That’s millions of dollars we’re dedicating to the storage of cars. A lot of cities solve that by charging for parking, because it’s an in-demand product.

During COVID, we all came to realize that there’s this space we’ve been using for car storage that we could instead be using for outdoor seating at restaurants or just space to sit outside. This is space in our cities we could be using right now. They closed streets even and we realized we have all this extra capacity for making third spaces that are more enjoyable to be in as a person.

Parklet in Barcelona - photo by Marek Lumi on Unsplash

Brian: Imagine a parking lot just turning into green space. That could be so brilliant. How much of the COVID experience was part of your transition into becoming passionate about this? Or did that happen before? And if So, what can you tell me kind of about those experiences that you had, whether those being travel or and just educating yourself, social media, you know, whatever.

Jordan: We've always moved around a lot, just because we've had the flexibility. I'm a software developer, so I could work from home long before COVID. Between that and my wife's ADHD, we just really loved trying out new places. Before and during COVID, we lived in downtown San Diego. We ended up moving to rural Washington state partly as an escape from the city. We have a young daughter and wanted to walk and bike everywhere with her, but didn’t feel safe because the city is so oriented around cars. Not to mention the issues with homelessness. You have unhoused people in the streets and it didn’t feel safe for them or us. So there were a lot of issues that made us want to escape to a small town out in the woods.

That's how I grew up. I love all the aspects of small town living: being close to nature, being able to walk around and feel safe walking and biking places because there's not very many cars. But I also love cities! I love being close to people with different interests — cities by their nature can support more unique businesses and restaurants. You're not going to get some cool new El Salvadorian restaurant in your small town. You're not going to get the same kind of crazy record shops in small towns. So I love both types of living. After that we wanted something kind of in the middle, which is why we moved to Carmel. It has a small town feel, even though there’s 100K people. It’s got the amenities of a much bigger city.

Brian: That's brilliant. I love that experience of going from a big city to something totally opposite. That's what gives you so much, dare I say “street cred”, because you have this breadth of experience. You're not just speaking from what one might have learned on YouTube. So I have a lot of respect for your experience and that you have put it into action by joining Strong Towns and representing them here in our community.

I already see you making a difference. You’re speaking with so many different types of folks that are trying to make good changes here. Going back to the Monon Trail and walkability/bike-ability. Can you speak to your vision for a bike trail, a walking trail or whatever is on your mind?

Jordan: The Monon is setup and marketed as a place for exercise and recreation. It's a place you go to do your morning run or hang out with the family on the weekend — bring your bikes on your truck then park and ride the trail for a few miles. And, and that's awesome! But for me, I've always seen biking as a means of transportation. I don't do like bike races. I don't wear spandex. I try to avoid getting sweaty. I use bikes as a means to get around because it's more fun, it's more enjoyable. I get to experience the city. I can see things that I wouldn't see when I'm flying by at 30 miles an hour. I can hear the birds. If I see something interesting, I can just stop and pull over and check it out. Also there's environmental improvements and impacts by avoiding car usage. When I take my daughter to school or dance lessons, I get to talk to her and she gets to see all the same things I'm seeing. She's not heads down on her phone or whatever.

Brian: Can you describe your bike? You have this cool seat situation — it almost feels like one of those motorbikes with a sidecar.

Jordan: It’s called an Urban Arrow. It’s a cargo bike. There are a bunch of different ones, but instead of the more common long-tail bicycle in America, where you have an extended rear-end where you put child seats, behind you; this one is more in front. It’s basically a wheelbarrow. Having that huge bucket up front and down low is great because I can put 200 pounds in it easily and it doesn’t feel any harder to steer.

Urban Arrow bicycle - photo by Robert Schwarz on Unsplash

Brian: Could you take me around town?

Jordan: Yeah for sure! My wife rides in it.

Brian: I’m right at 200, so I’m just right.

Jordan: That’s the limit, so you’re going to have to do some workouts! No, I actually don’t even know what the limit is. It’s pretty high. It’s great though because it’s similar to a car, the freedom of a car, because if I want to run some errands I don’t have to think about how much I can fit in it. I just throw whatever in there; a bunch of groceries. I don’t have to worry. I can pick up any package. I can do all that stuff. It helps alleviate some of the anxiety that you normally have on a bike trying to run errands.

Brian: So going back to cycling as a means of transportation. You don’t need spandex. What are your thoughts on electric bikes and scooters? I have my own opinions on that. When I see kids out there riding these electric bikes, I'm just thinking: there's no exercise happening in that moment. I get it for like some longer distances and convenience, but we've taken a good thing and we've made it into this lazy pastime. I'd I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Jordan: That's a good point. We have a city councillor, who is a doctor and she basically said a lot of the same things. The city council is crafting legislation right now that will govern these devices and how they get used, how fast they can go, who can use them. The health aspect is a part of that. The city councilors want to encourage more active transportation like regular bikes.

Brian: When I used to work downtown, it was the scooters that were a new thing. All these electric scooters just became like a graveyard of abandoned e-scooters. It was the saddest thing. I wanted to make a documentary of the sad state — like the scooter thrown over the bridge into the the shallow water. You're walking, you're tripping over these things. So yeah, there’s pros and cons.

Jordan: The way I look at it, going back to the idea that a bike isn’t just for exercise or for fun — although it can be. But those are just bonuses. For me, it’s a means of transportation and so when I look at kids using e-bikes and scooters, I think about it in terms of replacing a car trip. Electric devices facilitate that, because of the extended range. I know I can go an extra 10 miles or whatever because I don’t have to peddle the whole way — again, I don’t have to get sweaty. And it’s faster; it’s not going to take me 30 minutes to get somewhere. So those devices enable that and help replace the need to take a car.

I also see benefits for kids being able to gain independence. If they’re under 16, they normally have to wait for their parents or someone else to drive them. So a lot of them just won’t go. They’ll stay home and play video games instead. They can talk to their friends on Discord. While yeah, it would be great if they were all biking for exercise when they meet up, but I think if the alternative is them sitting at home or waiting for a car ride, to me that’s a win. I’m all about encouraging mobility however you want to get there, especially if it’s not in a car.

Brian: I love that. And I think as e-biking becomes more normalized we’ll need to teach more responsibility around it. When we were kids, there were basic rules: wear your helmet, don’t ride on the sidewalk, things like that. But with all the new types of bikes, people aren’t always sure what the rules are. Like, is it a regular bike? Is it a motorbike? I’ve even heard people say things like, “If that e-bike can go that fast, it shouldn’t be on the Monon. It could hurt somebody.”

Jordan: That's exactly what Carmel and cities across the United States are working on right now. But first they have to define what a micro-mobility device is; like what’s the difference between a scooter and a unicycle that’s powered versus a motorcycle versus an e-bike with a throttle, etc. All these things require definition in order to define what's allowed and what's not.

Brian: I agree with your assessment of the trade-offs.

Jordan: I see it as a good problem to have because it’s a problem of popularity. We have so many people wanting to use the Monon and other bike paths that they’re in conflict now. We have people walking that are in conflict with the people on e-bikes who are riding too fast and that’s a good problem to have. To me, that’s a problem we as a society and city should want to have and to solve without destroying the popularity. I don’t want people to be forced back into cars because they can’t ride their scooter. I want to figure out how we can get more space for people to walk and bike together.

Brian: I want to see more rollerblade zones — just way more rollerblading!

Jordan: There’s at least one person in Carmel still using rollerblades; they’re keeping it alive.

Brian: Talk more about your idea for a map or some way for residents and visitors to explore the city by bike.

Jordan: Hamilton County tourism has a website and a map they’re calling the “HamCo Hubway” and it’s basically a map of all the major bike routes that exist in the county, like the Monon trail and 106th in Carmel, then out to Noblesville with the Nickel Plate trail. There’s this network of off-street trails that are pretty great for getting around the whole county.

The map is one thing, but I want to create a guide for both living and visiting Carmel car-free. People have done this for various other cities. It’s easier in places like Chicago or NYC because of public transportation, but Carmel has become a bit of a destination for people to visit and ride their bikes. I think people would love to see all the tourist spots, great restaurants, and Main Street — all right off the Monon; by bike. You can even ride down to Broad Ripple! The bike share here in Carmel is pretty cheap: $1.50 per 30 minutes. There’s a lot of stations around. We have this great asset, which I think they city does an okay job promoting it, but Carmel isn’t necessarily recognized as a bicycle city like Portland, Minneapolis, or Boulder are. Carmel already has a lot of great infrastructure but we have to do a better job aligning with the image of a bike-city to really get on that list.

Brian: Right, we have created this walkable and bike-able city, plus we’re supporting local businesses instead of giant corporations, so Carmel could be an eco-tourism destination. People want to experience that kind of thing. No one wants to go to Santa Fe and eat at Chilis. We lose our culture when we give it up to big corporations.

Jordan: Absolutely. Building density, like Carmel has in Midtown, enables local businesses to survive despite this being a suburb, because there’s a cluster of people and traffic around an area. The alternative would be a strip mall somewhere far off that’s hard to get people to come out and shop at. But if you have a bunch of people already out, they’re also going to stop at Sun King, the local brewery; they’ll walk over to grab sandwich at Garden Table, etc. Midtown Plaza is effectively a third space, with a playground and a place to have fun for free — but of course with the option to give your money to local businesses.

Brian: My wife runs a dance studio in the Arts and Design District (near Main St Carmel, near Midtown Plaza) — we were very intentional about choosing that location and it’s been exactly like you described. Third spaces are vital for our community. If we were in an industrial park, which is more affordable, people would have to drive and so they’d probably go gas up and run errands at Walmart and some home goods store instead of walking around locally. We’re so grateful to be in that ecosystem that does help other businesses that surround us and vice versa.

I love Midtown. I love the outdoor games that they have: pool tables, ping pong, bocce ball, corn hole. Why do you think this has been such a success?

Jordan: Going back to your wife’s dance studio — that has become our anchor (we’re there almost every day of the week) and so we want to stay within walking distance. But also so we can go to all these local places without having to drive. That’s part of why we moved to Carmel.

The third spaces in Carmel are so good because of world-class design. Midtown was designed by Jeff Speck, an architect and urban planner who’s been designing great places around the country for decades. He’s written books about it! Also Gehl Architects also helped with the design.

If you imagine a normal street where cars are driving 20-30 MPH, you don’t feel safe walking in the middle of the street on a day when there’s traffic. You stay on the sidewalks, wait to make sure it’s safe to cross, and you get across as fast as possible.

Midtown, because of the design, is a place that people feel safe letting their toddlers play within 5 feet of cars. That’s because it’s a space that’s oriented around people; cars are the foreign objects in that area. Drivers feel a little anxious while driving there because of all the activity. Plus there’s brick pavers instead of asphalt, so it’s not a smooth drive; it’s a little bumpy and you can’t drive too fast. It’s very narrow too.

Monon Boulevard in Carmel, Indiana

Brian: It feels like you’re driving on the sidewalk and you’re like “is this okay?”

Jordan: Exactly! People drive slow and cautiously because they’re constantly looking around. All these design choices make it a space that feels safe to be outside of the car, despite being surrounded by cars, because drivers are forced to be careful. So people are willing to bring their kids and hang out like any park or playground, because they’re not constantly on edge that the kids are going to run out into traffic.

Brian: That’s amazing. I didn’t know any of that, but I see the truth in it, just from the experience of being there. It’s a visceral feeling when you’re driving in that area. That’s the power of urban planning. What's the biggest branding challenge that Strong Towns is up against?

Jordan: Strong Towns at its core is a bottom-up, grassroots, incremental movement. It's in response to top-down planning, with huge investments by large organizations, whether it's governments or corporations, deciding to level areas and rebuild these massive developments. The typical examples like conference centers and stadiums are these multi-million (or even billion) dollar investments that are huge risks.

Brian: There's a whole other conversation too around new builds versus revitalizing, which we can talk about later, but I just wanted to call that out.

Jordan: Yeah, Strong Towns is talking about the idea of starting small, listening to people, and keeping everything localized. There’s a lot of ideas and solutions that your city can implement, but you have to listen to your residents and city councillors and everything else to figure out what is the right thing for your town. So it’s hard to have a singular marketing or branding that applies to every city. Unlike say YIMBY, which is focused on a single aspect: housing, Strong Towns includes housing and safe streets and fiscal responsibility.

Brian: Something I read in Made to Stick is that you should say three things, then say nothing. So yeah it’s a challenge when you have a lot more than that to say.

Jordan: That’s a great book! The other issue is that Strong Towns is all about slow growth, to avoid risky investments, like adding the next level of density to a neighborhood instead of replacing it entirely; an ADU here, a duplex there, etc. That creates resiliency, but it takes time.

Brian: To sum it up: how does Strong Towns Carmel move into the community with purpose and clarity when we have these multifaceted objectives?

Jordan: And how do we incorporate the community into that vision? Most of us in the group today want bike paths, and bus stops, and light rail everywhere, but that may not be what everyone else wants. We have to work together to find a solution that solves our problems and makes this place better for everyone. That requires a lot of compromise, negotiation, and listening. It’s a long haul to ensure it’s done right.

Brian: What’s something the land or the town has taught you?

Jordan: I’ve learned that the city council isn’t my enemy. So many people here want the same things that I want and are working towards the same goals. I’ve been to many city council meetings, met with city engineers, talked to locals, and people at the city are saying and doing (mostly) the right things here. But it’s a process that requires convincing everyone and making sure we have the money to build it all without taking huge risks. It’s a work in progress.

Brian: Thanks for being on the podcast! Atlast Wild is more than a podcast. It’s a branding studio and creative platform for regenerative storytelling and eco-tourism. Because when we tell better stories, we build better places.

I’m Jordan Kohl, Carmel resident, Strong Towns Carmel volunteer, and an advocate for walking and biking. You can follow me on BlueSky or my personal website.

Zoning as a tool to grow and build wealth in Carmel

2025-10-29T00:00:00Z

In our last meeting we had a very informative discussion on zoning, thanks to the expertise of urban planner Jeffery Tompkins as well as Carmel city councilor Shannon Minnaar, who sits on the Housing Commission. My summary of the Q&A with some quotes from Mr Tompkins:

"There's going to be a next Carmel" - the model of good schools plus a walkable downtown with mixed-use is easily replicated. People will choose to live in Westfield, Fishers, etc. over Carmel if the housing is cheaper. We can't depend on demand continuing forever.
While comprehensive plans might prioritize walkability, small business support, and even transit, the actual zoning code doesn't always match; "you get what you zone for" — and that means mostly single family housing in many cities.
More flexible zoning allows you as a property owner to "grow with your land". Adaptive re-use and multi-generational living are possible when owners can add density to their homes.
"Resident developers can grow wealth" - zoning that allows homeowners to add an ADU or renovate to create a duplex helps residents participate in the development of Carmel and grow local wealth, instead of leaving development only to the rich or outside developers with "Wall Street money".

I enjoyed the back and forth discussion on how zoning can affect wealth and shape our cities. If you're interested in continuing to be involved in that discussion, I highly recommend you watch or attend the next Housing Commission meeting on 11/25 at 9am at city hall. It should be live-streamed on the city YouTube channel.

If you want to learn more about urban planning issues like "porches as social infrastructure" or why "your garage might be the most underrated room in the city", subscribe to Jeffery's Substack: Thinking Big by Thinking Small.

Upcoming City Meetings

There are plenty of opportunities to learn about how our local government functions, get to meet our representatives, and speak on issues that are important to Strong Towns Carmel.

10/29 - Neighborhood Pop-up (5:30pm-7:30pm at Bub's Burgers)
11/3 - City Council Meeting (6pm at city hall)
11/5 - Land Use Committee (5:30pm, location TBD)
11/17 - City Council Meeting (6pm at city hall)
11/25 - Housing Commission (9am at city hall)

Join Us in October for our Monthly Meeting!

2025-10-13T00:00:00Z

What: Urban Planner Jeffery Tompkins (agenda)
When: Saturday October 25th, 11am - 12pm
Where: Carmel Public Library (meeting room A), 425 E Main St, Carmel, IN

Join us for our monthly meeting to discuss local development, infrastructure, and community resilience. We'll have a presentation by Indianapolis-based Urban Planner Jeffery Tompkins.

RSVP

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Join Us in September for our Monthly Meeting!

2025-09-03T00:00:00Z

What: Housing - ADU legalization (agenda)
When: Saturday September 27th, 11am - 12pm
Where: 100 Bank St, Carmel, IN 46032 (next to the fitness center, at the bottom of Veterans Garage)

Entrance to City Center Amenity Street below Veterans Garage

Join us for our monthly meeting to discuss local development, infrastructure, and community resilience. We'll start with a presentation by HAND on affordable housing in Carmel. We'll also talk about ADU legalization.

RSVP

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Why good active infrastructure benefits everyone

2025-08-23T00:00:00Z

Everyone who lives in Carmel should support funding and building quality active infrastructure: sidewalks, multi-use paths, raised crosswalks, protected bike lanes, secure bike parking, and more green space.

Why? Because having alternatives to driving benefits everyone, including drivers. Every person who chooses to walk or bike is one less car circling a roundabout, looking for a parking space, and creating congestion, which wears down the livability of our city.

Parents benefit enormously from good active infrastructure. How many times have your kids asked to go somewhere and you’ve had to drop everything to play chauffeur, even for something just a mile or two away? Wouldn’t it be better if Carmel invested in safe, efficient, and enjoyable infrastructure that allowed your kids to move independently? Letting them bike to a friend’s house, walk to school, go to the Friday night football game, or grab ice cream downtown without relying on you. When infrastructure is designed to protect and prioritize children, parents feel more confident stepping back, and that creates more time and freedom for everyone. We hear a lot about the future being about autonomous cars. Healthy cities give us something better, they give us more autonomous kids.

Small businesses benefit from quality active infrastructure too. When streets are safe and easy to navigate on foot or by bike, people are more likely to shop locally instead of driving to the outskirts to spend at a big box store. Bike parking in front of a business is more effective than street parking because it keeps the storefront visible. No one impulse shops when your window display is hidden behind a massive SUV. People who are walking or biking are more likely to spontaneously stop and shop as they travel. That’s something car-focused streets will never offer.

Bikes lined up on the sidewalk

Infrastructure that works for everyone needs to be safe, direct, and separated. When we get this right, we don’t just invite people in, we enable them. Kids can move through their city without being driven everywhere. Older adults stay active and connected in their own communities. People with mobility challenges have clear, predictable pathways. It creates comfort and freedom for everyone, regardless of age or ability.

And this isn’t a fantasy. My household lives this way. We moved to Carmel specifically for this. We own a car, but it sits in the garage most of the time. We do almost everything on e-cargo bikes. Grocery runs, haircuts, dinner out, the gym, the hardware store. Not only is it easy, it’s beneficial. We get movement passively built into our lives. We get fresh air and sunlight. We save money. We engage with our surroundings more than we ever could behind a windshield. And we feel safer on our streets because of the infrastructure Carmel has already built.

The Monon Trail provides safe and low-stress access to local businesses

What’s troubling is how biking and walking have been reframed in modern American life. These were never meant to be recreational activities. They were forms of transportation. Our towns and cities didn’t thrive because everyone drove everywhere. People had the freedom to walk and bike locally for daily essentials. Exercise was baked into life because movement came with getting things done. You didn’t need to say “I’m going for a walk to get some exercise.” You just walked to the corner store. You moved because your city allowed you to. That freedom was lost, but it’s something we can restore.

Photo of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, 1911

Carmel’s infrastructure is what sets it apart. Decades of work got us to where we are now. It would be a mistake to stop here. If someone wants to live in a place where car dependency is the only option, there are thousands of cities in the U.S. to choose from. But Carmel has shown it can be different. It can be better.

Sometimes, in certain parts of town, Carmel reminds us of the places we love to visit. The places we vacation in because they are quiet, walkable, full of life, filled with shade and laughter and human interaction. You hear birds and people instead of traffic and engines. That’s not an accident. That’s the result of intentional design.

Carmel has world-class intentional design on Monon Boulevard

Active infrastructure makes our city healthier, safer, more beautiful, and more financially sustainable. It costs less to build and maintain than car infrastructure. It reduces injuries and deaths. It keeps people engaged in their communities. It gives us transportation freedom without burdening our wallets or our environment. When we expand that network with tree canopy, green space, lighting, and smart design, Carmel doesn’t just stay attractive, it becomes a model for how American cities can evolve.

We are not just adding a few bike lanes, we are shaping our city’s future, and it’s one worth investing in.

I'm Brandon Lust -- Carmel resident since 2021. Follow me on Bluesky and YouTube.

Join Us in August for our Monthly Meeting!

2025-08-05T00:00:00Z

What: Tour Fields Market Garden, followed by discussion at Indie Coffee North End
When: Saturday August 23rd, 11am - 12pm
Where: Fields Market Garden - 270 W Smoky Row Rd, Carmel, IN 46032

Join us for our monthly meeting to discuss local development, infrastructure, and community resilience. We'll start with a tour of Fields Market Garden and then move to Indie Coffee North End for the rest of our meeting.

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Solving Carmel's Climate Goals with Strong Towns Principles

2025-07-23T00:00:00Z

We participated in an official city hall meeting for the first time as a group at the Climate Action Advisory Committee, which is an advisory committee to the mayor for helping achieve Carmel’s Climate Action Plan goals.

Strong Towns Carmel members at city hall

While Strong Towns does not have a specific goal of fighting climate change, the founder of Strong Towns believes that a bottom-up revolution is going to be more successful than top-town legislation. A majority of Strong Towns' campaigns combat climate change by lowering dependency on cars, reducing asphalt covered heat-islands, planting more carbon-storing street trees, and re-using and adapting existing infrastructure.

Strong Towns Carmel is focused on making Carmel an even safer and more joyous place to walk, bike, and (hopefully someday soon) ride public transit. Better options for replacing car trips will make Carmel stronger and more sustainable, while also lowering greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions -- a specific goal of the Climate Action Plan.

At the meeting I spoke to our advocacy for three things in Carmel: safer routes for walking and biking, funding public transportation, and legalizing missing middle housing. You can listen to my public comment about 3 minutes into this video:

Here’s the transcript of my public comment:

My name is Jordan Kohl. I’m a resident of Carmel. Thank you to the committee for allowing me to give public comment today. I’m representing a group of residents who have formed Strong Towns Carmel, which is part of a national non-profit that advocates for changing the suburban development pattern to one that is financially strong, resilient, safe, and livable.

Locally, our group is excited about the future of Carmel and the potential to make places like Midtown and Carter Green accessible to more people without adding traffic. While not specifically focused on climate, the types of projects we’re advocating for align well with this committee’s goals and Carmel’s Climate Action Plan. Three campaigns I’d like to share with you today are: safe routes for walking and biking, public transportation, and missing middle housing.

In Carmel as of 2018, transportation accounted for 40% of total GHG emissions. Reducing our dependency on cars is critical to enhancing air quality, improving human health, and meeting our goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

To do that, we have to give people alternatives to driving that are safe, efficient, and low-stress. In the United States, half of all trips are less than 3 miles and a third are less than a mile — pretty short for a walk and almost nothing on an e-bike. However most people still drive because its simply easier: they can drive straight there without worrying about picking the “safest” route and there is guaranteed to be parking when they get there, often right out front.

Trails like the Monon are safe and efficient because they are mostly separated from vehicle traffic. They are low-stress for people of all ages. Because they connect with destinations like Midtown and Central Park, people are able to use these not just for exercise, but as transportation corridors.

Myself and many members of our group use these every day to get to school, groceries, and restaurants. Compared to roads and parking garages, these are relatively small investments that are already helping reduce GHG emissions. That’s why we’re so excited to support the Autumn Greenway: a proposed off-street trail that will connect thousands of residents with Old Meridian, Midtown, and the rest of our path network.

We can get even more emission reductions by layering in public transportation to extend how far people can travel without a car. The city revealed that investment in public transportation is supported by 84% of survey respondents. We’re here to show the faces of some of those respondents!

Lastly, Strong Towns Carmel supports building more housing where people can walk, bike, or ride a bus to our wonderful amenities. This can be accomplished with small changes to our zoning code. The Housing Task Force has already identified a need for missing middle housing.

We support legalizing backyard cottages, duplexes, and starter homes on smaller lots. As opposed to whole apartment blocks, this kind of development is stable, gentle density that doesn’t ruin neighborhood character. Instead, it provides more options near downtown for first time home buyers and older generations looking to downsize.

We think these three projects: improving our path network, adding public transit, and legalizing more housing choices, will have the most impact on achieving Carmel’s climate goals. I look forward to working together on these and other ways to improve Carmel. I welcome everyone to join our monthly meetings. You can learn more at strongtownscarmel.org. Thank you for your time today.

If you are interested in helping build a better Carmel and advocating for safe and productive streets, public transportation, and more housing choices, please join us!

I’m Jordan Kohl, Carmel resident, Strong Towns Carmel volunteer, and an advocate for walking and biking. You can follow me on BlueSky or my personal website.

In Support of Off-Street Paths

2025-07-14T00:00:00Z

One morning last school year, while biking with my daughter to Carmel Middle School along Emerson Road, we were almost hit head-on, by a car turning into their own driveway. It was nobody’s fault.

They appeared to be stopped and waiting for me to pass. In retrospect, I realize they were staring directly into the morning sun and probably couldn’t see me at all. Right as I was passing them in the opposite direction, they turned towards my cargo bicycle with my daughter in the front, and I had to swerve out of the way just to avoid being hit. We probably wouldn’t have died, but it would have been traumatizing and expensive nonetheless.

The fault lies in the design of our streets. While many drivers are careful around pedestrians and cyclists, ultimately the risk still comes down to pure physics. There is an inherent danger when humans mix with 3,000 pound vehicles in our public spaces.

Emerson Rd is not a great place to bike

While we mostly accept this constant risk to our lives, Carmel has done more than most cities to improve safety with roundabouts, raised crosswalks, and separated trails. I cherish the safety that these off-street trails provides for myself and our community. The Monon is so safe that parents let their children walk and ride on it by themselves, every day. If I could have taken it west to my daughter’s school, I would have. But such a connection doesn't exist... yet!

The Solution

Proposed route for the Autumn Greenway (learn more)

Having a direct connection separated from traffic is why I’m in favor of the Autumn Greenway. It will provide another off-street path that connects communities in Carmel with the amenities that already exist along The Monon.

One of the main reasons I suggested [the Autumn Greenway] was because I felt unsafe using Emerson Rd to bike down. It's very wide and has no curb bump-outs to narrow the street, so people in trucks would fly past me!

Some in the community think this project is a bad investment for the city. They undervalue how much people want and need efficient, direct, and well-designed off-street paths like the Monon and Hagan-Burke trails. They think that routing bicyclists onto city streets with just some paint and signage is good enough.

While this is how many cities treat cycling infrastructure, this is not how Carmel does it. Carmel has become a destination thanks to the amazing design of of our extensive multi-use path network, which keeps cyclists and pedestrians separated from vehicular traffic. Along Monon Boulevard, this is combined with a beautiful design, pocket parks, and access to mixed-use developments that make it such a destination.

One thing I like about this idea for a new off street trail is that it was a citizen initiative. A member of the public came up with the idea and now it's a project that's likely to happen. https://t.co/pdlMLtAelL
— Aaron M. Renn 🇺🇸 (@aaron_renn) May 21, 2025

Show Your Support

If you agree that we shouldn't give up on the dream of an east-west Monon, that we shouldn't settle for less, then please join me in showing your support for the Autumn Greenway by signing this letter to the Mayor and City Council of Carmel.

Show the city we want good walking/biking paths by signing this letter of support to the Mayor and City Council

Sign letter

Designing Carmel’s next steps with lessons from the Dutch

2025-06-26T00:00:00Z

Over the last few decades, Carmel city government has done so much to set Carmel far above the typical suburb in the United States. People are noticing and moving here to take advantage of the public spaces and infrastructure because they're tired of the grey, sterilized asphalt deserts found all across the country, which leave people, by default, car-dependent for everything in life.

As Carmel continues to develop and redevelop our urban spaces and infrastructure, we need to be very thoughtful and mindful of the details. This will result in a network that is welcoming and accommodating for all ages and abilities. You already see it with the young, the old, and those who face mobility challenges along The Monon Trail. They flock to where they feel safe.

photo courtesy Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation

We must continue this forgiving and nurturing design across our city-wide network to enable everyone to get from point A to B in whichever mode they choose. Since we do not have public transportation yet, it is doubly important that we get our active infrastructure network right so that walking and cycling can be simple, safe, and efficient choices in our everyday mobility.

The Dutch CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic considers five basic design principles for building active infrastructure in cities around people:

Cohesion: Cycling as a means of transport means going by bike from anywhere to everywhere! A cohesive infrastructure ensures a uniformed network. These networks must consider multimodal transport. Thus, the grid of bike lanes has to reduce the number of crossings, and provide links and link alternatives among origins and destinations.
Directness: In order to make the most efficient balance between distance and time, it is essential to minimize detours for cyclists. To achieve this, it is necessary to reduce bends, prioritize the cyclist in traffic lights, and make exclusive/separate bike lanes. The goals of these strategies are to reduce journey times and guarantee less physical effort, making cycling a competitive transport alternative.
Safety: Good cycling infrastructure design must guarantee both social and road safety. It is necessary to reduce stress and the exposure to pollutants and noise to assure personal health on the road, and specially to attract new people that are interested in cycling, but still concerned and fearful of the conditions. To achieve this, bike lanes work better when they are not parallel to main busy roads, but in neighborhood low speed streets. In addition, bike lanes that are physically separated from the roads will make cycling safer. To minimize the risk of collision, it is also crucial to build tunnels and bridges for intersections with busy traffic and high speed roads.
Comfort: Looking for comfort is a human instinct. The goal of cycling policy is to make cycling a pleasant experience. To address this, planners have to consider that cyclists are the starting point of the strategies and infrastructure: Normally, bikes have no suspension system, are human operated vehicles, and require a balancing act. To guarantee a comfortable situation, it is imperative to minimize stops and nuisances in the network. Also, it is essential to make smooth pavements that reduce the vibration and height difference. And finally, to avoid the anxiety of getting lost and optimize the wayfinding, a good and intuitive signing system is necessary.
Attractiveness: It is well known that an aesthetically pleasant and good quality built environment boosts the cycling activity in an area. This consists of creating green and open areas, in which streets are quiet and well maintained. The presence of vegetation and water attracts cyclists. Therefore, it is imperative to avoid unpleasant conditions when planning infrastructure, such as congested and polluted streets that worsen the safety and health perception.

This short video by the Dutch Cycling Embassy is by no means deeply detailed or all-encompassing, but it gives a broad overview of why the five principles are important and does so in a stunningly visual way:

The city has worked with consultants like MobyCon before and should continue to get feedback and advice from some of the best urban planners on the planet. Let’s keep using the best resources and knowledge at our disposal to set Carmel above and beyond the rest of the US, as we are already well on track to do. Advocates like Strong Towns Carmel and myself are here to help provide any information or connections to help us get there.

I’m Brandon Lust aka American Fietser (Dutch, 'feet-ser' Meaning: A Person Who Bikes For Transportation). Follow me on Bluesky and YouTube.