Strong Towns Carmel

Join Us in June for our Monthly Meeting!

2026-06-24T00:00:00Z

What: Strong Towns Finance Decoder
When: Saturday, June 27th, 11 am - 12 pm
Where: Carmel City Center Amenity Suite, 100 Bank St, Carmel, IN 46032 (next to the fitness center, at the bottom of Veterans Garage)

We are planning a meeting for June to work through the Strong Towns Finance Decoder and apply it to Carmel. During this meeting we hope to answer: what is Carmel's true financial position.

Entrance to City Center Amenity Street below Veterans Garage

ADUs: a small but strong housing option for Carmel

2026-03-27T00:00:00Z

If you’ve lived in Carmel for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed something subtle but important: it’s getting harder for people to find an affordable place to live. Not just anyone, but the people we care about most. Our children and grandchildren. The teacher down the street. The firefighter who shows up when something goes wrong. The neighbor who raised a family here and now wants to stay, even as life changes.

Carmel is a place people love and they don't want it to change. But change is happening, regardless. Rising housing costs have made it difficult, if not impossible for many families to afford living in Carmel. How many people do you know who say they couldn't afford to buy the home they live in now? Many people who grew up in Carmel, can't afford to return home and end up moving to northern Indy, Westfield, etc. Perhaps you'd like to downsize from a large home, only to find there are no affordable options in walkable neighborhoods.

While there are larger economic forces at play, we've also made the problem worse by restricting what owners can build on their own property. We’ve made it increasingly difficult for people to remain part of this community at different stages of life.

A city of big dreams but few housing options

Over time, Carmel has become a city dominated by large single-family homes. Today, about half of our housing stock has four or more bedrooms, even though the average household is much smaller. That mismatch means a young couple just starting out has very few entry points into the community. A single person or a small family is often forced to rent at high prices or look elsewhere entirely. And empty nesters are left with a difficult choice: stay in a home that no longer fits their needs, or leave the neighborhood they love.

At the same time, housing costs have risen much faster than wages. This isn’t theoretical. It shows up in everyday conversations:

“My kids can’t afford to live here.”
“We’d like to downsize, but there’s nowhere to go.”
“There just aren’t many options.”

And increasingly, the data backs that up. We now have clearer evidence of what many residents already feel: Carmel needs more housing choices. Nearly 90% of residents say there is a lack of affordable housing for young adults and seniors. And 86% say diverse housing options are important. This is no longer a niche issue. It’s a widely shared concern.

What's missing in Carmel: more house-scale choices

When we talk about housing, the reality in Carmel is that we mostly have two options on either end of the spectrum: large suburban homes or tightly-packed apartments. What's missing, because it is illegal or impractical to build due to our zoning code, are more house-scale options.

Missing Middle is house-scale buildings (gentle density)

While the city is focused on building mid-rise luxury condos and apartments in Midtown, we're missing out on a range of options for more gentle density citywide. These "missing middle" developments are small, flexible housing options that fit naturally into neighborhoods: duplexes, cottage homes, and yes, ADUs. Today, most of these options are effectively illegal to build in Carmel.

What exactly is an ADU?

An ADU is a small, self-contained home on the same property as a single-family house. It might be a backyard cottage, an apartment over a garage, or a finished basement with its own entrance. You’ve probably seen them before. They’re not new or radical, but in most of Carmel today, they’re not allowed to be built without going through a complex approval process designed for much larger projects.

ADUs are another missing middle type of housing:

For young families or individuals — an ADU can serve as an affordable first home or rental option in a desirable neighborhood. Because ADUs are often smaller and more cost-efficient to build, they tend to be more affordable than new single-family houses.
For seniors or retirees, ADUs make “aging in place” possible: they can move to a smaller, manageable unit (with potentially universal design or accessible features) and possibly rent out their main house, or keep family close while preserving independence.

In this way, ADUs provide housing for a range of life stages and help Carmel remain demographically diverse and inclusive. Perhaps the most important reason to allow ADUs is this: they help keep Carmel a place where people can stay. Stay as they’re starting out. Stay as their family grows. Stay as they want to downsize. Stay as they retire.

Backyard cottages can support multi-generational living. They create naturally more attainable housing options. And they strengthen neighborhoods by allowing families to remain connected. Legalizing gentle density like ADUs can help make sure that Carmel remains a special place for the next generations.

If this topic feels familiar, it’s because Carmel has been here before. In 2021, the city debated relaxing restrictions on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to help produce more housing. The result was a compromise that left most of the status quo in place: a full Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) approval for any detached dwellings.

A lot has changed since then:

A new mayor convened a Housing Task Force to study local housing needs
That task force recommended revisiting ADUs as part of a broader strategy
A 2024 housing survey found overwhelming support for more housing options
Indiana recently passed HB1001, which requires a public review of the city zoning code

But people still have the same concerns as in 2021.

Will ADUs change the character of my neighborhood?

This is the most common concern. But ADUs are not large developments. They are small additions, often invisible from the street. Carmel already has clear standards for Accessory Buildings, which if nothing changed, would ensure:

Units remain small and subordinate to the main home
Setbacks and design protect privacy
Placement minimizes impacts on neighbors

The goal isn’t to change neighborhoods overnight. It’s to allow them to adapt slowly over time. Even if every residential property were allowed to build an ADU today, they wouldn't pop-up everywhere overnight. Building an ADU still requires significant financial investment, planning, coordination, and other hurdles.

What about traffic, parking, and infrastructure?

Concerns about congestion and infrastructure are understandable. But ADUs are added one at a time, across many neighborhoods — not all at once in a single location. They typically house one or two people, not large households. That means fewer trips, fewer cars, and minimal impact. And importantly: they use infrastructure we’ve already built. The bigger financial risk for a city isn’t adding one more household, it’s maintaining miles of infrastructure without enough people to support it. Plus, the existing code already requires reserving space for parking for each dwelling unit added to a property.

Will this hurt property values or neighborhood stability?

This concern often comes down to fear of the unknown (or fear of absentee landlords). But ADUs are most often built and managed by homeowners who live on-site. That creates a very different dynamic than large-scale rental development. If this is a concern, Carmel can address it directly by:

Requiring owner occupancy
Limiting the number of units per lot

Done well, ADUs tend to increase flexibility and value, not reduce it.

Instead of apartment buildings, or giant single-family homes, there’s a third, more transformative idea: Hyperlocal Development. This concept posits that the most stable, equitable, and sustainable form of urban regeneration is driven by the people who currently live in the community. It encourages resident-developers. By empowering existing Single-Family Housing (SFH) lot owners to act as micro-developers (specifically by splitting their lots to create a second buildable parcel or by adding significant density through accessory units) the city can simultaneously address its housing crisis and create a robust engine for generational wealth building.

Double Up the Lot: Turning Backyards into Bank Accounts by Urban Planner Jeffery Tompkins

Will these become Airbnbs instead of homes?

This is a policy choice. Allowing ADUs does not mean allowing short-term rentals. If Carmel wants ADUs to support long-term residents, it can apply the existing regulations around short-term rentals to ADUs as well.

A survey of ADU owners in three Pacific Northwest cities with mature ADU and short-term rental markets found that 60 percent of ADUs are used for long-term housing as compared with 12 percent for short-term rentals.

Respondents shared that they “greatly value the ability to use an ADU flexibly.” For instance, an ADU can be rented nightly to tourists, then someday rented to a long-term tenant, then used to house an aging parent. ADUs intended primarily for visiting family are sometimes used as short-term rentals between visits.

Cities concerned about short-term rentals can regulate them across all housing types. Doing so might mean that special rules are not needed. An approach employed in Portland, Oregon, is to treat ADUs the same as other residences except that any financial incentives (such as fee waivers) to create them are available only if the property owner agrees not to use the ADU as a short-term rental for at least 10 years.

AARP: The ABCs of ADUs

Are we losing our voice if this is allowed “by right”?

The existing system requires case-by-case approvals through the Board of Zoning Appeals (a process designed for large, complex developments). But applying that same process to small backyard units creates friction that discourages everyday homeowners from participating. Allowing ADUs “by right” doesn’t remove local control. It shifts it earlier in the process, where the community sets clear rules upfront.

Everyone knows what is allowed
Everyone is held to the same standards
Fewer conflicts between neighbors

It’s a more predictable, transparent system. Plus, many neighborhoods within Carmel also exist within an HOA, which has its own restrictions on ADUs. So even if the city were to legalize them entirely in all residential zones, they would still be limited by what each HOA allows.

Well-intentioned but burdensome rules can stymie the creation of ADUs. ADU-related zoning codes should be restrictive enough to prevent undesirable development but flexible enough that ADUs get built.

AARP: The ABCs of ADUs

Is this even a meaningful solution?

Some critics argue that ADUs are too small to matter. And they’re right, if you’re expecting a single policy to solve everything at once. But that’s not how strong towns grow. ADUs are not a silver bullet. They are a starting point. They are one tool, among many, that allow housing to evolve gradually, in response to real needs.

At Strong Towns, we talk about the difference between large, top-down development and small, incremental growth. ADUs are the definition of a small bet. They’re built one at a time, by homeowners, not large developers. They don’t require massive infrastructure expansions. They don’t dramatically change the look or feel of a neighborhood. Instead, they quietly add one more home. One more neighbor. One more opportunity. Over time, those small additions add up.

What are the next steps?

Carmel has already done the hard part: studying the issue, gathering data, and hearing from residents. Now there’s an opportunity to act.

Legalizing ADUs by right, with clear, simple standards, is a small step towards giving residents what they are asking for: more housing options. Not a sweeping overhaul. Not a radical shift. Just a simple change that allows the city to grow in a more flexible, resilient way. If Carmel moves to legalize ADUs, here’s how to do it in a way that stays true to Strong Towns values:

Allow ADUs by right (rather than requiring special permits or conditional use) in single-family zones to reduce barriers and encourage modest, incremental additions.
Permit a variety of ADU types — detached cottages, garage-apartments, basement conversions, internal “in-law” units all maximize flexibility and allow homeowners to adapt to their property.
Set reasonable size, parking, and design standards — enough to preserve neighborhood character, but not so burdensome that building an ADU becomes impractical.
Provide homeowner guidance and pre-approved plan sets — simple, clear plans and building guidelines to lower the cost and complexity of building ADUs, to encourage responsible small-scale growth.
Encourage affordability and intergenerational use — by offering incentives (e.g., streamlined permitting, modest tax incentives or waivers) or programs for seniors, young families, or small households to build ADUs, or to rent to lower-income tenants.

There are plenty of excellent resources available to help guide our city through this process, like this guide from the AARP and this housing-ready toolkit from Strong Towns.

If we want Carmel to remain strong financially, socially, and culturally, we need to make room for the next generation and support the people who are already here. ADUs won’t solve everything. But they are a proven, locally controlled way to start. They represent the kind of change that builds strong towns: small in scale, responsive to real needs, and led by the people who call this place home. And they help answer a question more and more families are asking: Will our kids be able to live here? With the right small changes, the answer can still be yes.

If you'd like to see more missing middle housing in Carmel, you can voice your support for legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units by:

emailing the Housing Commission: Bric Butler bbutler@carmel.in.gov
emailing Shannon Minnaar, the city council representative on the Housing Commission: sminnaar@carmel.in.gov
speaking at city council meetings or contacting your city councilor

Cargo Bike Meet-up On April 25th

2026-03-25T00:00:00Z

What: Cargo Bike Meet-up
When: Saturday April 25th, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Where: Midtown Plaza, Carmel

Strong Towns Carmel is hosting a casual gathering of people who ride cargo bikes and for those interested in learning. Already ride? Bring your bike to show off! Just curious? Come ask questions and get inspired! Families, trailers, bikes with panniers, are all welcome!

Have questions? Email strongtownscarmel@gmail.com.

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.

Copy to Google Calendar

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.

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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.

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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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