Click here to view this message as a webpage.

Antonio Martin served as Health by Design's AmeriCorps Public Ally over the past ten months, and wrapped up his term of service early July. Antonio took on a project to make our Walk Champions program and Walkways platforms more accessible and engaging.

The team at Health by Design is so grateful for Antonio's work, and excited about his upcoming role with Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center (INRC)! Congratulations on your Public Allies graduation, Antonio!

You can watch an interview with Antonio about his Public Allies term here.

Pictured: (Left) Antonio giving his Presentation of Learning to the Public Allies Indianapolis cohort. (Right) Antonio with Health by Design & IPHA team members after his Presentation of Learning.

The Bloomingdale Neighborhood Association with support from Health by Design is one of five Indiana organizations selected for the 2022 AARP Community Challenge Grant! With this new funding, the Bloomingdale Neighborhood Association will activate the Wells Street corridor with revitalized public spaces and safe crosswalk connectors between popular community destinations. We are excited to be part of this project - you can read about all of the 2022 grant awardees here.

Smart Growth America released a new Dangerous by Design update yesterday, which provides "the most up-to-date look at the preventable epidemic of people struck and killed while walking."

The report ranks the most dangerous state and metro areas in the United States, with Indiana taking 27th on the list. The Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson metro area also ranks 53 out of the 101 most dangerous metro areas in the country.

Dangerous by Design highlights that even though driving went down in 2020, more than 6,500 people were struck and killed while walking, an average of nearly 18 per day, and a 4.5 percent increase over 2019.  

You can read the full report from Smart Growth America and attend their webinar on July 28 to unpack the report and its findings.

Summer is the perfect time to celebrate National Park & Recreation Month as we spend more time outdoors in public spaces. Parks are a vital community resource that provide shared space for physical activity, social connection, community resources, and cultural expression!

You can celebrate Park & Recreation Month with these resources from the National Recreation and Park Association, whether you issue a community proclamation, celebrate parks professionals, or rise up for equitable parks in your own way.

The pandemic heightened our sense of social isolation but also brought attention to the importance of social connection for our physical, mental, and social well-being. Intentionally designing our communities to allow for inclusion and connection is not as difficult as it may seem. Healthy Places by Design’s executive director published a Stanford Social Innovation Review article with some examples of what we can do now to increase connectedness in our communities. Read it here!

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program is made possible through the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), providing $1 billion in discretionary funds over the next five years. It is the first-ever program to help reconnect communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. Funding supports planning grants and capital construction grants, as well as technical assistance, to restore community connectivity through the removal, retrofit, mitigation, or replacement of eligible transportation infrastructure facilities.

USDOT will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, July 14, 2022 from 12 PM to 1:30 PM EDT providing a general overview of the program for prospective applicants. For more details and registration, visit https://www.transportation.gov/grants/reconnecting-communities/reconnecting-communities-webinars

A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was recently released. Applications are due at 11:59 PM EDT on Thursday, October 13, 2022. All applications must be submitted through grants.gov. Search for "Reconnecting Communities" or Opportunity Number: DOT-RCP-FY22-01.

Upcoming Opportunities:

Resources, Events & Webinars:

• July: National Parks and Recreation Month
• July through August: Prosperity Indiana Regional Meetings, date varies based on region! Find the full calendar.
• July 11: Prosperity Indiana Health is Wealth, Public/Private Partnerships for Building a Food Systems Infrastructure Virtual Event
• July 13: Smart Growth America Equity Forum, Upending Cultural Displacement
• July 14: Making Strides, 2022 State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Biking, and Active Kids and Communities Webinar
• July 14: Designing Road Diets as a Tool for Walkability & Community Revitalization Webinar
• July 15: #RuralTransitDay Twitter Chat hosted by National RTAP
• July 18-22: Rural Road Safety Awareness Week
• July 20: Road to Zero The Role of Traffic Safety Culture in Addressing Roadway Fatalities Webinar
• July 21: Road to Zero Strategies an Interventions in Traditionally Underserved Communities Webinar
• July 21: NASEM Climate Conversations, Urban Transportation Webinar
• July 26: 880 Cities – Boosting Health and Wellness by taking the ‘Magic Pill’: Walking and Greening your Streets Webinar
• July 27-29: Urban Land Institute's 2022 Equitable Development Summit

• September 21-23: Park People Conference
• September 28-30: Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Planning Conference



• October 4-6 Indiana MPO Conference
• October 19-21: INCOST Conference and 5311 Annual Meeting in Shipshewana
• October: Project for Public Spaces Virtual "Placemaking: Making it Happen" Training (Registration opens July 17!)



• Start tracking your mileage with the League of American Bicyclists' Drive Less, Bike More Campaign!
• Are you a MyNCMM user? You might be eligible to apply for access to the premium version of PolicyMap through the National Center for Mobility Management. Learn more & apply for access.

Jobs & Professional Development:

• Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) Planning Intern for the fall; applications due 7/22.
• City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works Crew Leader - DPW-Signs And Markings; applications due 7/21.
• City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development Senior Planner - Information & Innovation; application due 7/23.
• City of Bloomington Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator; applications due 7/27.
• NIRPC Public Transit & Engagement Planner
• Thrive West Central Senior Planner & GIS Analyst
• Various roles available with KIPDA
• MACOG Community Development Planner
• MACOG AmeriCorps Program

Funding, Projects & Awards:

• Due July 11: Office of Community Services Community Economic Development Funding
• Due July 12: The National Center for Applied Transit Technology has funding for Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Rural Planning Organizations, or Tribal consortiums to hold Technology Summits with their agencies.
• Due July 15: RFPs for Phase II grants from the Fair Housing Center for Central Indiana. Applications can be in the program areas of housing rehabilitation, neighborhood stabilization, or neighborhood quality of life.
• Due July 15: National Center for Mobility Management Community Mobility Design Challenge Grant
• Due July 15: League of American Bicyclists' Community Spark Grants
• Due July 18: Apply to host AmeriCorps members in Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall, & St. Joseph Counties. For municipal and non-profit organizations with a focus on environmental stewardship and economic resilience!
• Due July 20: Round 3 of MIBOR REALTOR Association's 2022 Economic and Community Development Investment Grants
• Due July 29: Smart Growth America & National Complete Streets Coalition Leadership Academy for State DOTs application

• Due August 1: INRC Creative Placemaking Program now accepting applications
• Due August 1: INRC Indianapolis Community Building Institute (ICBI) now accepting applications
• Due August 2: Applications for a 2023 Great American Main Street Award
• Due August 31: Foundation for Rural Service Community Grant program

• Due September 15: Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program

• Due October 5: Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs Historic Renovation Grant Program
• Due October 13: US Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program Request for Funding

• Due November 30: Greenways Foundation accepting applications for Indiana trail projects

Public Input:

• MACOG CONNECT Transit Plan, Phase 2 Survey is open now through the end of July. There will be four open house events this month, in Goshen, South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart.

• Due July 22: KIPDA Transportation Planning Survey, regarding federal funding priorities

• St. Joseph County is creating a new comprehensive plan. Visit their website for info on their July 27 Comprehensive Plan Summit, mapping activities, and more!

• The draft Central Indiana Regional Freight Plan will be available for public feedback July 13-26. The IMPO will be presenting highlights and key recommendations of the plan during two virtual public webinars. If you'd like the IMPO to present on this draft plan to your group or organization in person or online before July 26, please contact Jen Higginbotham to make arrangements
• Tuesday, July 19 at 6 p.m. ET
• Wednesday, July 20 at 1 p.m. ET

• IndyGo is currently seeking public feedback on local route improvements; learn more details and complete the survey here! (Surveys are available in English, Spanish, French, Hakha Chin, and Creole.)