When the Plan 2020 team launched the #loveindy Twitter tag in April of 2014, they had no idea it would grow into the social media movement it is today. People don’t just like Indianapolis; they LOVE it.
What started as a call for photos of people and places around the city caused the group to look at the submissions that arrived in a new way. Why were these people photographed? Why these places? The answer is simple enough: Love. Love for people, love for Indy. What’s the story behind the love, though? Plan 2020 is asking you to tell your story in 300 words or fewer and your story may be featured in a major city document.
“We have seen so much energy around the Love Indy movement over the last year,” said Mali Jeffers, Love Indy Project Manager for the Plan 2020 initiative. “This initiative was grounded in community engagement. We are continuing that effort with love letters that offer a glimpse into just how strongly residents feel about our city: its past, present and future. These stories could appear in the Bicentennial Agenda, the visionary plan for the future of Indy.”
Jeffers notes that while the team is looking for any and all stories, the document has several key categories the team hopes to inspire Indy residents to share a related story.
- A look back (history)
- A way forward (future)
- Strengthening neighborhoods
- Strengthening community
- Strengthening families
- Meeting peoples basic daily needs (complete communities)
- Greenways
- Waterways
- Arts, culture and design
- Social gathering places
- Innovation and entrepreneurism
- Information technology
- Business retention and expansion
- Industrial renewal
- Downtown
- Anchor institutions
- Civic responsibility
- Economic mobility – quality of life
- Transportation choice
- Neighborhood-based schools
- Workforce development
If you would like your story to be featured in Indianapolis’ plan for the next 100 years, please send submissions by July 24, 2015. You can mail your love letter to The Hall, 202 N. Alabama Street or loveindy@plan2020.com.
