Project Description: 

Monument Circle Park is the first project of the South Downtown Connectivity Vision Plan and part of the Indianapolis Downtown Resiliency strategy. The temporary park is part of a decades-long conversation in Indianapolis on how to prioritize the Circle as a place for people, not just cars. The SPARK on the Circle initiative brought together downtown stakeholders to test these ideas with the park.

The project creates a comfortable, fun, and green social space for friends, neighbors, families, workers, residents and visitors to enjoy the Circle in new ways. It provides a new perspective on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and a renewed appreciation for the city.

We were inspired by the Circle as the center of the state and heart of the city. The design of the park uses a series of green circles to provide diverse spaces for play, relaxation, social connection, shade, art, food and drink, and performance.

The public feedback from the South Downtown Plan showed overwhelming desire for enjoyable, safe, and comfortable, active, and green public spaces. This includes a significant need for more trees downtown. The Monument Circle Park project tests this by introducing more trees and lush planting to allow visitors to the Circle to feel like they are in a series of garden rooms.

The project was initially piloted in 2015 over one summer. In its current configuration, the temporary park has been installed over four years from 2023 through 2026. It lasts from approximately June through November each year with additional special winter holiday programming. Surveys and public feedback are completed to understand how the space is used and what can be improved working toward a more permanent intervention.