Quality of Place Drives Quality of Life: Evidence to Attract Support for Placemaking and Beautification in Central Indiana

By Jeff Bennett, CICF Chief Innovation Officer 

As financial resources tighten, donors’ attention naturally turns to what feels most immediate – food, housing, and health, for example. That can leave parks, trails, public spaces and neighborhood beautification feeling secondary or, even worse, indulgent. 

While that is understandable, it is short-sighted. A growing body of research demonstrates that easy access to well-maintained public spaces improves a host of major social outcomes. That means investment today prevents and reduces crises in the future.  

Here are four major benefits, all backed by data:  

#1: Better Physical and Mental Health  

Our overall health is greatly determined by how active a lifestyle we lead. 

The Greater Indy Trailways are designed with that idea in mind. By connecting trails between neighborhoods and across central Indiana counties, this growing network makes it easier for more residents to incorporate movement into daily life; yes, for recreation, but more importantly, for necessary transportation across various distances. The value of any single trail increases as it becomes part of an interconnected system that supports consistent, everyday use. 

That easy access matters. Research shows a clear relationship between proximity and use. People who live closer to safe biking and pedestrian infrastructure are more likely to use it regularly. Even modest increases in daily movement can reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. 

But the impact extends beyond physical health. Even people who walk for short trips each day are significantly more likely to report stronger mental health.  

Sidewalks, trails, protected bike lanes, parks, and abundant public spaces make healthy behavior easier to choose. That’s why investments in this kind of infrastructure are tied to long-term cost savings. According to the American Heart Association, “Every dollar spent on building trails for walking or biking saves $3 in medical costs.” That’s a huge benefit for a state working to reduce its health costs.  

#2: Lower Crime Rates and Safer Roadways 

There’s also strong evidence showing that the condition and use of public space can influence crime rates. 

A local example comes from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) and its work to convert vacant lots into well-maintained green spaces. In partnership with researchers at the University of Michigan, this effort showed an average 12% decline in gun violence versus similar lots in surrounding areas.  

The changes themselves were relatively simple: Lots were cleaned, planted, and maintained. The impact, however, was significant. Residents were more likely to spend time outside because spaces felt more visible and cared for. Over time, that shift contributed to lower rates of gun crime. 

Safety also shows up in more direct ways through street infrastructure. In Indianapolis, auto/pedestrian crashes are not evenly distributed among roadways. A significant share occurs in just a small number of high-risk corridors, often where road design elevates driver convenience over pedestrian visibility and access. But again, simple adjustments can make these corridors much safer and more welcoming. 

One example is the successful Tactical Urbanism project on East 10th Street in the Community Heights neighborhood. Residents introduced temporary traffic barriers, lane adjustments, and freshly painted pedestrian areas. These simple, inexpensive changes reduced crashes along that corridor by 73% — a massive improvement for drivers and pedestrians.  

It was so successful that the initiative led to immediate redesigns for permanent infrastructure – a process that wasn’t expected to begin until 2029.  

Thankfully, this same approach is being extended to other locations, including 16th Street and the Monon Trail and at 10th Street and Harshman Middle School. These projects reflect a shift in how safety is addressed, moving from reactive enforcement to preventive design. 

Preventing crashes also has the multiplier effect of freeing up first responders, thereby increasing law enforcement capacity.  

Taken together, these examples point to a consistent pattern: Safety is influenced by how spaces are designed, maintained, and used. When the quality of a place improves, both crime and crashes decline.  

#3: Improved Economy and Investment 

Investment in public spaces spurs business investment and enhances residents’ ability to connect to better employment. 

It can also generate value. A 2015 IU Public Policy Institute study found that property assessments within one block of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail increased 148%, adding roughly $1 billion in assessed value in a few short years. 

Another obvious example is the Monon Trail. By 2004 – five years after the trail’s completion – homes by the trail sold for 11% more than comparable homes, showing how strongly people value easy access to connected, walkable places. 

However, while home and property values are important, the real economic game-changer for quality of place is how well it enables residents to move up the economic ladder.  

Trails, sidewalks, parks, and public spaces help attract new businesses and – when properly designed – allow better access to jobs, schools, services, restaurants, shops and other daily destinations for those who cannot afford or operate a vehicle.  

This connectivity goes hand in hand with Central Indiana’s transit-oriented development strategy. By putting more destinations, resources, and good-paying jobs along pedestrian routes and major transit corridors – especially IndyGo’s new bus rapid transit lines – the region can turn around low rates of upward mobility.  

Alignment between transit and mobility is especially critical as a business-attraction strategy. After all, businesses follow talent, and younger people want maximum mobility. That’s according to a recent survey from the National Association of Realtors, which found: 

Generation Z is more willing to pay more to live in a walkable community. They also want to live near public transit more than other generations. 

Meanwhile, a 2025 Area Development magazine survey of mostly small-to-mid-size manufacturing corporations showed quality of life was among their top three factors determining site selection – ahead of energy costs (#4), corporate tax rates (#12) and state and local incentives (#13).  

Why? Because people (i.e., the labor force) make decisions based on whether a place feels healthy, connected, active, and easy to navigate.  

For associated nonprofits, this creates a stronger case for funders. Quality of place increases investment and economic mobility. 

#4 Better Social Cohesion 

Finally, quality of place can determine whether or not people feel connected and able to participate in their community. 

Do people have well-maintained public places where they can spend time for free? Do these spaces allow them to regularly see their neighbors and feel safe? If those spaces are accessible and welcoming, people use them, creating a natural sense of social connection that many lack – especially older Central Indiana residents. 

In one famous study from the 1960s, varying levels of traffic intensity on three San Francisco residential streets were found to correlate with the number of friends people had made.  

That social connection leads to networks that can impact everything from successful job searches to available babysitters to a block’s collective response to extreme weather events.  

Again, access plays a critical role. Not everyone has the same ability to move through a community. Seniors, young people, residents without reliable transportation, and people with disabilities often depend on pedestrian infrastructure to fully participate in civic life. When those systems are limited or degraded, so is the availability of jobs, services, and social connections. 

For organizations focused on placemaking and beautification, your work helps shape whether people feel welcome in their own neighborhoods, whether they can engage with the social and civic life of their community.  

Better Outcomes, Fewer Emergencies 

In a moment when many are rightly focused on urgency, it can be easy to separate quality-of-place work from our most immediate challenges. 

But the evidence shows that we ought to keep it a top priority. 

When our daily environment is designed and maintained for healthy physical and social activity, communities are better positioned to meet immediate needs while simultaneously building more social and economic capital. 

For nonprofits and funders alike, the opportunity is to think about these investments as basic parts of a healthy society.  

Because rather than distracting from the necessities, a strong quality of place is one.

About the Author

Jeff Bennett, chief innovation officer, brings nearly 30 years of civic, nonprofit, and government leadership experience to CICF. He develops new partnerships and advances CICF’s regional impact. Prior to joining CICF, Jeff served in key leadership roles for the City of Indianapolis, where his work in neighborhood development, housing stability, human services, and pandemic response helped shape long-term strategies to support residents and strengthen communities.