The 57th International Making Cities Livable Conference was hosted by The City of Carmel in Indiana. The conference has been hosted in places like Canada, Italy, United Kingdom, and other places. We had the opportunity to attend the conference as it relates to Pedcor’s initiatives in the Carmel community and our other communities. But first…
What is the International Making Cities Livable Conference?
The International Making Cities Livable movement was initiated in 1985 to make cities and communities more livable. The IMCL Conference focuses on the importance of making cities livable for children first, the need for public transit, bicycle lanes, traffic-calmed streets, and so forth. It is also focused on creating public places where people can gather for a farmers market, festivals, outdoor cafes, and community social life.
Why was the conference in Carmel, Indiana?
The five-day conference was focusing on “Carmel’s transformation from a suburb built for vehicles to a walkable, diverse, thriving, and livable edge city. Innovators like Carmel, Indiana, are showing the way to a new generation of better, more livable suburbs. The Carmel conference will examine timely topics such as neighborhood health, social capital, green cities, affordable housing, active mobility, gentrification, displacement and homelessness, age-friendly cities, resilience and adaptation, and other related issues.” Nancy Heck, City of Carmel
How does the International Making Cities Livable Conference relate to Pedcor?
The picture above is an award granted for the Carmel City Center during the IMCL Conference. In a strategic partnership with the City of Carmel and its Redevelopment Commission, Pedcor has designed, built, and actively manages the Carmel City Center plus many of the surrounding mixed-use structures in downtown Carmel. We are so proud of what we created that we wanted it to be a 3-minute walk from our corporate campus!
Steve Sturtz, President of Pedcor Design Group, attended the conference and accepted the award on Pedcor’s behalf. He stated that “one of the high points of the conference was the awards dinner where Carmel City Center was acknowledged as an award winner. The ‘Built Project Category’ distinction is significant because a majority of the awards were presented for studies, concepts, and design projects presented by architectural/planning students. The Carmel City Center award has more to do with outdoor public spaces than with the buildings, which are acknowledged only to the extent of their contribution to those spaces. Specific mentions included the comprehensive approach we utilized to address accessibility by elevating crosswalks to sidewalk level, an approach the city has since adopted in many locations. The curb-less interaction between streets and sidewalks in our plaza squares was also praised as was the connection between accessible parking and pedestrian areas.”
Pedcor’s Innovative Approach
The award is a representation of Pedcor’s innovative design for outdoor accessibility. This is a small glimpse into Pedcor’s innovative approach. We partner with cities, like Carmel, to make desirable, livable communities using innovative, creative, and complex development and financing methods.
It was a great opportunity to have Steve Sturtz attend the International Making Cities Livable Conference. It was great to have an employee hear the presentations and discuss with people that have similar objectives in mind for cities and suburbs. Also, it was a bonus to be an award recipient.
Pedcor is working alongside the City of Carmel and Mayor Brainard to grow and improve a livable city and community. It has been in the work for other cities across the other 160 Pedcor communities. Pedcor’s innovative approach to financing real estate transactions enables us to serve each community with a custom-tailored housing solution.
Pedcor Companies is a full-service development, construction, property management, banking and finance team committed to creating stable, inclusive, and quality rental housing across the nation. We are cultivating thriving communities. For more information, please visit our website.
Pedcor supports the federal fair housing act and all state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in housing with regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, handicap, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered (LGBT+) individuals. Pedcor is an equal opportunity provider and employer.