Monon Boulevard and Midtown Plaza

Monon Boulevard and Midtown Plaza is a $32 million project that transformed a 12-foot-wide shared-use pathway into a 140-foot-wide multi-modal boulevard. This project demonstrates how a well-designed, amenity-rich, highly programmed linear park can attract transformational reinvestment that, together, enhances and expands urban life and activity.

Monon Boulevard includes dedicated lanes for pedestrians and bicycles, gathering spaces, plazas, and amenity zones, lighting, trees, green infrastructure, activated sidewalks, traffic-calmed roadways, and on-street parking. A range of amenities has been integrated within the expanded corridor to accommodate trail users and provide a distinctive experience, including neighborhood green spaces, arts plazas, community tables and benches, food kiosks, shade structures, a spray plaza, bocce ball courts, public art, and outdoor café spaces.

Midtown Plaza is a vibrant, urban park located in the heart of Midtown, along Monon Boulevard. The Plaza provides an interactive play area for kids and adults, featuring outdoor billiards, ping-pong tables, cornhole boards, and a large outdoor media screen. 

This project was developed by the City of Carmel.

The award-winning Monon Boulevard project has received the following awards and recognitions:

• ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Special Mention, 2022

• Outstanding Urban Design Award from the Indiana Chapter of the American Planning Association, 2021

• Featured Project in Making Cities Livable Conference, 2021

• Featured Project at Walk Bike Places Conference, 2020 (virtual) and 2021 (in-person, planned)

• Indy Chamber Monumental Awards, 2020:

  • Real Estate Development Honor Award

  • Landscape Architecture Honor Award

  • Engineering Merit Award

  • Neighborhood Revitalization Merit Award

  • Public Art Achievement Award

• Monon Boulevard – A Linear Park Integrating Vehicles and Pedestrians, Purdue Road School, Joint Transportation Research Program / Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), March 2020

• Bold Boulevard: Transforming the Monon Greenway into a Signature Community Asset, Indiana Park and Recreation Association, February 2020

• Congress for New Urbanism International Charter Award, 2019:

  • news announcing-2019-charter-awards

  • CharterAwardsBook_2019

• AIM Indiana Placemaking Award, 2019:

  • video-carmels-monon-boulevard-project-receive-community-placemaking-award

  • youtube.com

  • monon-boulevard-recognized-with-2019-aim-award

• Urban Trails: Placemaking and Connectivity as Catalysts to Enliven the Urban Core, National Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference, September 2019

• Bold Boulevard: Transforming the Monon Greenway Into A Signature Public Space, ASLA Indiana Chapter Conference on Landscape Architecture, Lecture & Field Tour, September 2019

• Transforming the Monon Greenway Into an Economic Driver, ULI Indiana Chapter On Location Presentation, September 2018