Experience this amazing must-see rail-trail transformation into a new city center (Carmel, IN)

Exploring Carmel, IN w/ Brandon Lust aka ‪@AmericanFietser‬ - In June 2021, I was attending the Walk Bike Places conference in Indianapolis, and on the final day of the gathering, I decided to jump on my Brompton bicycle and ride the 15 miles up the Monon Trail to Carmel to visit with Brandon and have him give me a tour of the city's completely transformed city center and Monon Blvd.
Brandon and his wife recently moved from Minneapolis, MN, to Carmel because of the vibrant downtown/midtown environment and the ability to live a car-light, nearly car-free lifestyle. I wanted to better understand the rationale behind the move. This short video is intended to give you a little taste of what it was like rolling through Carmel with Brandon.
Carmel is best known as the roundabout capital of North America, but the amazing transformation of the 30-year-old Monon Rail Trail into what they call Monon Boulevard, a truly cherished mixed-use destination, with recreational amenities, plentiful housing, as well as desirable shops and eateries.
It's hard to express just how special this area feels - they have created a truly safe and inviting "All Ages & Abilities" environment that draws people in.
Please enjoy!
Music Credits: Summer Rain and Rainbow by Oleksii Abramovych via Storyblocks.com
All video and audio production by me, John Simmerman
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Background: Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman. I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.
In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.
Since that time I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities".
This is my personal Active Towns Channel and it features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.
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Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2022
Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. Any donations collected are used specifically to support the organization's mission.
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[@JulesStoop]

The infrastructure feels quite nice. Nice densities too. Hats off, Carmel!

[@ActiveTowns]

Yes! I was quite surprised and delighted. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

[@swtexan6502]

Thanks, John. Carmel has indeed come a very long way over the past several years. Getting better every day.....

[@ActiveTowns]

It really has! And I am due for another visit. Do you follow Brandon Lust's www.youtube.com/@AmericanFietser Channel? He has some great current content on the city. Cheers! John

[@swtexan6502]

@@ActiveTowns Yes I do.... hope to meet up with him on the trail soon!

[@ActiveTowns]

@@swtexan6502 Cool! 👍

[@henkstersmacro-world]

Finaly a town starting to get closer to how a town should be like, but who am I to tell you that.... I'm just a guy from the Netherlands😆

[@ActiveTowns]

Definitely some solid Dutch inspirations in these designs. ;-)

[@haydeesales8106]

Cidade tranquila, muito calma e sossegada.

[@hfvd65]

Yep, could be a town in the Netherlands. Good to see the progression! Well done.

[@ActiveTowns]

@Henk van Dijk, We totally agree. Thanks so much for watching and the comment. Cheers! John

[@buddy1155]

It really looks scary like a Dutch town, except for the US flags.

[@JustClaude13]

Thanks for the recommendation. It's an impressive town. They could attract a lot of tourists looking to escape their own hollowed out mess. I agree with the critics. The water tower project is a waste of money. But it's the sort of waste that could be iconic in the region, so they should go ahead and waste it. If it's too expensive to keep it going they can always remove it later. Adding sound effects to the tail of the Rattlesnake Bridge in Tucson was also a waste of money, but someone else offered to pay for it and the people love it, so it worked out fine.

[@ActiveTowns]

You are quite welcome... what's really impressive to me in the number of residents who come out, even by bike, to enjoy the public spaces that they've created. Here's Brandon's own recent video post on that very subject: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6bThnZrp9KLmas

[@garyharty1902]

Maybe our next destination. Brandon said he would love to join us for a beer if we can make it out there.

[@ActiveTowns]

Sweet! I think he has a good recommendation for a decent hotel as well. Cheers!

[@StreetcarHammock]

Tons of folks from this suburb and others like it commute into Indianapolis by car each day. This makes it very tough for Indianapolis to create decent cycle infrastructure or a downtown that isn’t half parking lot because it has to accommodate all the suburbanites.

[@ActiveTowns]

@StreetcarHammock, I hear ya! btw I rode to Carmel from Indianapolis on my folding bike (Brompton) and did see quite a few bike commuters along the way and over the few days I was filming in Indy. If you haven't seen it yet you may get kick out of my little video profiling the Cultural Trail kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqPKcoWBa9-Jppo It's obviously a long process but I did notice pretty nice improvements since my previous trip to Indy in 2018. Thanks so much watching. Cheers! John

[@StreetcarHammock]

@@ActiveTowns I certainly agree strides are being made and some local advocates + city officials are doing great work. It’s good to see movement in the right direction. I just wish it were quicker lol. I lived in Indy for a while and I wish it all the best. Thanks for the work you do highlighting these issues and I’ll definitely check out your other videos!

[@ActiveTowns]

@@StreetcarHammock Re: happening quicker... you and me both! Changing the status quo is long and hard work. You are quite welcome and I hope you enjoy the other vids. Cheers! John

[@erikloupias7642]

Is this in the Netherlands?👍

[@ActiveTowns]

It is certainly inspired by The Netherlands. Carmel, Indiana, is a small suburban enclave about a 15-mile bike ride up the Monon Rail Trail from Indianapolis. The city had no real heart or central core, so the mayor and city council wanted to create one, with the Monon Trail being the main focal point. Brandon has some wonderful videos highlighting the continued development of the area, plus its challenges: www.youtube.com/@AmericanFietser Thanks so much for watching. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John

[@erikloupias7642]

@@ActiveTowns Keep on the good work! Grtz from the Netherlands

[@ActiveTowns]

@@erikloupias7642 Will do. 😀Thnx 🙏

[@Nostromo12]

lol no stop at stop signs

[@ActiveTowns]

Hehe, yeah. Stop signs are for cars. Bikes are not cars and should not be treated as such. Cheers! John

[@farkstein1213]

this is highly disturbing..

[@farkstein1213]

the streets are red, and the cycling paths are grey, whats up?

[@ActiveTowns]

It happens... ;-)

[@ActiveTowns]

@Fark Stein, Yeah... they mixed up the color scheme from a Dutch perspective. Interestingly up the road on the Indy Cultural Trail they used the red brick scheme: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqPKcoWBa9-Jppo Thanks for watching. Cheers! John