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Jan
4
The Urbanophile writes that Indianapolis suburbs could outgrow many Northwest and Northern Indiana cities as a result of annexation and plans for major growth.
What these actions are doing are creating a far larger type of suburban city than previously existed in Indianapolis. As these newly annexed areas build out, these new towns will have significant size and scale seldom seen in Indiana outside of its largest cities. Carmel and Fishers are both pushing 70,000, and are targeting buildouts over 100,000, which would make them as big as places like Evansville, South Bend, and Gary. By 2020, it’s possible that multiple Indianapolis suburbs will rank in the top five cities in Indiana.
While I think growth is a great thing for Indiana — especially if plans for larger Indiana cities mean more jobs, revenues and opportunities for Hoosiers — it does make me wonder if it is time for Northwest Indiana cities to join together in some sort of unigov system to counter growth and political power that the newer large Indiana cities of the future could gain once they surpass Indiana’s larger cities of today.
It might make sense for several Northwest Indiana cities to join together as one unit to gain greater economies of scale and savings by combining police, fire, schools and other municipal government resources. At the very least, it could end some duplication of services and reduce purchasing costs because of greater bargaining power.
Can unigov work for Lake County?
Do we need to start thinking about it before Central Indiana grows its population beyond that of NWI’s?
Is it time for various NWI political units to join forces to counter Indy suburban growth?
Can NWI overcome its tradition of political balkinization for consolidation to work?
What downsides could there be to combining NWI political units?
Could combining NWI cities into larger political units lead to more corruption and more problems?
If we don’t act, will NWI lose out as power flows from our corner of the state to the Indianapolis collar counties?
What do you think?
Comments
4 Responses to “Is Indy Suburban Growth A Threat To NWI?”
Yes it will effect us especially in competition for State dollars. (i.e.: The state will be more willing to spend state money on mass transit for the benefit of Indy and the collar communities than it will here.) That is probably nothing new.
Unigov for NWI? Breakup the Feudal Fiefs? Nobody in politics here will initiate it. Such a policy would have to be imposed by the state government. It might be a good idea in the long run and would give the region a focus.
It might promote more sprawl which would be bad.
There are actually a lot of annexations going on in NWI too. Dyer and St. John are sparring over territory IIRC.
Any potential problem with NWI’s political heft is foremost going to be driven by total population growth. Right now NWI is growing, but slowly.
I happen to be very bullish on NWI’s future. It’s part of Chicagoland, it has the lakefront, and the tax/cost climate is way better than the south side or south burbs. Similar quality of life to the south burbs at a lower price point. Can’t beat that. Plus, the heavy industry zone is something that is one of only a handful of such areas in America – and no new ones will likely ever be built. While US Steel will probably never employ 50,000 again, this heavy industry area is a big asset.
The Urbanophiles last blog post.."Our Product is Better Than Our Brand"
Hi Brad, I’d like to see NWI’s communities come together to create something for the better. I also think the same as you that no one will want to give up their power or position — something that could happen with consolidation.
Thanks the comment, Urbanophile!
I also bullish on NWI, especially if the Illiana Expressway is built and eventually connected with I-355. It would make Northwest Indiana even more attractive to Illinois residents looking for lower taxes and more house for the price.