Mission Statement
Near West Collaborative is a community partnership of four neighborhoods Hawthorne, Haughville, We Care, and Stringtown within its boundaries of White River, Tibbs Avenue, 16th Street and one block south of Washington Street. The neighborhood associations, institutions, community centers, and businesses have worked together over the last five years to help improve and revitalize the area. Near West is an area just west of downtown Indianapolis. Near West is rich with culture and history. Its numerous community assets lay the foundation for a quality-of-life plan that shows why Near West is the up-and-coming place to live, work, and be in the city.
Description
Near West is home to a wealth of assets, including 19 parks and recreational areas, 41 churches of various denominations, 6 public schools and a private Catholic High School. Near West also includes three community centers, the Westside Health Center, a senior apartment complex, several banks, a new library branch, the Southwest District Police Department, Westside Community Development Corporation, Goodwill Industries, and many newly established restaurants and businesses. In addition, the Near West is centrally placed between major state and national attractions, such as White River State Park, IUPUI, and the Indianapolis Zoo along its eastern edge. To the west are the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis International Airport.
Near West Collaborative will focus on six initiatives: education, health, business and economic development, neighborhood engagement, public safety, and beautification of the community.
The GROWING NEARWEST PROJECT is a community garden project, which presents a unique opportunity to foster community engagement, capitalize on existing assets, and build community capacity to address food access issues. The GROWING NEARWEST PROJECT also provides an opportunity for civic engagement and collaboration with IUPUI students through the university's Office of Neighborhood Partnerships. Students from the IUPUI Herron School of Art have been working with community residents to develop a design for the community garden that best meets the needs of this particular community (e.g. location of amenities---such as benches).
