Background

For Indianapolis, the benefits of hosting the 2012 Super Bowl go on and on: More than $120 million in direct economic investment, invaluable worldwide media exposure, and the opportunity to showcase the city to business leaders and other VIPs from across the globe, to name just a few. But for organizers of Indianapolis’ Super Bowl bid, this was not enough – the plan needed to include a lasting civic legacy that would leave an impact far beyond game week.

The Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee’s leadership found a worthy partner on the city’s Near Eastside, where a coalition of neighborhood groups had come together under the auspices of the Great Indianapolis Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to create a comprehensive quality of life plan. Consisting of close to 35,000 residents, the Near Eastside has been plagued by some of the highest rates of home foreclosure and abandonment in the country throughout this decade. As businesses have closed, crime rates have risen, graduation rates and school test scores have fallen dramatically.

The Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee was exploring building a new state-of-the-art practice facility for the NFC Super Bowl team at Arsenal Technical High School on the Near Eastside; this project became the cornerstone of a broader collaboration focused on supporting the community’s revitalization strategy. The Host Committee decided to designate portions of the Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan as the 2012 Super Bowl Legacy Project.

Each component of the Legacy Project is chaired by a representative of the Near Eastside neighborhood and a representative of the broader community. The four committees are: NFC Practice Facility/Community Recreation Center; Housing; Business and Economic Development; and Special Events and Promotions.


More about the Quality of Life Plan

In 2008, a Quality of Life Plan was created for the Near Eastside through the Great Indianapolis Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) with input from residents. This plan identified seven (7) action areas for the Near Eastside:
  • Housing Redevelopment
  • Economic and Business Redevelopment
  • Education
  • Family Strengthening
  • Livability
  • Neighborhood Connections
  • Public Safety

Four key groups play a critical role in implementing the plan and sustaining these efforts: the John H. Boner Community Center, the area’s comprehensive community center; Near Eastside Community Organization (NESCO), an umbrella organization for the neighborhoods of the Near Eastside and its committees; Indy-east Asset Development (I-AD), the Near Eastside community development corporation, and the East 10th Street Civic Association. Other lead partners include Englewood CDC, Riley Area Development Corporation, Partners in Housing, Rebuilding Together Indianapolis, ReImagine Neighborhoods, Community Hospital Foundation, Emerson Avenue Corridor Gateway Steering Committee, Community Choice Federal Credit Union, St. Philip Neri, Indy Parks and Recreation, Indianapolis Public Schools, Centenary Church, Arsenal Technical High School, Community Addiction Services, Inc., Brookside Church, Englewood Church, People’s Health Center, and Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center.