LEBANON — Lebanon, Indiana, has made downtown revitalization a priority, and now the city is partnering with Indiana University students to expand its event space and strengthen its community identity.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
The Heart of Lebanon, the city's main street organization, is working with IU's Rural Placemaking Studio to develop a design plan for a corridor along South Meridian Street adjacent to the courthouse square.
"The space is on South Meridian Street. It's just right adjacent to our courthouse square," Missy Crulik, executive director of the Heart of Lebanon, said. "On the east side of the courthouse square is where we hold most of our events. We have some beautiful, catenary lights that we have our events under, and as our events grow and expand, we want to expand our space."
The effort builds on a major investment in the area. According to the Heart of Lebanon, downtown Lebanon underwent an $11 million renovation in 2019.
The Rural Placemaking Studio connects students majoring in comprehensive design and graphic design with rural communities to create design plans that those communities can then execute. The program has been in existence for three years.
Kyla Cox Decker, interim executive director for the IU Center for Rural Engagement, said the process is community-driven.
"The students follow the community's lead in developing these projects and these designs, and the community partners have the opportunity to shape those designs as they are developed," Cox Decker said.
Communities selected for the program have fewer than 50,000 people. The goal is to give those communities a distinct identity.
"It really builds additional pride for the communities when they have the opportunity to work with students to showcase what is most important to them," Cox Decker said.
Crulik said that a sense of identity can sometimes be difficult for smaller communities to maintain.
"I think by doing placemaking and quality of life initiatives, you can really ground your community in who they are and what makes them great," Crulik said.
15 rural Indiana organizations are partnering with IU students this year. The 2026 Rural Placemaking Studio will conclude this summer with a public open house showcase. A future call for proposals is planned for late 2026. For more information, click here.
__
