Ball State University is focusing a study on the northwestern Indiana city of East Chicago, concentrating on the Grand Calumet River and a portion of the Indiana Harbor Canal south of East Chicago Avenue. The team looked at the opportunities to leverage a recent cleanup and redevelopment projects as a catalyst for neighborhood redevelopment.
East Chicago is the corporate home to the following industries and businesses: ArcelorMittal’s Indiana Harbor Works, considered the largest steel mill in the USA. Indiana Harbor Works comprises East mill, originally Inland Steel, and West mill, owned over most of its existence by Youngstown Sheet and Tube.
However, the need is evident for area reinvestment. A transit-oriented development, also known as TOD, near the South Shore train station stop is said to have hopes of greatly enhancing the southern edge of the city.
Ball State’s landscape architecture and urban planning students examined ways to weave together this fragmented city, which is challenged by transportation and natural elements that divide neighborhoods and impact the quality of life for residents.
The team is set to develop design ideas based upon input from critical stakeholders, existing plans and research, and best practices related initiatives. The study also included a two-day visit and a workshop that provided direct contact with community leaders and residents.
