Goals

Developed for Main Street Marion, this project is a series of guidelines for the renewal of the downtown area in Marion, IN. The booklet acts as a resource that would help with the process of receiving grants for the work Main Street Marion does. The team at Marion Design Co. developed a vision book, providing technical information and plans while casting a vision for what could be. It covered the areas of building codes, gathering spaces, and plants.

vision casting

Along with giving design guidelines for business owners, we created pieces of vision casting to show what the possibilities could be. This was created to help inspire the owners to revitalize the downtown area in their own unique way.

Instructions and bylaws

We worked with the city to find out what design constraints were in place legally so small business owners did not get in trouble. This constant communication and insight helped generate the ideas and guidelines for the town.

Utilizing Research

Research is a priority while making guidelines that deal with city ordinances. We used other cities’ guides, ethnography, and observational research to inform all of our decisions. It is important to see where other cities have been successful, so we can translate that success into the City of Marion. After major guidelines were decided, we would reconverge with representatives of the area to receive approval.

Making a resource

This project was supposed to be a resource for small businesses to check and get info from. It was important to be organized and quickly provide details for when they are talking to contractors and building material providers. This quick and succinct requirement meant this information had to be condensed.

the book

We created a small notebook size so it could travel from place to place and recall the info that they need to update their space and storefronts. It is also made to give to one another, held by the Council’s office, and lent out and returned by small business owners when they move to the city.

The Content

The information in the book covered a broad set of guidelines covering topics such as:

• Storefront building colors, including a color scheme for the town and providing corresponding paint codes from local hardware stores.

• Awning codes, including sizes, colors, material, and how to update them.

• Plant and tree types and methods of irrigation to allow city maintenance.

• How to create gathering spots, encouraging foot traffic in and out of the city.

• Giving in-depth blueprint diagrams on placement and size guidelines for people to use and check for accuracy.

influence

Groundwork for Growth was provided to Main Street Marion and has been used as an example of an expanding city to gain funding for future projects.