Principles of Healthy Neighborhoods
Indianapolis is a community of common purpose composed of individuals and distinct neighborhoods with diverse assets and needs.

We establish these eleven Principles of Healthy Neighborhoods as a framework for working together to affect sustainable social change through a comprehensive community development system that integrates civic, social, physical, and economic development to create spaces and relationships where we live, work, raise our families, and participate in our community.
Civic
  1. Leadership: Healthy neighborhoods value and cultivate skilled leadership and an active citizenry. Healthy neighborhoods possess a complement of local organizations, civic associations, religious communities, and/or community development corporations composed of the diverse, local array of racial, ethnic, and economic constituencies. 
  2. Vision: Healthy neighborhoods foster the creation of a “future community vision” and develop a holistic set of neighborhood strategies to achieve that vision. The ability to collaborate across barriers and sectors to successfully implement these strategies is recognized and valued. 
  3. Collaboration: Healthy neighborhoods exist within a metropolitan setting where governments and the private, philanthropic, and independent sectors value and provide coordinated support for neighborhood association formation and growth, local leadership development, and holistic community development initiatives.
Social
  1. Services: Healthy communities maintain the highest standard of health and human services.
  2. Education: Healthy neighborhoods place a high value on intellectual and moral education. All local institutions and social structures take extraordinary measures to provide support to local schools. Parents and adults actively participate in the education of children. Children and young adults are involved in neighborhood associations and other local leadership forums that offer civic responsibility training. 
  3. Culture: Healthy communities offer a wide and varied array of artistic, cultural, recreational, and spiritual programs and venues to enrich the quality of life, nurture local talent, and foster creativity.
Physical
  1. Safety: In healthy neighborhoods, police and citizens partner together to create a safe, crime-free environment. Healthy neighborhoods create safe and nurturing venues for children. 
  2. Environment: Healthy communities manage and invest in local properties and the common environment to maintain the community’s aesthetic and physical quality. 
  3. Housing: Healthy communities offer attractive housing as a community asset and a wealth-building opportunity for local families.
Economic
  1. Business Diversity: Healthy communities possess a complement of retail and professional services. 
  2. Economy: Healthy communities have an integrated economic relationship with the surrounding region that provides both producers and consumers and generates economic opportunity. Healthy neighborhoods provide a setting where individuals can participate in the economy, either in the workforce or through entrepreneurial activity.