Other Consultants:

J.F. New & Associates, Huff & Huff Short, Elliott Hendrickson & The Trust for Public Land

Category:

Planning and Analysis

The Marquette Plan was created to be a catalyst for reinvestment along a twenty-one mile segment of Indiana’s industrialized Lake Michigan shoreline. The five lakeshore communities of East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Portage and Whiting collaborated with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the office of Congressman Pete Visclosky to create the plan. In addition, industry representatives, regulatory agencies, countless special interest groups and hundreds of citizens participated in the complex planning process.

Northwest Indiana has suffered from years of environmental degradation, population flight and a lack of investment. The Marquette Plan’s creators recognized that Lake Michigan is the most important regional asset and hope that the plan will provide a long-term framework for ecological, economic and social rebirth of the area.

The landscape architect played a critical leadership role throughout the entire planning process. From data gathering and analysis to final land use planning, each step was led by the landscape architect in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of professionals.

The Marquette Plan is a long-term reinvestment strategy that will take decades to implement and require billions of dollars from numerous public and private sources. However, a critical piece of the plan is the implementation of shorter term demonstration projects in each community. One such project is already underway in Portage, Indiana. The success of these immediate projects will help garner the support necessary for the achievement of the plan’s longer term goals, which include increasing public shoreline access and establishing a continuous trail network linking people to Lake Michigan. The plan, as agreed upon by the communities and multiple stakeholders, establishes the highest and best use for the Indiana lakefront.