Ball State to Help Shape Fayette County’s Economic Future

The Fayette County Commissioners approved a request from Brad Colter to share the county’s GIS (Geographic Information System) data with Ball State University’s urban planning department. This partnership is part of Ball State’s signature “Immersive Learning” program, which has a long history of helping Indiana communities solve complex local challenges.

“They really take a deep dive into statistics and local information, try to understand why we are the way we are and how we do better in the future,” Colter explained. “Told them they have their jobs cut out for them.”

Ball State’s Urban Planning Department has recently completed several high-impact projects across the state:

Kosciusko County & Warsaw: Students conducted economic research and urban design for the “Winona Corridor,” focused on enhancing small business conditions and talent attraction.
Muncie Neighborhood Revitalization: The department partnered with the Muncie Land Bank to identify abandoned properties with the highest potential for redevelopment, a project that helped secure a $22 million READI grant for the city.
Randolph County: Over a six-year partnership, students helped develop the “Cultivating Community” initiative, which focused on quality-of-life pillars like new trail networks and workforce development.

For Fayette County, the students will use the GIS data over the next several months to identify potential development sites and provide an unbiased analysis of economic strategies to help the county “do better in the future.”