Carmel is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States. In 2023 alone, our city was named as the Best Place to Live in Indiana by Niche.com, the Most Affordable Safe Suburb in the U.S. by SmartAsset, and the Best Place to Live in the Midwest by Livability.
This comes after Carmel ranked in the top three places to live in the U.S. by Money Magazine in 2021 (No. 2), 2018 (No. 3) and 2012 (No. 1).
With a city that’s so highly regarded across the country, you would think there’s not much more we can improve in our community, but the truth is a city that isn’t getting better is a city that’s falling behind. We must continue to make improvements. Here are a few things I think we should continue to invest in or things we could do better as a community.
Crime prevention
Carmel consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in our state, but we must remain vigilant to keep our community safe. We must continue to invest in training and tools for our police and firefighters and we must offer competitive salaries and benefits so CPD and CFD can continue to attract the best to join their departments.
Protecting our neighborhoods
Our revitalized downtown is a place where residents can live, work and play, but we must ensure we are protecting the charm and character of our existing residential neighborhoods. We can do this by protecting green space and preventing overdevelopment. We can first conduct a housing study to review housing inventory and needs. We also must engage the public to ensure they have a true voice in what gets built in our community.
Some issues of concern include the number of multi-story apartment buildings and out-of-state corporate investors buying up residential properties and turning them into rentals or Airbnbs. We can’t ignore these concerns. We also need to continue to invest in sidewalks, lighting, and crosswalks to keep our neighborhoods safe.
Fiscal responsibility & transparency
Carmel is currently in good financial shape, but it will take experienced leadership to ensure we stay on the right track. We must focus on smart investments that have a strong ROI and prioritize funding NEEDS before WANTS. I’m not against investing in those “little extras” that help us stand out, but only if we are adequately funding needs like road repaving first. We also need to have a strong plan to maintain our city’s infrastructure down the road, and we must reduce our debt. All these conversations must be done in public, and residents should have a voice.
Helping our small businesses
As a former small restaurant owner, my heart always goes out to the little guy. Small businesses are the heart of our economy and give us character. We can do more to help our small businesses. We can help new small businesses better navigate government red tape when they first open. We can help potential new businesses find affordable commercial spaces and we can continue to plan community events that drive customers to our small businesses. Mom-and-pop places have been through a lot over the last four years, and we must continue to support them.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at adamforcarmel@gmail.com.
Adam Aasen is a City Councilor representing Carmel’s Southeast District.
Great Article Adam. As a small veteran-owned local business servicing the Carmel area for nearly 20, we can testify that it’s impossible to find affordable commercial space here. It’s also quite difficult to find employees for labor jobs, especially with no mass transit. Mom-and-pop places are struggling with little to no city help or incentives. Awarding city jobs to the little guys and help with navigating the red tape along with ensuring that job opportunities are accessible to a wide range of small businesses regardless of their size, connections, and other factors improves overall economic balance, making the job market more stable and resilient.
We appreciate your service and your time.