Muncie, IN
Vision and Action Plan

Like many communities in the Midwest—Muncie faces significant challenges in creating a prosperous and sustainable future after decades of disinvestment, population decline, changing demographics, and inefficient land development. Community leaders, including stakeholders from higher education institutions (Ball State University, Ivy Tech Community College, Harrison College), conceived the Muncie Action Plan (MAP) as a means to take stock of their current situation, to collaboratively shape an inspired agenda for the future, and to collectively work toward that future.

Unprecedented engagement.

The planning NEXT team designed and facilitated a visioning and strategic planning process that was inclusive, holding citizens’ opinions and values at its core; supportable, using methods to reach consensus on shared future goals among diverging interests; and actionable, detailing clear implementation steps to immediately work toward the vision. The process was an unprecedented coming together of the community. It engaged people of all ages and backgrounds from all parts of the city. Over 2,000 people attended at least one MAP workshop and many others volunteered to support the process. Never before have so many Muncie citizens gathered to share their ideas, hopes, and concerns about the community’s future.

Sustained implementation.

Five years after MAP was completed, Planning NEXT assisted in evaluating the plan. Part of this work included the development of a score card – a tool to evaluate status of each of the plan’s 47 actions. This evaluation was part of a long series of steps to realize the MAP beginning in 2010, where organizers and citizen volunteers formed a leadership group and five task forces. A coordinator was hired in January 2011 and a website (muncieactionplan.org) was launched. In fall 2011, MAP secured 501(c)(3) status, began a series of semi-annual community reports and began publishing newsletters to ensure continuous communication. Actions that have been implemented include launching an Early Childhood Education initiative (with over $900,000 of support funding), the development of a Council of Neighborhoods to build the capacity of neighborhood organizations, and the creation of a promotional campaign to highlight Muncie’s assets, define its role in the region, create a logo and multimedia advertisements, and hold promotional events.

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Project Type:  vision and strategic plan
Community Type: mid-size city
Client: City of Muncie, Muncie Public Library
Services: public engagement, visioning