Muncie downtown revitalization through cultural tourism

The objective of the study is to propose a strategy to revitalize Muncie's downtown through cultural tourism. This is seen as a critical catalyst to help preserve the historical fabric of the downtown.Muncie's downtown, with its historical and cultural assets, has an opportunity to attract the tourism, convention, and conference business which in turn can support hotels, restaurants, specialty shops, and entertainment establishments.In view of above, this creative project attempts to revitalize downtown through linking and promoting cultural tourism facilities like museums, theaters and festivals, convention and conference centers, and specialty shops.A transport loop connecting the tourist anchors like Ball State University, Minnitrista Cultural Center, and downtown of has been proposed. The tourist routes in Muncie and to East Central Indiana have been identified to enable the visitors to visit tourist destinations easily. Signage, and banners have been proposed along major routes to give proper orientation to visitors and also to enhance the image of Muncie.A strategy has been outlined for the preservation historical buildings through adaptive reuse. All these proposals have been incorporated as an urban design strategy.