37 INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL CENTER PLAN 2020 PLANNING DOWNTOWN�fS FUTURE TODAY LEARNING DOWNTOWN State Park and Downtown.  A challenge for K- 12, charter and other learning institutions in the Regional Center will be to access the University as a resource for their programmatic offerings. Educational Institutions In addition to IUPUI, other colleges and universities in Indianapolis represent valuable, perhaps underutilized, resources.  Increasing their presence within the Regional Center would potentially exert a positive influence on the area.  Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning, for example, has, already initiated an Indianapolis Center that represents an important resource for Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.  The students and staff that are located at the Center can be called upon to facilitate a variety of planning and urban design initiatives with neighborhoods as well as the Regional Center planning effort.  They also represent a learning resource regarding a range of urban-based issues ·  Ball State University Resources Encourage a long-term presence of Ball State University in the Regional Center as an architectural planning and urban design resource. See page 86 for projects and programs related to the topic of research and higher education. 15.  LIFELONG LEARNING Many arts and cultural institutions are located in the Regional Center.  In addition to attracting people, they are important contributors to learning and the quality of life in the city.  Several areas within the Regional Center have been designated as cultural districts and a planning effort is underway to identify a proposed Cultural Trail, an exciting concept to link and promote the arts and cultural amenities.   These linkages, if developed, will have an increased economic impact for the city. Libraries The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library offers lifelong learning opportunities for individuals as well as satisfying the information needs of organizations and businesses.  The transformed Central Library scheduled to open in early 2006 will provide literacy services, a computer lab, a large auditorium and an expanded family space devoted to information literacy. The IUPUI library is an excellent research resource.  Through an arrangement with the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, the IUPUI library can now be accessed using a standard library card. Continuing education and conferences The Regional Center is the location for many conferences and opportunities for continuing education that take place at a variety of venues including the Indiana Convention Center and local hotels.  These are learning opportunities that have the potential to be better coordinated with other tourism, arts and cultural venues.  More information is neededto determine how this can be accomplished. GOAL 14 Support higher education and ongoing efforts to establish the Regional Center as a National life sciences hub for research, development and commercialization. OBJECTIVES ·  Educational Institutions  Increase access to all local colleges and universities within the Regional Center. ·  IUPUI Campus Planning Framework Support implementation of the IUPUI Campus Planning Framework. ·  Herron School of Art Build an understanding of the amenities of the Herron School of Art. ·  Biomedical/Life Sciences  Support IU School of Medicine's efforts to become one of the top 10 medical schools nationally and one of the top two medical schools in the Big 10.   Concept Plan from the Regional Center Northwest Urban Design Workshop showing a potential life sciences community  with a Clarian People Mover extension National Institute for Fitness and Sport