Truex began his duties at the downtown urban design center on July 1. He also will be working for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, helping to facilitate the downtown planning process for the Regional Center Plan 2020.

Truex is an Indiana native who taught on Ball State's urban planning faculty for 14 years, specializing in community development and urban design. He has been a key participant in the College of Architecture and Planning's national award-winning Community-Based Projects program for many years, serving as director from 1997 to 2001.

He has spent the past year in the Washington, D.C., area pursuing other professional interests.

Truex has led community design workshops in Indianapolis and other cities and towns around the state, and he has been co-director of the Indiana Total Quality of Life Intitiative supported by the Indiana Department of Commerce.

He also has been a trainer for the national Habitat for Humanity/AmeriCorps program and has worked in planning offices in Indianapolis and Charlotte, N.C.

Truex has a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree specialization in urban design, both from Ball State's College of Architecture and Planning.

CAP:IC opened in a downtown storefront studio at 26 W. Washington St. earlier this year. Working with local partners, the center is educating students about urban design and planning in the nation's 12th largest city, and it assists with community projects around Indianapolis.

CAP:IC also has helped the city conduct public workshops and conceive ideas for the Indianapolis Regional Center Plan 2020, which will guide future development downtown.

The center plans to offer interdisciplinary courses and degree programs for students, continuing education options for professionals, an incubator for new design and planning firms, and a research center and library on urban issues.
 

(Note to Editors: For more information on this story, contact Scott Truex at (317) 822-6169 or struex@bsu.edu. The CAP:IC Web site will be launched by the end of July at www.bsu.edu/capic.)