44. Indianapolis, IN

Every year, hundreds of thousands of racing fans pile into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch what promoters bill as “The greatest spectacle in racing” – the Indy 500. Cars bring fame to this Indiana city, but planners are moving to reclaim the streets for pedestrians and cyclists. The Indianapolis Cultural Trail is transforming eight miles of downtown streets to include wider sidewalks and two-way bike lanes that are separated from car traffic. Attractive landscaping will also play a central role, with the goal of encouraging more people to use alternative forms of transportation. The year-old Indy GreenPrint program has also begun to revitalize the rest of the city. The program includes plans to replace resource-intensive turf lawn with natural vegetation, create an environmentally preferable purchasing plan, and become more energy efficient. The city has also signed onto the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement.

(Photo by Ryan E. Poplin)