Cities feel like cities when there is an organic element to them. The macro sense of order and planning is, at the street level, undone by bustling, often conflicting sensations. Indy has very little of that chaotic urban feel that gets you charged and excited. We have nice murals, but no real graffiti scene. We have wide avenues, but no street vendors. We have attempts at multi-purpose buildings, but there’s no invitation to go into those buildings, either because of unwelcoming occupants or poor architectural design. We need to allow for more experimentation, reuse, and repurposing of our public and private spaces, built and natural. When Indianapolis citizens have a bit of free reign to try things—ventures that may or may not work out in the long run, but that are nonetheless laudable in terms of innovation, and are “productively shocking” in terms of waking the rest of us up to alternative paths—we can start to call ourselves a city.