ABSTRACT
DISSERTATION/THESIS/RESEARCH PAPER/CREATIVE PROJECT: The Economic Impact of Historic
Districts – A Case Study of Indianapolis Neighborhoods
STUDENT: Kathryn Wertz
DEGREE: Master of Urban and Regional Planning
COLLEGE: Architecture and Planning
DATE: December, 2010
PAGES: 96
This study looks at how local historic district designation affects assessed values. Both
designated and non-designated neighborhoods are used in this study to determine if historic
designation is linked to an increase in assessed value. The methodology for this study is derived
from a combination of previous studies that are discussed in this report. A case study of
Indianapolis is used to test the hypothesis. Neighborhoods in Indianapolis are used to draw
conclusions for the study.
This study attempts to determine if historic district designation increases the assessed value of
residential structures. I hypothesize that assessed values in designated districts will rise faster
than similar non-historic districts. I also expect to find that assessed values in non-historic
districts will rise at a slower rate than the designated neighborhoods.