Worlds Apart
An Update on Gaps in Life Expectancy in Central IndianaSAVI Talks – August 26, 2021
In 2015, the IU Fairbanks School of Public Health (FSPH) and The Polis Center published an issue brief, Worlds Apart: Gaps in Life Expectancy in the Indianapolis Metro Area, that brought to light a 14+ year gap in life expectancy between the longest and shortest living communities in Central Indiana. Because of the significant interest and community discussion that the report generated, we have collaborated to update our analysis. We will see which communities gained or lost life expectancy over a 10-year span (prior to COVID-19), and we’ll compare life expectancy at different ages across the life course to see how patterns differ.
In this August 26 SAVI Talks event, we will also share key findings from our deep dive with SAVI data examining underlying social factors and life expectancy in Central Indiana communities. Join us to be informed and help spur community action–because everyone deserves the opportunity for a long and healthy life.
Other partners include The Polis Center, SAVI, WFYI, and the Central Indiana Senior Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, Inc
Articles and Story Maps
Explore other research and interactive content we have developed around equity.
Changes in Indy’s Historic Black Neighborhoods
In the 1970s, 4,000 residents left this nearly all-black neighborhood. Why? An increasingly desegregated housing market and closure of one of the country’s first public housing projects.
Neighborhood Change 1970-2016
From 1970 to 2016, the forces of suburbanization and white flight, followed by the ensuing forces of urbanization, have significantly changed neighborhoods across the Indianapolis region. White, educated, and middle- to upper-income households left the core of...
Story Map: Race and Migration Since 1970
In 1970, half of the region’s Black population lived in 12 square miles north of downtown Indianapolis. As Black residents moved into ’60s suburban communities, 120,000 White residents left the city’s core for newer suburbs.
Are We Segregated by Educational Attainment?
Most neighborhoods match the educational diversity of our region, but those with less education are largely excluded from downtown and the northern suburbs, while they are relatively isolated in the southeast side and parts of Anderson.
City Funds Flanner House Micro-Grocery in Food Desert
WFYI reports that the City of Indianapolis announced the first recipient of its Healthy Food Access grant on Thursday. Flanner House will receive $400,000 to develop Cleo's Bodega, a micro-grocery that will sell discounted food through a relationship with Under the...
As Gentrification Bill Considered, Values Increasing Quickly in These Neighborhoods
A proposal in the state legislature would offer long-time homeowners in designated areas relief from rising property taxes. Indiana House Bill 1056, which was debated in a study committee last week, would cap assessed value increases at three percent for eligible...
Unequal Access: Tobacco Retail in the Indianapolis Metro Area
Retail access to various smoking products is an important consideration when discussing community action to improve a community’s health. Studies show that tobacco outlet density and proximity are linked to tobacco use–particularly in poor areas. We used...
Who Has Access to Groceries and Farmers’ Markets?
The USDA defines food deserts as a census tract where “at least 500 people and/or at least 33 percent of the census tract's population reside more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store." [usda.gov] This is a useful definition, but of course food...
The Rich Live Longer Everywhere. For the Poor, Geography Matters.
Article You May Have Missed: The April 11, 2016 issue of the The New York Times featured the article, "The Rich Live Longer Everywhere. For the Poor, Geography Matters." This topic resonates with the Polis Center and SAVI as we prepared a report on a similar...
Worlds Apart: Gaps in Life Expectancy in the Indianapolis Metro Area
Two communities that are both situated within the Indianapolis metropolitan area and separated by only 28 miles are in reality worlds apart. One sits in a northeastern suburb of Indianapolis. Its residents have a life expectancy of 83.7 years, rivaling the top-ranking...
Authors
Tess Weathers
IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
Karen Comer
The Polis Center
Jay Colbert
The Polis Center
Matt Nowlin
The Polis Center
Jeramy Townsley
The Polis Center