Boogie Down Rides
An artist-led bicycling and art project in the Bronx brought bicyclers and advocates together to highlight the need for more bicycle infrastructure in the borough. The challenge From 1996 to 2005, Hunts Point in the south Bronx was one of three locations citywide with a high rate of fatal bike crashes and central Bronx was […]
Silent Lights
Located in the north Fort Greene neighborhood, Silent Lights is an artistic lighting project conceived by New York City DOT’s Urban Arts Program and the Brooklyn Arts Council, and designed by Urban Matter Inc. These organizations, in partnership with a wide range of local residents, community foundations, and nonprofit organizations, worked to turn a dark, […]
Creative crosswalks in Oakland’s Chinatown
In the early 2000s, in direct response to a rash of pedestrian fatalities among older Asian American residents and recent immigrants, the Asian Health Services and the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce successfully advocated for safety infrastructure at four intersections in Oakland’s Chinatown. The project proposal incorporated both standard pedestrian safety features and a custom […]
Memphis Medical District MLK Avenue
The Memphis Medical District Collaborative employed a local-to-the-neighborhood artist to enhance the streetscape for all users in the hospital and university campuses throughout their medical district. The challenge The Memphis Medical District Collaborative is involved in over 20 initiatives in the medical district of Memphis, which is anchored by multiple research, education, and practitioner medical […]
Highway 84 East Corridor Master Plan (Dothan, AL)
Attempting to deviate from the top-down style of planning that is typical in Dothan, AL, the city partnered with the Wiregrass Museum of Art and artist Cosby Hayes to produce “the most forward visioning initiative in the history of the city and greater Southeast Alabama Region,” in the city’s words. The challenge Dothan is a […]
Graham Projects – Baltimore, MD
Baltimore-based artist Graham Coreil-Allen has been at the forefront of using art to make streets safer for all. With training in visual art and architecture, Coreil-Allen has integrated his artistic practice with his “interest in activism and advocacy, especially around creating healthy neighborhoods ultimately that are uplifting and accessible for all people, with a particular […]
City Heights, San Diego
In the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, community partners helped improve the transit user experience, cultivated local ownership of a transit line, and improved a station area with community participation and creativity. The challenge City Heights neighborhood in central San Diego, California is notable as home to a number of refugees and immigrant communities, […]
Creative Catalyst Artist-in-Residence program at Los Angeles Department of Transportation
As the inaugural artist for the Creative Catalyst Artist-in-Residence program at Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), Alan Nakagawa delivered on the agency’s goal for the residency to stimulate out-of-the-box thinking. During his time at LADOT, Nakagawa leveraged his unique position to train staff on the critical role of storytelling in designing streets for zero […]
Minnesota Department of Transportation Artist-in-Residence
The Minnesota Department of Transportation hired their inaugural artist-in-residence who challenged the state agency’s status quo through thoughtful discussions and transformation of their meeting place. The challenge When behavioral artist Marcus Young (楊墨) was selected to join the MnDOT team back in 2019, it was not his first foray into government, having served as the […]
Washington State DOT Artists-in-Residence
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) launched the country’s first-ever artist-in-residence program in a state agency, with artists focusing on the agency’s creative thinking and producing tools to support the work of WSDOT’s thousands of staff members. The challenge The decades-old concept of integrating art within government has increased in popularity in the last couple […]