The Project

The Leading with Love mural at the Lahser Triangle in Northwest Detroit is the final touch on a community-based safety and walkability project years in the making. With the Redford Theater, the Artist Village, Detroit Blight Busters and long-time businesses like Sweet Potato Sensations, the Old Redford commercial district is a hub for community conversations, arts and resilience. At its heart, the angled intersection of Redford St with Lahser Rd, high vehicle counts and excessive speeding created an unsafe pedestrian environment in an otherwise walkable district. In 2020, during a local public art planning process, residents prioritized this intersection for a mural plaza that would create new pedestrian space, shorten crossing distances and slow car traffic. Winning an Asphalt Art Initiative grant allowed the City to secure additional funds to install a grade-separated plaza and landscaping in advance of the final mural. Per the Old Redford Public Art plan, an artist advisory group led by the Old Redford Business Association selected the artist and design. The project is a tribute to the power of community building when leading with love.

• 40% reduction in crossing distance
• 2 new crosswalks
• 1,700 square feet of roadway reclaimed for pedestrians

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The Project

Via Monte Ruggero marks Rome’s first “school street” to integrate asphalt art as a tool for safer, more people-centered public space. In the heart of Tufello, where several schools, a library, and community facilities converge, the street had long been a fast-moving corridor that posed daily risks for children and families. In response, the City partnered with artist Gio Pistone to reimagine the corridor as a pedestrian-priority zone.

Through an online survey with more than 2,000 participants, residents selected Pistone’s Flying Carpet design, a vibrant mural that signals to drivers that they are entering a shared, low-speed environment. Paired with new benches, plantings, and bicycle racks, the artwork supports Rome’s broader goals for sustainable mobility and safer school access. The transformed Via Monte Ruggero now functions as a joyful public space where students and neighbors can walk, play, and gather.

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The Project

Along bustling Via Marx, this project reimagined an informal parking lot that had long posed challenges for pedestrian safety, livability, and public space access. Situated in a densely populated district with limited green areas, the site functioned as a vehicle-dominated void—disconnected from nearby pedestrian routes and lacking any inviting community infrastructure. The intervention transformed the space into a safe, welcoming extension of the neighborhood’s public realm, reconnecting residents to key walking paths leading toward the city center and demonstrating how underused asphalt can be reclaimed for people rather than cars.

The installation introduced a vibrant ground mural, shaded seating made from repurposed materials, and new crosswalks that organized circulation and slowed vehicle movement. The renewed space now also offers a more comfortable, dynamic setting for the neighborhood’s weekly farmers’ market. Developed through public workshops, the project doubled as a catalyst for community participation. Volunteers—including students of architecture and design, with residents and design students joining the painting process and helping shape the space. By testing a new layout for Via Marx and sparking dialogue about its long-term future, the project not only delivered immediate improvements but also catalyzed ongoing stewardship.

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Best Practice Highlight: Turning temporary urbanism into long-term stewardship

This project demonstrates how a temporary intervention can lead to lasting forms of community participation when it is built on an existing ecosystem of local actors. The project team intentionally worked within a network of cultural organizations, neighborhood groups, and municipal partners whose relationships shaped both the design process and the outcomes. Workshops led by CUT (Circuito Urbano Temporaneo), together with public events curated by La Cultura Nuova and The Loom, created multiple entry points for residents to test new uses of the space, express concerns, and build a shared vision for the site’s future. These collaborations strengthened community ownership and generated momentum that extended beyond installation week.

This groundwork ultimately led to the signing of a Patto di Collaborazione, an agreement between the community and the municipality to care for the new square. By aligning the design process with civic collaboration and everyday participation, the project illustrates how asphalt art can serve not only as a spatial improvement but as a catalyst for governance, empowering communities to take responsibility for public space over time.

The Project

Re-imagining Graham Avenue involved a fast-paced street mural project that transformed a bus corridor into a pedestrian area, with park-like features and festival space. Eight murals, tied together by the work of a lead artist. The street murals were installed on four city blocks over a two-week period in July 2025. Colourful murals (with a palette reflecting many different partner organizations and businesses) brought to life approximately 24,000 square feet of road space, and helped temporarily transform the road into animated pedestrian space where people can walk, bike, eat and play on Graham.

Best Practice Highlight: Partnering for Success

The Re-imagining Graham project was led with partnerships in mind. It brought key stakeholders and their connections to the table to find creative ways to animate the street. This included lighting, seating, placemaking competition, street furniture, games and of course, street paint. For the street paint portion of this project, the artists worked collaboratively with a project manager, Stéphane Dorge, to guide the process, as well as and a lead artist, Takashi Iwasaki,. For such a large site, collaboration, teamwork and partnerships were crucial to doing the best with what we had.

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The Project

Amsterdam’s Asphalt Art Initiative project, “Surround Sound,” was designed to build connections between the city’s vibrant street art community and residents in the Nieuw-West district, a mixed-income area in the far west of the city with a diverse immigrant population. A unique partnership between the central city district government, Nieuw-West, the Street Art Museum Amsterdam and the Spanish City-Designated Artist Kenor, the project brings bright splashes of color to benches, planters, and portions of the sidewalk near the vibrant local marketplace at Plein 40-45, drawing customers on market days and enlivening the neighborhood for residents year-round. The “Surround Sound” design was later adapted into a design scheme for the global cities summit Bloomberg CityLab held in Amsterdam in October 2022.

Asphalt Art Is Revitalizing This Amsterdam Neighborhood

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The Project

The Glass Street Gateway in Chattanooga is an intersection of multiple residential neighborhoods and a high-traffic commercial thoroughfare. Creating spaces for residents to gather has been a years-long project, and keeping schoolchildren and other residents safe has required negotiating where and how vehicle traffic functions in the area. Crutchfield Street, which borders the newly opened grocery store in an area that historically was a food desert, was identified as an ideal candidate for a slow-down.

Local community nonprofit Glass House Collective partnered with the Chattanooga Department of Transportation and Chattanooga Design Studio to create a block-long asphalt mural. Designed by local artist Kevin Bate with input from the community, the mural was installed by a team of 3 artists. Additionally, a team of 35 artists and 150 neighbors and volunteers created community spaces around the mural to help activate the intersection and encourage foot traffic. In addition to activating Crutchfield at the street level, artists worked with an additional 150 students and teachers at Hardy Elementary to expand the mural and mark safe walking paths in the area using stencils and wheat paste. The mural was unveiled at the grand opening block party for the new grocery store, along with a new community boardwalk and gathering space alongside the mural.

A Community Reclaims A Street with Art

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Best Practice Highlight: Community Design Workshops

In an effort to engage the community in every aspect of the design process, Glass House Collective held “Planning-By-Doing” workshops with design professionals, artists, and community members in the months leading up to the mural installation. As part of the “Planning” part, the mural artists invited residents to help shape their design options, which were ultimately put to the community for a vote. For the “Doing” portion, five teams comprised of area residents, artists, design professionals, and local stakeholders were each given a $3,000 budget to implement a small-scale intervention that would help connect neighborhood assets. These short-term, low-budget projects were used to test ideas and used as a way to gather community input for long-term changes to make the streetscape more vibrant and safer. The temporary projects included:

• Safe routes stenciled on the sidewalk using Hardy Elementary School’s eagle mascot, encouraging students to “follow the eagles “ along the safest path home
• A new seating area alongside the mural, including a “LOVE letters” bench, planters, shade structure, and tables on a raised boardwalk
• A “gateway” sculpture at the entrance to Crutchfield Street filled with inspiring quotes from neighbors
• A “Walk of Fame” near the local Youth and Family Development Center using stencils designed by local students

Press

Taking Art to the Streets, Just Look Down (The New York Times, May 20, 2021)

New Save A Lot store and artwork spark hope for people in East Chattanooga neighborhood (News Channel 9, April 26, 2021)

Glass Street Gateway Initiative reveals final results to the public (WRCB-TV, April 25, 2021)

Completion And Grand Opening of Major Glass Street Gateway Initiative Is Here (Chattanooga Press, April 16, 2021)

CDOT and Glass House Collective awarded grant for street mural (WDEF, News 12, February 8, 2021)

Planning By DoingWorkshop Participants Create New Projects for Improvements To Glass Street (WRCB-TV, October 2, 2020)

Glass House Collective Uses Community Workshops to Revamp Glass Street (Glass House Collective, October 1, 2020)

The Project

As part of London Design Festival, 11 crosswalks on Tottenham Court Road and a pedestrian plaza and crosswalk in the City of London were reimagined with distinctive, playful designs featuring bright colors and shapes. The artistic direction for the project was led by London-based artist Yinka Ilori, who worked with three art students from the University of the Arts London to develop some of the crosswalk designs, as well as community members invited to help paint the Queen Street pedestrian area. As the UK prepared to host the United Nation’s meeting on Climate Action, COP26, this project is one of several installations in international cities supported by the Asphalt Art Initiative to encourage more sustainable transportation and transform and revitalize public spaces through the power of art.

• 79% of pedestrians said these colorful crossings improve the local environment and feel of the street.
• Over half of pedestrians feel safer using these colorful crossings compared to normal pedestrian crossings.

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Best Practice Highlight – Aligning with City Priorities: Recovery

The ‘Bring London Together’ project sought to aid the reopening and recovery of London after the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing colour, life, and vibrancy to the streets of the City. The asphalt art installation was launched as part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s “Let’s Do London” tourism campaign to support the capital’s creative, retail and hospitality sectors which were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The domestic tourism campaign was the largest in London’s history, bringing together London’s leading hospitality, culture and retail organizations to offer an autumn season of design, fashion, film, art, and photography events welcoming City workers, Londoners and visitors back to the capital.

The Project

In 2005, the City of Reno lowered 2 miles of railroad tracks that once cut through downtown. The Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor (or ReTRAC), originally proposed in 1940, created an enormous concrete cap over the railbed intended to improve the overall quality of life in Reno, both by reducing noise and exhaust fumes and creating a new public space in the heart of downtown Reno. Designed to be a central component of the city, the original plans envisioned a large greenway and entertainment spine, but when the recession hit in 2008 the project was forced to halt.

After more than a decade-long-wait, a variety of partners came together to enhance the ReTRAC East Plaza concrete and dirt space between the Whitney Peak Hotel and Eldorado Resort Casino on Virginia Street. Artist Brad Carney was selected to paint an 18,000 square foot mural along one section of the ReTRAC spine. The bright and playful mural, titled “Locomotion,” was designed to reflect features of northern Nevada, like the Truckee River, the state flower Sagebrush, nearby mountain ridges, elements of the Reno flag and the Reno Arch, and a reference to the train tracks that run below the space. The City advertised time slots for residents to participate in installing the mural, and 300 volunteers came out to paint over the course of a week. In addition to the mural itself, the City planted trees and landscaping along the edges of the plaza to create a greener and more welcoming space. The City plans to maintain the mural for 3 years and then assess whether it needs to be repainted.

How This Asphalt Art Project Transformed a Plaza

Best Practice Highlight: Creating a welcoming space for community events

The primary goals of the revitalized plaza involve activating the plaza through events and other ways of engaging residents. The City has planned a slate of events throughout the year, kicking off with the annual Reno Pride Parade.

The space hosts a variety of annual special events such as BBQ, Brews, and Blues; Hot August Nights; Street Vibrations; and the Italian Festival. With the new mural and other improvements in landscaping around the space, the City utilizes the plaza more regularly for community events such as pop-up art festivals, craft fairs, holiday events, performances and concerts, farmers markets, and food trucks. The plaza is also featured as a destination in the City’s annual Winter Light Festival.

Press

Downtown Reno beautification project moved forward (Informed Infrastructure, June 23, 2021)

Downtown train trench cover now called ‘Locomotion Plaza’ with completion of mural (Reno Gazette Journal, June 11, 2021)

Walking on Sunshine (Reno News & Review, June 5, 2021)

Taking Art to the Streets, Just Look Down (The New York Times, May 20, 2021)

What’s Up Downtown: Making our mark downtown with ReTRAC Plaza (Northern Nevada Business Weekly, May 4, 2021)

City of Reno approves $130K donation agreement for enhancement project in downtown (KRXI-TV FOX, August 27, 2020)

The Project

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the historically black Jackson Ward neighborhood, the City of Richmond has created a gateway to a redeveloping downtown through a new three-part installation: a pedestrian plaza, an intersection mural, and a parklet. The mural and plaza artwork was designed by artist Chris Visions and draws on the Adinkra symbolism of Ghana; the Sankofa bird design represents reflection, paying tribute to the neighborhood’s legacy as the city’s African American cultural and economic center. Nine students from Art 180, a youth-focused arts group located at the intersection, worked with the artist throughout the design and installation phases of the mural. The parklet was installed in the parking space in front of Art 180, and offers a new public space for residents to gather. The project has inspired a sense of community pride and cohesion and has activated the space as a new gateway to Jackson Ward.

• Potentially dangerous conflicts between drivers and pedestrians crossing the street  decreased by 56%.

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Best Practice Highlight: Combining project elements

This project combines multiple elements to create a holistic public space. The artistic mural, pedestrianized lanes, newly striped crosswalks, wooden parklet and street furniture, brick plaza, and painted curb extensions all work in unison to effectively accomplish their goal of placemaking. Various partners collaborated to piece each distinct element into one cohesive installation. The project won a 2022 Golden Hammer Award for Best Placemaking & Urban Design.

Press

Jackson Ward crossroads of Brook, Marshall get parklet, street mural (Richmond BizSense, December 2, 2021)
Richmond cuts ribbon on new plaza mural, parklet in Jackson Ward (Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 19, 2021)
Venture Richmond cuts ribbon on new parklet in Jackson Ward (ABC 8 News, November 17, 2021)
Artist brings African art to Richmond’s Jackson Ward (CBS 6 News Richmond, November 17, 2021)

The Project

The City of Providence’s Art, Culture + Tourism (ACT) Department, Rhode Island Latino Arts, the Partnership for Providence Parks, and Providence Streets supported the installation of brand-new ground mural by local artist Rene Gómez at the intersection of Daboll and Public Streets. Reclaimed from a wide swath of underutilized asphalt, the new artful plaza will not only help slow traffic at the dangerous intersection, but serve as a pop-up event location where people can gather to experience performances and happenings, contributing to culturally relevant placemaking in South Providence. The artwork also accompanies the City’s recent completion of safety infrastructure upgrades to Broad Street, part of the City’s Great Streets Plan, which make the area safer and more accessible for people walking, biking, riding the bus, and driving. Together, the ground mural and street safety improvements demonstrate a holistic approach to public infrastructure by promoting safer, more vibrant, and more accessible public spaces in Providence.

Press

A new mural brings beauty and safety to the Broad Street cultural corridor (NPR, August 25, 2022)