The Project

At the intersection of North Dorgenois Street and the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood, this project addressed a persistently dangerous crossing point for pedestrians and cyclists. The Greenway is a vital corridor for recreation, commuting, and community life, and this intersection had been the site of frequent near-misses and collisions, with unclear traffic patterns and insufficient safety infrastructure. The project aimed to improve visibility, slow vehicle speeds, and create a safer, more legible connection to the surrounding neighborhood.

The intervention combined bold roadway murals with targeted traffic-calming measures, including new stop signs and flexposts, to clearly define the intersection and encourage safer driver behavior. Designed and installed by Arts New Orleans’ Young Artist Movement, the murals reflect community-based motifs while directly engaging 25 local youth in shaping a safer streetscape. The project creates a more welcoming gateway for the more than 1,000 daily users who pass through the site. By pairing infrastructure improvements with creative placemaking and youth leadership, the project demonstrates how asphalt art can deliver immediate safety benefits while strengthening community connection and ownership.

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The Project

A major crossing point in the North End of Niagara Falls, a five-way intersection was reimagined to increase pedestrian safety, lower dangerous high speeds, and improve the overall wellbeing of the neighborhood. Vehicle lanes were narrowed, forcing traffic to slow as they approached the intersection. Crosswalks were installed across four lanes, where before there were no crosswalks, with shortened crossing distances to improved pedestrian safety.

The curb extensions and center roadway mural, totaling just over 4,500 square feet and defined by plastic traffic bollards, were designed and painted under the direction of Tyshaun Tyson, the Artist Development Manager for the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, with the help of 10 volunteers and 8 National Heritage Area staff members over the course of three days. The design was inspired by movement and the energy found in everyday urban spaces, and merges creativity with the natural flow of the neighborhood.

Best Practice Highlight: Building a sense of community ownership

The Niagara Falls National Heritage Area is an organization deeply rooted in the local community, and as such, it was important that the community take part in creating the artwork. Students from nearby Abate Elementary assisted with the installation on all three days, and nearby local business owners assisted each evening. By involving the community members who would utilize this intersection the most, they became invested in the outcome of the project and in further creating a safer and more connected neighborhood.

• 45%-53% decrease in average vehicle speed
• Recorded high speeds through intersection dropped an average of 10
  miles per hour
• 12% increase in pedestrian foot traffic

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The Project

The “Heading to School” project in Mocochá aimed to improve school-area safety by promoting active mobility and expanding access for pedestrians and cyclists. The Asphalt Art project specifically focused on safe pedestrian crossings, sidewalk extensions, and street murals, and resulted in improved traffic management and safety, road safety education, and a stronger shared identity in school zones.

The project encouraged community involvement and inter-institutional collaboration, ultimately creating a safer and more respectful environment for everyone. Artists were selected through participatory workshops where community members contributed ideas inspired by local Yucatán vegetation and animals such as lizards, birds, and colibríes. The community actively engaged in the design and installation phases, organizing into teams to support work shifts—even at night to avoid the daytime heat. Installation prioritized road safety markings at school intersections before adding the vibrant artistic elements that enhanced identity and promoted safety awareness.

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Press

“Safe School Environments,” An Exemplary Pedestrian And Road Safety Project In Mocochá (Yucas Al Día, March 15, 2025)

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

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

The City of Columbus, Indiana, installed a two-part asphalt mural along 16th Street at the intersections of Home Avenue and Union Street, near a residential neighborhood and budding commercial node. By transforming the streetscape with colorful artwork and improving safety and walkability, the City hopes to uplift residents and visitors and increase foot traffic to the neighborhood business district, as part of an overarching civic aim of enhancing social connectivity and economic growth through creative placemaking and art activation.

City-Designated Artists Shamira Wilson and Cory Robinson’s approach to the 16th Street project builds on strengths and similarities between the individual artists, while striving to find new ways of working with shared themes to explore new ideas for the site. Playing with the vocabulary of grids, muted and vibrant color palettes and a series of repeated “leaf” shapes has led the creative team to the initial proposal. With the help of 21 volunteers, 52 gallons of paint, 25 hours of painting, the artist duo installed the mural over the course of two days.

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Press

ON THE STREET: Graphic art project on 16th Street something new for Columbus (The Republic, May 20, 2021)

The Project

The Club Crossing project aimed to create a fun and welcoming street environment for elementary school students, families, and residents to cross to the Club Boulevard Elementary School, Northgate Park, and the Ellerbe Creek Trail. The project activated the intersection and travel lanes by adding artwork to the crosswalks in front of Club Boulevard Elementary, reducing speeding on West Club Boulevard, and increasing yielding to pedestrians crossing. Based on responses from 1,800+ residents through an online community vote held in January and February of 2021, Candy Carver was selected to paint her winning design out of five designs created by local and regional artists. Carver worked with community members and stakeholders to refine her crosswalk design, and together with 39 volunteers installed the mural over the course of two days. The mural, “Our Oasis,” depicts blue motifs and reminds residents of the nearby creek and surrounding natural environment with colorful fish guiding the way.

• Potentially dangerous conflicts between drivers and pedestrians crossing the street decreased by 30%.
• The percentage of people who felt unsafe crossing fell from 85% to 6%.
• Community members who felt positively about the site rose from 4% to 77%.

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Best Practice Highlight: Community Surveys

The City of Durham engaged community members throughout the design process by using various forms of surveys and community conversations. Through an initial survey, the City collected feedback from residents on usage and perception of the site, as well as what kinds of design interventions were desired. Five finalist artists were selected by a panel of community members and organizations and commissioned to create designs that responded to the needs and preferences of the community. This process culminated in a vote drawing in 1,826 responses, selecting Candy Carver’s crosswalk mural of colorful oceanic patterns and fish as the winner. Post installation, a school-day walking event was hosted for 160+ students to meet the artist and representatives from the East Coast Greenway, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, Bike Durham, and the Durham Park Foundation who discussed public art, street safety, nature, trail and park use, and connectivity throughout Northgate Park.

Press

Durham seeks community input on future crosswalk art along West Club Boulevard (WTVD-TV (ABC), November 9, 2020)

The Project

The City of Norfolk identified project sites in three Norfolk Police Patrol Districts based on neighborhood diversity, traffic safety, police data, pavement conditions, and resident interest. Ground murals were painted at the three sites, and will become hubs for events to engage residents, embrace communities, and help ensure that those who live in the areas feel looked after and cared for. The Police Department participated in the events in an effort to increase police-community trust, and thereby improving police effectiveness and public safety. All three murals celebrate Norfolk’s black community in various ways, such as visual elements inspired by Adinkra symbolism and quilt design and through references to the Underground Railroad and Denby Park’s legacy as the “Times Square of the South”.

Improving Police and Community Relations Through Art

Best Practice Highlight: Designing for the Community

Local artist Mensah Bey was selected for the first project, a 100-foot ground mural in the Norview neighborhood. His design, titled “Gather in Abundance,” draws inspiration from West African Adinkra symbolism, with imagery representing unity, togetherness, abundance, and cooperation. In addition, the design creates a physical platform for participatory events. Amid a pandemic, social distancing was a prime consideration during any community gathering. The design incorporates flower symbols spaced 10 feet apart to indicated where individuals can safely stand during choreographed activities. Over the course of two days, Mensah Bey and his team oversaw 55 community volunteers and police officers to paint the mural.

Press

New Asphalt Art Project Brings Norview Community Together (Patch.com, October 13, 2020)

Reck On the Road: Norfolk Street Mural (Hampton Roads Show, WAVY, October 20, 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 Saginaw installed murals at three intersections along Court Street, a major downtown corridor running through the Old Town neighborhood of Saginaw. Overseen by the Great Mural Project, a local public art collective, the project included decorative crosswalks at Court Street and Michigan Avenue, and full intersection murals one block to the south at N Hamilton Street and then across the Saginaw River at Ezra Rust Drive and Fordney Street, at the entrance to a popular city park. By using art to tie these three intersections together, the team looked to support local businesses and draw visitors downtown, while also celebrating the city’s diversity. To accomplish this, an application and interview process was help and one or two primary artists were selected for each of the three intersections, with all three of the designs incorporating a butterfly into the artwork as a unifying theme.

A City Invites Its Community to Paint the Streets

Best Practice Highlight: Paint-A-Thon

With over 13,000 square feet of artwork spread across three intersections, the 4 City-Designated Artists brought approximately 20 supporting artists to help complete the mural installations over one weekend, to limit the need for additional traffic diversions. On this first installation day, the City hosted a “paint-a-thon” event inviting community volunteers to participate in the artmaking. Participants were given fabricated stencils to paint butterflies on the sidewalk across the bridge connecting one intersection with the others, which allowed for many people to be involved simultaneously while socially distancing. The event included five musicians, food from nine local restaurants, and games including corn hole, Jenga and Connect Four to create a unique festive atmosphere in a time when many public events are on hold. To ensure safety during the pandemic, the organizers posted signage requiring social distancing, provided masks and hand sanitizer and took the temperatures of participants as they arrived on site. The team completed nearly all of the painting on Saturday alone, with the artists returning on Sunday morning to complete the job by Sunday evening.

• 100% project satisfaction from surveyed visitors
• 83% of surveyed business owners feel the asphalt murals benefited their business
  

Press

“Great Mural Project Paint-A-Thon” Happening Saturday In Saginaw (News Radio WSGW, September 24, 2020)
Court Street intersections in Old Town Saginaw brightened with street murals (Michigan Live, September 24, 2020)