My friend has written a grant for funding to re-do the bump outs in our downtown as part of a placemaking project. There will be trees to help cool down the area. They hope to have bicycle racks specially designed as art.
Then another friend told me about a small town in Missouri that painted their crosswalks. People were driving through town too fast, and this helped slow down the traffic.
These are great ideas. But they are big steps. What could be some smaller steps towards downtown placemaking?
A student in New Westminster, BC had an idea to beautify the streets. It was supported by the city, designed by students and made by volunteers. They added a bit of color to the traffic bump outs!
I’m sure they had to jump through some hoops to get permissions to do this. How could they have tried this in even smaller steps? They could’ve used chalk! On just a couple of areas in town. Then they could’ve watched to see if traffic slowed down. Took a few pictures. Now they’ve put together a real live example of how it could look, and the benefit it provides. Then they could share their story on social media and in person. All small steps and all very helpful towards accomplishing their big goal of painting the bump outs.
Thanks,
Deb
P.S.
Cheap Downtown Placemaking Ideas September video from SaveYour.Town gives you many ideas you can put to work right away!
thanks to Twitter @NewWestSchools for the pic, see more here