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Slow Streets Program in April to support active transportation and safe physical activity during the pandemic using typical construction barricades to close over 20 miles of streets to motor vehicles. They’ll partner with an artist to design a new Oakland Slow Streets “look and feel” that better reflects the unique community identities across Oakland, rather than bringing to mind construction sites.

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, NV)

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada’s Bonneville Transit Center (BTC ) in Las Vegas is a major transit hub that connects frontline workers, residents, and tourists to employment, essential destinations, and attractions. They’ll work with an artist to design and implement artwork and signage at the BTC that educates the public about social distancing and safe transit riding practices.

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit—BART (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

Nationwide, wearing masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 has unleashed serious issues and concerns for people of color, specifically Black, Latinx, and Asian people due to racially-motivated harassment and violence. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) recognizes that facial coverings may attach an additional stigma to people who already experience discrimination and is committed to ensuring transit is safe and as welcoming as possible for all riders. BART will collaborate with an artist to pilot a community-informed intervention strategy to deconstruct racial prejudices worsened by COVID-19, and normalize the culture of mask wearing on transit.

West Central Initiative (West Central Minnesota)

West Central Initiative (WCI) seeks to reach a more diverse range of stakeholders to better inform their transportation planning—specifically active transportation—throughout west central Minnesota. They’ll work with an artist to create a reusable community engagement kit consisting of both virtual and physical tools that can be used while social distancing is required, which will be used by WCI staff across the nine-county region.

Smart Growth America has partnered with Forecast Public Art to assist in the matching of artists with the selected agencies. Forecast, based in St Paul, Minnesota, is a national nonprofit organization that activates, inspires, and advocates for public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity.

Stay tuned for more information on this project. We’ll make a public announcement after the artists have been finalized.

This program is made possible with support from the Kresge Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.