Placemaking Week 2024

The State of/and Traffic Calming Art in the U.S. panel will feature experts from across the placemaking and traffic engineering sectors discussing the evidence-based public health and cultural benefits of traffic calming pavement art; and the current state of debate within public agencies over the design and regulation these joyful, life-saving works of public art infrastructure. Increasingly across the US and worldwide public art and placemaking projects are being leveraged to activate public spaces, promote economic growth in main streets and downtown areas, and support Vision Zero solutions for improving safety for pedestrians, wheelchair users, and people who rely on bicycles for transportation. Asphalt art such as street murals, art crosswalks, and wayfinding trails help to show that public spaces are for all people, not just moving cars fast or so called “free” parking. While numerous communities are embracing asphalt art for its low-cost traffic calming and place-centered cultural benefits, some cities are unsure if they should permit the work due to regulatory headwinds, historical engineering biases, and/or technical uncertainties such as ADA compliance and artwork durability. This panel will feature creative transportation safety practitioners sharing precedent projects and addressing the most pressing questions around traffic calming art.