Creative Placemaking

Tampa Heights, Florida: Arts and culture as celebration and resistance against displacement in an historic African-American suburb

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This case study highlights work from those who participated in our Healing our Highways program, an initiative that aims to inspire creative ideas and activities to  build knowledge, connections, and power within disadvantaged communities most harmed by transportation systems and climate change. Tampa Heights, one of Tampa’s oldest neighborhoods, has deep generational roots, including a … Continued

Arts and Culture Creative Placemaking Technical assistance

Meet the Healing Our Highways grant recipients

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Smart Growth America is excited to announce the recipients of the Healing Our Highways grant program. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kresge Foundation, Healing Our Highways will support creative ideas and activities that build knowledge, connection, and power within disadvantaged communities harmed by transportation systems and climate change. Beginning … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Creative Placemaking Technical assistance Transportation

Request for Proposals: Arts and Culture Consulting Services

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Smart Growth America (SGA) is seeking proposals for consultant services for its Arts & Culture team. Such services will support the Arts & Culture team’s thought leadership and programming and include but are not limited to program design, implementation, and reporting/evaluation, event planning, communications strategy, stakeholder research and engagement, and related support services. SGA is … Continued

Creative Placemaking

Arts and Transportation Rapid Response 2.0

In 2020, we chose five agencies to receive funding to address COVID-related transportation challenges and systemic inequities in unique, creative ways, with the support of local artists. But it was soon realized that with the effects of the pandemic continuing, there was more need for transportation solutions. Therefore, SGA launched a second round in 2021 with a new focus on transit agencies, as many faced unprecedented challenges due to COVID and sought out unique ways to emerge from the pandemic. To respond to these pandemic-related challenges, SGA and Forecast curated three artists to collaborate with agencies in Atlanta, GA, Pittsburgh, PA, and Quaboag Valley, MA. With projects on the ground and some results in hand, this report includes a detailed profile of each of the three projects, considers what was learned, and reflects on the incredible benefits of working with artists to address inequities and improve transportation for everyone.

Creative Placemaking Transportation

Get to know Minnesota Department of Transportation’s new artist-in-residence Sarah Petersen

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The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced that Sarah Petersen will serve as as the Sustainability and Public Health fellow, an artist-in-residence position at the agency, in a program created by Smart Growth America. Sarah will be taking a fresh look at MnDOT’s goals to promote economic vitality, improve safety, support multimodal transportation systems, and create healthier communities.

Creative Placemaking DOT Innovation

Looking back on the second year of MnDOT’s artist-in-residence program

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Last week Smart Growth America’s  Arts & Culture team hosted a conversation recapping the second year of the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT) innovative artist-in-residence (AiR) program. Transportation Equity Fellow, Marcus Young 楊墨 and MnDOT Strategic Partnerships Director, Jessica Oh shared their experiences, lessons learned, stories of navigating the pandemic, and goals for future programs.

Creative Placemaking DOT Innovation Transportation

Hear how artists are tackling transportation issues during COVID

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In partnership with Forecast Public Art, Smart Growth America held a webinar featuring the artists and transportation agencies who worked together as part of the second round of the Arts & Transportation Rapid Response initiative to address COVID-related transportation challenges.  After Ben Stone, director of Arts & Culture at Smart Growth America, and Mark Salinas, … Continued

Creative Placemaking Transportation

Join our webinar to hear about the Arts & Transportation Rapid Response projects.

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The Arts & Transportation Rapid Response is an initiative for transportation agencies looking to creatively and quickly address pandemic-related transportation challenges. Earlier this year, Smart Growth America in partnership with Forecast Public Art selected three artists to work in tandem with partner transit agencies to design and implement projects that address pandemic-related transit challenges and … Continued

Creative Placemaking Transportation

Relaunching the Scenic Route: T4A’s newly updated resource on arts, culture, and transportation

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Last week, we hosted a webinar to celebrate the relaunch of our newly updated creative placemaking guide, the Scenic Route. This conversation with Smart Growth America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the leaders of two projects featured in the guide explains key case studies to help inspire you, and provides an orientation to the new website, which can be found at www.transportation.art. If you asked a question that wasn’t answered in the webinar, we’ve included answers below.

Creative Placemaking Transportation

Take the Scenic Route: Mariposa Creek Parkway

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One of over 50 case studies included in the newly updated creative placemaking guide, the Scenic Route. Partnering with the Mariposa Arts Council to form a Creative Placemaking Advisory Council, the Mariposa County Planning Department created an artist-led plan to develop a new multi-use trail that celebrates the community’s cultures and ecology.

Creative Placemaking Transportation
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