KCMO Receives Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Grant

Press release from the City of Kansas City:

July 1, 2020

KCMO Public Works, in partnership with Midtown KC Now and Street Smarts Design + Build, has been awarded a $25,000 national grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The Asphalt Art Initiative is a new program from Bloomberg Philanthropies created to help cities use art and design to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces and engage their communities. The program not only seeks to create vibrant public spaces but also looks to build city capacity for working with artists and community groups on projects involving transportation infrastructure.

This project will enhance one to three intersections along Westport Road between Broadway Boulevard and Main Street in Midtown Kansas City, Missouri, through asphalt paintings in the intersections, colorful crosswalks, activated bulb outs, micromobility parking and street trees. Feedback from the surrounding businesses, organizations and neighborhoods will help inform the asphalt art design and help with project installation.

“This Asphalt Art Project will build on our ongoing efforts to create more opportunities for Kansas Citians to get outdoors and will help the City revitalize public spaces for all to enjoy,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “I am proud that Kansas City is leveraging community partnerships for neighborhood projects, and I look forward to seeing local artists’ work on the streets of Westport."

The goals of the project are to improve safety and the pedestrian experience through slower traffic speeds, shorter crossing distances and enhanced vibrancy and beautification. The asphalt art will be the foundation of the improvements that will extend up and down the street. Data collection before and after the project will measure the impacts of these improvements.

Project engagement will kick off in mid-summer 2020 with the goal to install in mid-fall 2020.

For additional information, about the Asphalt Art Initiative, visit Bloomberg Philanthropies.

This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.