How One Weekend in Dallas Sparked a Movement for Urban Change

Alleys in Seattle were once places of illicit, illegal, and unsanitary activity. The International Sustainability Institute in Seattle began organizing music and art events to bring in people, which, in turn, cleaned-up the crime and garbage. As an urban development strategy, adjacent vacant storefronts re-opened for business and beautification could be seen in new gardens.

The Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas suffered from recession-closed businesses and crime. Then community members used placemaking, in which people shaped their own environment to improve the quality of life, and the concept of Build a Better Block, which was a pop-up event showcasing art, food, music, and local faire. The idea gives citizens a fresh look at the possibilities through which to transform the space in which they live, and it has attracted attention across the country and around the world.

To address issues with the city’s old, slow subway system, Boston's MBTA implemented an aggressive repair and staffing strategy that included replacing 250,000 feet of aging track and expanding the workforce from 5,700 to 8,000 employees through increased wages and sign-on bonuses. As a result, on-time performance soared from 25% to 92%, rider satisfaction nearly doubled, and the system now runs 278 more trains daily.

Medellin, Colombia has looked to architecture to help combat its high homicide rate and other problems. Over the past few decades there have been massive public architecture development, transit improvements, creation of public spaces that have all contributed to renewing this city.

Guerrilla urbanism by groups like Chattanooga Urbanist Society develop low-cost, short-term interventions to community problems, like installing bike lanes and painting crosswalks, to fill gaps left by local government. Chattanooga Urbanist Society is focused on making the city more pedestrian-friendly and has installed more than 60 benches in the area. The group also accepts service requests from locals to handle issues the local government hasn’t touched.

Cities enhanced by public art improve the quality of life for their residents. Across the midwest—from Bucyrus, Ohio, to Chicago, Illinois—cities are investing in public art and murals as a way to revitalize their communities. With the help of grants, cities can hire artists to make their public spaces more vibrant. Spaces that display public art attract tourism and serve as gathering places for community members.

Despite a rapidly growing population size, Vienna, Austria has remained high on "quality-of-life" rankings, thanks to the city's prioritization of green space, car-free areas, and expansion of affordable housing projects. City departments build new housing complexes to keep up with the influx of migrants to the area while balancing space for parks and pedestrian travel.

Public art adds value to communities that have experienced decline in recent decades. In towns like Mansfield and Marietta, Ohio, public art plays a positive role. Murals created by groups like Mansfield Murals Inc., or by other local artists, enhance public buildings and offer a way for residents to connect and express their history. In Marietta, the Marietta Community Foundation funds the city’s Public Arts Committee.

A plan to redesign Market Street in San Francisco uses a controversial approach used by cities around the world: eliminating personal cars entirely. This bicycle, pedestrian and bus-oriented layout approach reduces traffic accidents and fatalities; San Francisco plans to move forward with their plan in 2020.

In Zurich, Switzerland, urban planners designed streets that put pedestrians and streetcar riders first as an effort to cut back on car usage and promote sustainable transportation. While cars are limited to one lane and often wait in lines to get through the city, the tram carries nearly seven as many passengers as cars in a given hour, making the layout sustainable and efficient for urban travel.