The city of Louisville will receive up to $25,000 in grant funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies to help improve sidewalk safety with creative looks, the charitable organization announced in a news release Tuesday.
The funds are set aside for reducing “conflicts between drivers and pedestrians along a series of intersections,” the release stated.
“Louisville’s project will aim to reduce conflict between pedestrians and drivers via a series of curb extensions to create a safe new connection to the Parkland neighborhood,” a spokesperson for Bloomberg Philanthropies said in a statement.
Funding was made possible through Bloomberg’s Asphalt Art Initiative, which has supported 90 projects since it began in 2020. Louisville was one of 25 North American cities selected for funding this year.
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“The Asphalt Art Initiative has proven that when cities invest in these low-cost projects, streets become safer and communities become stronger,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “The new Asphalt Art Initiative projects in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will save more lives, inspire more imaginations, and strengthen more cities across the continent.”
A study published by Bloomberg in 2022 reported that the street art initiative reduced the rate of collisions between vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists by 50%. Additionally, the rate of drivers yielding to pedestrians increased by 27%, the study showed.
Louisville officials launched the city’s own crosswalk art project in February. The Community Crosswalks program was “inspired” by the study Bloomberg released last year, according to a press release from the Office of Advanced Planning. After local artists painted new crosswalks downtown, Mayor Craig Greenberg announced in May that the project would continue.
“By collaborating with local artists, these Community Crosswalks celebrate the diversity and cultural richness of the Louisville artistic community,” Greenberg said in a statement. “Each crosswalk design is a unique reflection of our distinctive city, adding vibrancy and color to the streets and striking an eye-catching balance between public art and public safety.”
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