Creative projects that calm traffic and beautify Baltimore.

 
 

CREATE YOUR OWN PROJECT

This FREE, online guide includes step-by-step instructions, handy resources, and much more!

En español: Descargar kit de herramientas aquí.

 
 
Art in the Right of Way Toolkit. MICA Center for Social Design and Neighborhood Design Center. Made You Look. How to make streets safer and more pedestrian-friendly.

WHAT’S INSIDE THE TOOLKIT

  • Made You Look MICA Team, ReBUILD Johnston Square Neighborhood Organization, and other partners standing in front of their Bee Safe designs, plans, and feedback notes.

    Resources

    Application forms, grant lists, fundraising templates, and material lists

  • Vilde Ulset, one of the Made You Look project leads from MICA, working with local students. She points to a map of Baltimore's Reservoir Hill area to decide which corners pedestrians and bicyclists are most at risk.

    Planning

    How to decide on a location as a community, get input, and form a budget

  • A hand draws an eye-catching design for the Greenmount West AROW project.

    Co-Design

    How to choose the right type of intervention for the scale and problem

  • Aerial crosswalk intersection plan drawing with measurements. It shows width of street lanes and where the artwork should in in the flex post bump outs.

    Approval

    How to submit a request to DOT and sign a Memorandum of Understanding

  • Artist Graham Coreil-Allen holds a laser-cut plastic stencil of pedestrian icon to be spray painted as part of a Made You Look street safety project.

    Preparation

    How to coordinate logistics, get permitting, and source supplies

  • Becky Slogeris, part of the MICA Social Design program, helps install an Art in the Right of Way project.

    Installation

    How to clean the street, mask, paint, and document

 FAQs

  • The Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) allows community organizations to implement creative projects in Baltimore City’s roadways, sidewalks, alleys, and other areas maintained by DOT. Creative projects in DOT’s Right-of-Way (ROW) help to beautify Baltimore’s neighborhoods, calm traffic, increase public space for pedestrians, and create “place”.

  • Communities can do placemaking projects on non-arterial roads in Baltimore City. See them here.

    Consult DOT Community Programs before deciding the location.

  • The Station North Tool Library includes the equipment needed to install art in the right of way projects. Filter their inventory by checking “Made You Look: Art in the Right of Way Toolbox.” With a membership, you can borrow a pressure washer, leaf blower, roller extension poles, roller frames, paint trays and all other equipment needed for paint day.

  • Your Neighborhood association, representative, or BCDOT.

  • Station North Arts District is working on building a database of muralists this summer that we can host on our website, and make accessible when partners are looking for artists to hire. Maryland State Arts Council, Neighborhood Design Center and Baltimore Office for Promotion of the Arts (BOPA) are great assets for getting in touch with artists.

  • Paint must be pre-approved by DOT. Pre-approved paints include:
    Sherman Williams Highway Products – Hotline® Traffic Paint with SharkGrip® H&C™ Slip Resistant Additive
    PreMark® by Flint
    Integrated Paving Concepts (IPC) installed by Alternative Paving Concepts
    StreetBond® SB150
    Color Top: Concrete Stain

  • You will need many volunteers, or plans to pay people to help with installation.

  • If you are working in the roadway to install art you need a special events or block party permit.

  • If new traffic calming elements, such as bump-outs, crosswalks, flex-posts or striping, are part of your project, the traffic calming elements must be installed prior to the implementation of the art. There are two ways to install traffic calming elements: 1. Submit a 311 request to DOT or 2. Hire a contractor to install striping for you.

  • As of January 2022, commercial liability insurance is required for special projects under the Department of Transportation Community-Led Placemaking Programs. In the past, special projects have included plazas, specialized lighting, and art installations. Organizations who wish to implement special projects will likely need commercial liability insurance. For any special project inquiries, please email DOTcommunityprograms@baltimorecity.gov

  • Community improvement grants are our go-to option.

    The majority of ROW Art projects are funded by community organizations. Baltimore City is offering some traffic improvements for priority areas.

    Fee for block party permit

    If insurance is needed, fee.

 

PROJECT

Greenmount West

 

BEFORE

At the corner of Greenmount Ave and Oliver St, cars were driving too fast through the intersection due to missing roadway markings and overly wide lanes.

One resident said: “Southbound traffic would careen around the corner without looking. I remember walking past a major accident right there that nearly damaged City Arts.”

So the community got to work on a solution.

  • Bright Lanes installation in front of Open Works. Colorful, painted hexagons on the sidewalk. Community members said this Art in the Right of Way project decreased speeding and increased a sense of joy.
  • A co-design workshop with Greenmount West community members drawing ideas.
  • Volunteers installing the Bright Lanes Art in the Right of Way. Templates, tape, stencils, rollers, and more to help say "Made You Look"
  • Two community members discussing their traffic calming ideas.
  • Volunteers painting bright, eye-catching, traffic-calming designs.
  • Volunteer painting rainbow design on street to make cars go slower.
After photo of Greenmount West intersection. A colorful rainbow painted bump out with flex posts narrows the road and indicates the crossing. It draws attention, making pedestrians safer.

AFTER

With the new colorful bump-out, there’s only one lane to drive in, and 28 out of 30 respondents said that cars now drive slower​.

Community members said:

“It absolutely helps with signaling the narrowing ahead of the crosswalk.”

“If the atmosphere of traffic calming is in place, foot traffic will increase which is key for businesses.”

 
 

PROJECT

Reservoir Hill

 

BEFORE

At the intersection of Brookfield Ave and Whitelock St in Reservoir Hill, only two out of four crossings had visible crosswalks or ADA ramps. There was poor visibility of the 4-way stop signs, and line markings were all but gone.

During just one hour of observation, over half of the cars did not yield, requiring residents to stop or run out of the way, and a child was nearly hit.

  • Volunteers painting within masking tape on sidewalk.
  • An aerial drone image of the crosswalk street mural in Reservoir Hill by Whitelock. Volunteers install the Art in the Right of Way tree-like, seasonal design.
  • Baltimore volunteers paint the Made You Look design to signal to drivers to slow down..

AFTER

New artwork was designed and installed by Graham Coreil-Allen with input and help from the Reservoir Hill community, utilizing curb extensions and flexible posts. All the crosswalks now have ADA ramps.

Before installation: 28% of cars yielded and 36% of pedestrians used the crosswalk.

After installation: 74% of cars yielded and 75% of pedestrians used the crosswalk.

 

Project photos by Graham Coreil-Allen / Graham Projects grahamprojects.com

 

PROJECT

Johnston Square

 

BEFORE

The intersections around the Johnston Square Elementary and its adjacent greenspaces were marked as a 25mph school zone, but over 40% of cars were speeding, some recorded going as fast as 80mph when school let out.

Before installation, only half of cars were yielding to pedestrians. A third of pedestrians did not use crosswalks, crossing in the middle of the street.

  • Aerial view of Henriette Lacks park. This Baltimore Made You Look street mural solves the issue: "how can I make cars slow down? how can I make streets safer?" Placemaking made possible by the Baltimore City Department of Transportation program.
  • MICA Social Design project leader Quinton Batts and other community volunteers paint a street bump out.
  • One of three crosswalks around Johnston Square Elementary to get Art in the Right of Way.
  • Volunteers draw flower designs using laser cut stencils.
  • The Johnston Square Bee Safe Art in the Right of Way installation creates a real sense of placemaking, joy, and community. Wondering how to create a mural? How to improve my neighborhood? Check out our toolkit.
  • Volunteers paint yellow flowers and bees on orange bump out. Over 100 volunteers showed up. Learn the process of community art with our toolkit.
  • Overhead drone aerial shot of Johnston Square's Art in the Right of Way. Baltimore in background. Students crossing the street. Car slows down at crosswalk. Crossing guard at corner.
  • Pink and purple beautiful painted street. Colorful, artistic, community project in Baltimore. DIY, easy to get permits for, fast solution.
After photo of Johnston Square Art in the Right of Way. The bright Bee Safe street mural signals to drivers to slow down. Bump outs narrow the crossing distance by half

AFTER

The new ADA ramp crosswalks shorten the crossing distance by half. The bump-outs ensure cars do not drive or park in the crosswalks.

After installation 90% of pedestrians used the crosswalk to cross. After installation, nearly 70% of cars yielded to pedestrians.

100 volunteers were involved in painting the crosswalks. The artwork covers a total of 5,800 square feet and is part of the larger Bee Safe Johnson Square project.

 

Project photos Bloomberg Philanthropies and SIDE A Photography

 
 

About the Initiative

 
Greenmount West community member in wheelchair holds up installation plans on how to install projects in the city's roadways, sidewalks, alleys, and other areas maintained by DOT.

What exactly is “Art in the Right of Way”?

ROW Art projects help calm traffic, beautify Baltimore’s neighborhoods, and increase public space for pedestrians.

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation allows community organizations to implement these creative projects in the city’s roadways, sidewalks, alleys, and other areas maintained by DOT.

 

Placemaking projects may include:

• Artistic painting on streets or sidewalks

• Landscaping, planters, and barriers

• Gateway or educational signage

• Parklets or temporary public spaces

• Lighting and other unique urban designs

 
Volunteer paints Made You Look on street bump out. This is an easy and affordable solution. Quick to install project and easy to get permit for. Learn more about the process of installing public placemaking art in Baltimore.

Any neighborhood can create one!

These interventions are affordable, easy to get permits for, and quick to install. It’s a simple way to make a big difference!

Our toolkit explains the process for Baltimore City. Check back for updates that include the process in other jurisdictions.

VIEW TOOLKIT
 

WHY IT MATTERS

In Baltimore City, there is...

 

1 traffic fatality every 7 days

1 traffic injury every 54 minutes

1 traffic crash every 20 minutes

3 non-motorists injuries every day

 
 

 

Maryland Institute Collage of Art Center for Social Design fellows work on the Made You Look project.
MICA Social Design and Senator Chris Van Hollen outside Fred Lazarus center after workshop and presentation explaing Made You Look project to protect pedrestrians and cyclists in Baltimore.
 

THE TEAM

Art in the Right of Way and Made You Look began in 2018 as a collaboration between MICA’s Center for Social Design and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office with the goal of raising non-motorist visibility and making local safety concerns visible to policymakers.

As of 2022, this initiative is managed by the Neighborhood Design Center, Maryland’s leader in community design, with the intention of making safe, beautiful streets accessible to all Baltimore neighborhoods.

QUESTIONS?

Don’t be shy! Please say hello at:

madeyoulookbaltimore@gmail.com