On December 11, 2019, Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board of Commissioners authorized CRA’s grant application/ project submission to Bloomberg Philanthropies. The CRA will apply for a $25,000 to enhance the safety and pedestrian experience through the deployment of meaningful asphalt art installations along the route of Walk Dunbar Cultural Landmarks Tour.
If awarded the grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the CRA and Streets Alive of SWFL will collaborate to produce asphalt art to be added to high-traffic intersections along the Dunbar Cultural Landmarks Walking Tour, a recently launched walking tour app from Florida Humanities. The decorated intersections would provide a traffic-calming feature by redirecting their attention to pedestrian safety and cultivate an acute sense of place for the pedestrians and motorists who commonly travel through the area.
In association with the application, Bloomberg Associates has published Asphalt Art Guide: How to Reclaim City Roadways and Public Infrastructure with Art, which cites that:
Cities and citizens around the world are recognizing the potential of art to reimagine roadways and vertical infrastructure, improving street safety, revitalizing public spaces, and bringing communities together.
The grant application and subsequent development will be submitted in partnership with Streets Alive of Southwest Florida.
If granted, the work should be finished by December 2020. Adjoining sidewalk and crosswalk conditions will also be reviewed.
