T4America Blog

Coming soon: our newest resource on creative placemaking

By integrating arts and culture into the planning process for transportation projects — an approach known as creative placemaking — communities can plan and build transportation projects that better reflect and celebrate local culture, heritage, and values. But where is this happening and what does it look like in practice? 

On September 27, we’re releasing a rigorous new national examination of creative placemaking to better understand how and where artists, designers, and cultural workers are collaborating with local governments and community partners to solve transportation challenges.

Do you want to be the first to read the Field Scan in two weeks? Sign up now for this new Arts & Culture email list from T4America & Smart Growth America.

Every great place — whether small town, big city, local neighborhood — also has a unique sense of itself that’s reflected in or supported by artists and local culture. Because the arts are a core part of strengthening the social, physical, and economic fabric of communities, they’re also a key part of smarter growth, which is all about building great, sustainable, livable places.

The power of creative placemaking is gaining wider recognition among transportation professionals, and the art world is responding and finding new ways to collaborate.

The ArtPlace Transportation Field Scan, a forthcoming report from Transportation for America in partnership with ArtPlace America, will examine creative placemaking projects across the U.S. that demonstrate how arts and culture involvement can deliver transportation projects more smoothly and quickly, improve safety, and build community support. The Field Scan also aims to introduce arts audiences to the transportation challenges and opportunities faced by local officials, so that artists may more effectively engage with them.

Stay tuned for the official release on September 27. Click here to sign up now for our new arts & culture focused list where we’ll occasionally share more about this work.

In the meantime, we’re holding a month-long celebration of the positive impact that arts and culture have on our communities through a handful of inspiring local stories. Follow Arts & Culture Month as we demonstrate how arts and culture are not a “nice to have” when it comes to transportation or local community development projects — they’re essential.