By:
Nancy Chan & Cami Culbertson
In
1996 co-founders Mark Lakeman, Eva Rose Miller, and Charla Chamberlain gave
birth to Portland’s City Repair Project, a grass roots movement towards
bringing the “public” back to public streets.
Over the years numerous intersections have been transformed throughout
Portland by the average individual joining forces with others within the
community to create street murals, community bulletin boards, mini-cafes, etc. Inspired, in 2005 Seattle citizens began to
engage in activating their own neighborhood streetscapes by turning ordinary
intersections into brightly painted gathering spaces.
The
reclamation of public space, known as Intersection Repair strives to promote localization
of culture, economy, and decision-making.
Furthermore, this act of place making cultivates the construction of
safe, strong, and welcoming communities, as well as the creation of meaningful
spaces that will serve the specific needs of each individual neighborhood.
Traditionally,
neighbors within communities keep to themselves, content within the confines of
their property lines, but Intersection Repair fosters the development of
community cooperation and interaction. Neighbors get to know one another as
they work side-by-side to create a unique expression of the community. The physical act of transforming these
streets is just as important as the finished project – the journey is just as
important as the arrival. For without
the support of the community such projects do not exist. Some paintings have
not survived the years [i.e. Squire Park in the Central District] due to a lack
of citizen commitment and/or new community dynamics.
Questions
arise regarding the actual safety of Intersection Repair murals in terms of
distractions for drivers, but for the majority this movement has empowered
citizens to take ownership of their communities, transforming ideals regarding
the street and how it can be used.
Communities across the United States have adopted City Repair methods to
infuse life and human connectivity back into communities. After all, the city is for the people -
citizens should claim it and morph it, not accept it.
Known
Locations:
N 80th
St & Stone Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
N 41st
St & Interlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
N
49th St & Burke Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
NW
60th St & 11th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
E Marion & 20th Ave E
E Marion & 20th Ave E
Maple
Leaf Intersection Repair Proposed at NE 96th St & 12 Ave NE
Resources:
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