Utilizing Arts and Culture to Mitigate the Negative Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure on Communities

There is strong evidence to support incorporating arts, culture, and creative placemaking into transportation practices to improve engagement outcomes, mitigate impacts to communities, and build trust between communities and institutions. However, general confusion around the role arts and culture can and should play in transportation planning, plus limited experience with this type of approach, have constrained integration and, in some cases, also hindered implementation success. The case studies in this report overwhelmingly demonstrate the value of incorporating arts and culture practices through increases in participation and public trust, especially among underrepresented groups. Yet the lack of evaluations of the successful programs or projects, documentation of processes, and comprehension of the relevant funding options and collaborative partnership opportunities stalls replication. Furthermore, the lack of clear policy goals and staff training and support means these successful interventions are not sustainable within state department of transportation (DOT) culture and practice. Shifting the focus away from outdated arguments about the role of art, culture, and creative placemaking in transportation planning and toward a focus on what is relevant to community identity and intentional engagement will enable DOTs to capitalize on a cost-saving and trust-building suite of creative placemaking engagement tools. It will also begin to help make up for past decisions that have harmed unrepresented communities.

• Record URL:
  • https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14153/mndot.16814
• Summary URL:
  • https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14153/mndot.16815
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/77433
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  Department of Geography and GIS
  Urbana, IL  United States 

  Urbane DrK Consulting

  Minneapolis, MN  United States 

  Minnesota Department of Transportation

  Office of Research & Innovation
  395 John Ireland Boulevard, MS 330
  St. Paul, MN  United States  55155-1899
• Authors:
  • Cidell, Julie
  • Kayzar, Brenda
  • Rivera, Andrea Pimentel
• Publication Date: 2024-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 124p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Art; Case studies; Equity; Psychological trust; Public participation; State departments of transportation; Transportation planning
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01932212
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MN 2024-12
• Contract Numbers: (c) 1036341 (wo) 3
• Files: NTL, TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 30 2024 8:41AM