Cities around the country have been making it easier to decorate mundane utility boxes into something more colorful and representative of the neighborhoods they serve.
Bill Lindeke writes that in a few Minneapolis neighborhoods, utility boxes "have flowered into some of the best showcases for public art, bringing community together in often surprising ways."
Lindeke explains some of the benefits of turning utility boxes into colorful centerpieces for the street, including graffiti reduction and a more creative streetscape.
The article also detail process—both from the standpoint of the vinyl wrap technology that enables all kinds of artistic representation on to the boxes and the approvals necessary to undertake such a makeover. Lindeke describes that process as cumbersome, despite the city's recent adoption of pre-approved designs to streamline the process.
Of course, pre-approved designs also defeat the purpose of one of the benefits of such art projects, as described by Lindeke: "The public-space utility of utility boxes is an unexpected urban dynamic. What first appears to be the epitome of boring infrastructural blight, when given a little bit of artistic love, can become one of the small ways that people begin to make meaning in their neighborhood."
FULL STORY: The flowering of utility boxes: Turning mysterious infrastructure into public art
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.