Ghost Bikes
(2) Ghost Bike Landmark to Commemorate a Fallen Bicyclist
Urban design is alive in many forms and is not exclusively controlled by planning commissions. Through memorials for fallen cyclists, Portland residents use ghost bikes to mark intersections where cyclists were killed while riding. Since 2005, the Portland bicycling community has been installing bicycle frames that are painted white, locked to street signs and usually accompanied by a small plaque near the site of a fatal crash (2). These small and somber memorials to the fallen cyclists serves as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists' right to safe travel (2). The memorials are only one of many urban design contributions that the Portland cycling community can be attributed to, but they convey the most dramatic form of organic design community contributions.
Intersection Art
(1) Intersection Art in Progress
Portland City Ordinance No. 175937 passed in 2001 allowed permission by the city council for neighborhoods to modify their intersections under certain conditions (1). Neighborhoods began crafting large painted works of art in their intersections. Not only are residents painting large sections of their streets to slow traffic down, or have a place to congregate and create a sense of community, they are repurposing a segment of infrastructure that was for so long, only designated for one purpose, the automobile. City residents are also allowed by law to erect a community bulletin board, a mini-café or even go as far to reconstruct the road using bricks or cobblestone (1).
More on Intersection Art
More on Intersection Art
1. "Intersection Repair City Repair." City Repair. http://cityrepair.org/how-to/placemaking/intersectionrepair/ (accessed February 26, 2013).
2. "Portland | ghost bikes." Ghost Bikes | ghost bikes. http://ghostbikes.org/portland (accessed February 27, 2013).
2. "Portland | ghost bikes." Ghost Bikes | ghost bikes. http://ghostbikes.org/portland (accessed February 27, 2013).
Anthony Monaco