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SpotlightAbout This Project
Oakland is known for its colorful murals on freeway underpasses, alleyways andbuildings. In 2018, Oakland’s Department of Transportation launched Paint the Town! to add up to 30 new, vibrant street murals to the city’s thriving public art scene.
This pilot program allowed community members to paint murals on Oakland roads to add delight and surprise to city streets, help strengthen community spirit and make streets more representative of each neighborhood.
“A street …can be a canvas for people to showcase their neighborhood pride and their uniqueness.”
The Department of Transportation (Oak-DOT) invited neighborhoods to apply for grant funding that covered mural design, street closure permits, supplies and community outreach. The mural selection processes advanced equity by prioritizing applications from neighborhoods defined as mid- to highly disadvantaged by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
“A street doesn’t just have to be gray asphalt that cars are speeding through,” Lily Brown, OakDOT’s project manager for the mural program, told KQED radio. “It can be a canvas for people to showcase their neighborhood pride and their uniqueness. They can help foster a sense of ownership.”
