OVERVIEW

Increasing public art and improving bicycling in the Vine Neighborhood rose as clear priorities during the Imagine Vine planning process. To help begin to achieve these goals the City of Kalamazoo and Vine Neighborhood Association partnered on a series of small-scale projects.  

Through input collected during the 2018 Bike Survey and at a bike event in the Vine neighborhood, a list of locations was collected for where residents would like to see bike racks installed. From that list three locations were selected: Dutton Street Park (224 W Dutton St), South Westnedge Park (1101 S Westnedge Ave), and next to Fourth Coast in the Vine commercial area.

Four bike racks were purchased from Open Roads, a local nonprofit, to be installed in the parks. Another set of bike racks was commissioned from a local artist, Brent Harris at Alchemist Sculpture Foundry, to be styled with “Vine flair” and installed in the Vine commercial area.

OBJECTIVES

  • Install bike racks at locations that meet the needs of residents to help increase connectivity in the neighborhood.

  • Use bike rack infrastructure as an opportunity for public art

SCHEDULE:

January 2018 - Launch of Vine Neighborhood Planning Process

June 2018 - Bike rack location input collected from bike survey and Vine bike event

August 2018 – Bike rack locations determined and bike rack commission from Brent Harris

September 2018 - Purchase of bike racks from Open Roads

Bike Rack Installation

PARTNERSHIPS

Vine Neighborhood Association

STAFFING

Community Planning & Economic Development, Parks & Recreation

OUTSIDE CONTRACTORS

Brent Harris at Alchemist Sculpture Foundry, Open Roads

CONSISTENT WITH PLANS

Strategic Vision, Master Plan, Imagine Vine Neighborhood Plan

Imagine Vine Neighborhood Plan Related Actions

  • Connectivity: Install bike racks in commercial areas

  • Community: Use sidewalks, crosswalks and other infrastructure as canvasses for local art.

VISION

Vine has clear and safe infrastructure for all users to navigate Vine with ease.

STRATEGIC VISION GOALS

Connected City, Inviting Public Places

METRICS

  • 7 new bike racks installed

  • Functional public art that is supporting Vine’s placemaking goals

BUDGET

$1,264

FUNDING SOURCE

Foundation for Excellence