Brandon Dill

By Megan Harris

Sunday, June 1, 2014

MEMPHIS — When a sprawling, six-lane extension to an abandoned highway divided an old railroad town more than a decade ago, Broad Avenue became a ghost town.

Rents plummeted along the 1.4-mile street. Businesses fled until the economy tanked and desperation brought them back.

“When we moved here in 2008, the street was, well, pretty ugly,” said Pat Brown, 53, co-owner of T. Clifton Art Gallery in Memphis’ Binghampton neighborhood. “But we needed something cheap.”

Brown and fellow business owners pitched their solution to city leaders: protected bike lanes.

“We needed a way to slow traffic, to encourage people to see what these storefronts could look like. We weren’t going to get any government money right away, so we asked to paint them ourselves. Honestly, I think the city thought we wouldn’t get around to it.”

What began as an offhand OK by Memphis officials spawned an incubator for community-driven innovation. Business owners dispatched college kids, urban planners confirmed the parking regulations, and buckets of bright white house paint cut the four-lane road down to two.

“Look around now. We have murals and foot traffic, restaurants, bars and studios,” she said. “People are still wandering in our shop saying, ‘I never noticed you were here.’ They had no incentive to stop before.”

Read the full article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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