Public works professionals are often thinking about how to serve their communities through the lens of infrastructure—making systems more efficient, safe, and accessible. But beyond performance metrics, meaningful infrastructure has the potential to create a shared sense of pride around public assets (think plow-naming contests and colorful wraps on utility boxes).
A growing number of Minnesota agencies are exploring approaches to involve residents through projects that embody local character and shared values. One such initiative is the City of St. Louis Park’s Sidewalk Poetry Program, in which resident-submitted poems are sandblasted into sidewalks throughout the city.
“We were looking for a different way to do art,” says Deb Heiser, engineering director for the City of St. Louis Park, who has been involved in the program since its inception. “This was really approachable … Art doesn’t have to be a giant, golden statue. It’s about the sense of place.”
Carried out in partnership with Friends of the Arts, the program has been running for more than five years. Every spring, community members are encouraged to submit original poems, which are reviewed in a blind judging process. The review committee—made up of city employees, Friends of the Arts board members, St. Louis Park’s Community Poet, and others—typically selects 10 to 20 submissions and works with a local contractor to install them before the end of the year.
From a technical standpoint, there were a few factors to consider, Heiser explains. Rather than using a stamping technique—which raised concerns around ADA compliance, potential trip hazards, and the need for new concrete—sandblasting works well with aged concrete and extends only one-half inch into the sidewalk surface. In terms of maintenance, Heiser says no additional work has been required for the upkeep of the poems thus far.
Site selection is important, too. “We’re able to utilize our public art map to find the art deserts that exist in the city,” says Pat Coleman, the City of St. Louis Park’s community engagement coordinator. “In addition to that, we have 35 neighborhoods within St. Louis Park, and we have a couple different measures to see what the engagement looks like within those neighborhoods.”
With a positive response from the community and a growing number of submissions each year, this project has proven to be a low-cost, high-reward initiative that fosters direct engagement with residents on a daily basis. “I think it just creates another sense of wanting to be in your community. If your poem is selected, you feel stamped into St. Louis Park’s history,” Coleman says. “I think doing that through infrastructure gives a way to have another tie to the city, artistically.”