The Community Streets Program is managed through Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The Program helps community members perform these projects:
- Pop-Up Demonstrations (lasting no more than 3 days)
- Intersection Artwork Murals
- Artwork within the Right-Of-Way (e.g. on sidewalks)
These projects can promote community building, enhance aesthetics, create an enriched pedestrian environment, perform crucial data collection, or highlight potential safety improvements.
Funding a Project
Projects are generally funded by a grant or some other funding opportunity and need to go through the permitting process of the Community Streets Program.
How to Host a Project
Applicants should plan for projects to last 4-6 months. The host will need to gather information, organize their community/project team. Then once the project proposal is submitted the DOTI review takes about 60-90 days.
The image below provides an overview of the process:
For questions, please reach out to communitystreets@denvergov.org
Past Project Examples
As part of RiNo’s annual CRUSH walls event, when artists from all over the world paint artistic murals on building walls, local artists painted an intersection mural at the intersection of 39th Street and Wynkoop Street.
The Greater Park Hill Community (GPHC) partnered with the community and local schools to install two intersection murals to bring awareness to climate change. The two murals are located at the intersections of E 19th Avenue at N Elm Street and E 30th Ave at N Dahlia Street.
During Summer 2020, DOTI participated in the national event known as (PARK)ing Day. The event seeks to bring awareness to how much space is dedicated to on-street parking, and how those spaces may be repurposed for other uses. Local advocacy organizations and SPIN hosted parklets throughout Downtown Denver.
See additional information from SPIN here: https://www.spin.app/parklets
“Frankie” the Falcon was painted at the intersection of W 41st Avenue and N Franklin St. The project was led by Denver’s CALC team with local advocacy partners such as WalkDenver. Frankie’s artwork was originally installed in 2017 and refreshed in 2019.
As part of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, DOTI created an approval process to allow restaurants and bars the ability to provide outdoor seating in the right-of-way. Larimer St was closed between 14th and 15th Streets Downtown as a part of the expansion program and artists painted the street to welcome people visiting Historic Larimer Square.
Community Streets Project Resources
This is required to submit with a Revocable Street Occupancy Permit. The Certificate makes sure that if any accidents occur on the job site during installation, that volunteers are insured.
Be sure that you have an approved Traffic Control Plan and Certificate of Insurance prior to applying for an RSOP.
A Revocable Street Occupancy Permit (RSOP) allows you to host your project and occupy a space that is reserved for public access.
Depending on your project’s location, you may need to plan for how traffic will be re-routed. This Traffic Control Plan (TCP)/Method of Handling Traffic (MHT) needs to be developed by a barricade company that is in good standing with the City.
The TCP/MHT needs to be approved by DOTI. The TCP/MHT must be submitted as a part of your Revocable Street Occupancy Permit.
Reach out to the Community Streets Program:
Community Streets supports the implementation of IMAGINE 2020, Denver's Cultural Plan.
This program acts as the go-to resource to find all the needed guidelines, applications, and permits needed to get projects built.