Tactical Urbanism In Raleigh: Quick Build Solutions for Immediate Effect

Around a year and a half ago, a friend introduced me to Matt Tomasulo. After looking at his writing, kickstarter (org 2011 kickstarter), Tedx, and creative mornings info, we met via Zoom and he shared a bit about his experiences with tactical urbanism in Raleigh.

I’ll let you explore those resources yourself, but long story short: a few corrugated signs stapled to telephone poles in Raleigh quickly snowballed into a nationwide phenomenon called Walk [your city].

How cool is that? A small-scale action—just a couple of night missions with friends—ended up having a strategic, large-scale impact. It drew national attention to walkability, and Raleigh was at the center of it all.

Inspired by that spirit, a few of us from Greenway Gear Collective have been working on a proposal to partner with the City on a tactical urbanism policy. The idea is simple: allow citizens and interest groups (like GGC, Oaks and Spokes, etc.) to pitch small infrastructure improvements, get quick approvals, and build them using volunteer labor. Here is the outline of our generalized proposal:

This would cut through the painfully slow process the City currently uses—one bogged down by endless revisions, drawn-out design cycles, and hefty budgets that often result in minor improvements. (City staff are great, but slow processes eat up time and money.)

Our first project? A bike lane on Kent Road. The idea came from Ethan, who lives nearby and wants safer infrastructure on a stretch of road used heavily by students and commuters.

To get things moving, we brought the idea to City Councilmembers Jane Harrison and Megan Patton. We started with Jane, since District D – her district – includes both TBL locations and many of the folks most excited about the idea. She seemed supportive, but noncommittal, and pointed us toward Megan Patton, the chair of the Transportation & Transit Committee.

Vance, Ethan, and I met with Megan one gray morning at the Municipal Building to make our case. What stuck with me most from that conversation was when she asked, “What if drivers get upset that we’re taking road space away from them?”

I kept my composure and told her: I can’t kill a motorist on my bicycle—but a motorist can kill me. I emphasized that courageous leadership is how Raleigh becomes a national leader in active transportation.

Since that meeting a few weeks ago, we haven’t heard much back. But interestingly, someone else seems to have taken action! Sometime last week, a new crosswalk appeared on Boylan Avenue—painted directly between two curb cuts that previously had no pedestrian accommodations.

Considering this is one of the more pedestrian-oriented parts of town—and a key access point between Boylan Heights and the businesses across the street—it’s a bit baffling the City hadn’t already done it. Still, hats off to whoever painted that crosswalk. We hope they keep going.

In the meantime, we’ll continue pushing for a formal, sanctioned way to make these types of changes possible. Because, as Matt reminded me last year:

The common thread among all good tactical urbanism projects is action.