Student Work
1∕5
Title
The Painted Mile
Project Description
The Painted Mile stretches from Seaside Park in Bridgeport’s South End Neighborhood to the intersection of Park Avenue and Highway 1. The intervention focuses on this crucial stretch of Park Avenue in a diverse and central region of the city. The project begins with the simplest means and builds upon incremental community led steps to imagine a holistic change for the city of Bridgeport.
The first of four defined steps is painting the regions of the street and the unused, adjacent lots to indicate an alternative use. As the public’s awareness grows, community centers are established from vacant gas stations. The centers become Food truck locations and start to lease out bikes. The next step connects each of the centers with continuous bike lanes and intermediate pocket parks. The last step includes new developments, public and private.
The Painted Mile serves as a retention network for storm water. The softscape parks that follow the paint collect run-off. Furthermore, the avenue, serving as an evacuation route during storms and emergencies, directs residents through colorful signs and labels. The corridor surrounding Park Avenue and the city of Bridgeport stand to gain a new creative identity and productive network of alternative transportation.