New art exhibit on U Street focuses on pedestrian safety

The urge for safety in Washington, D.C. has merged with art in a new public art installation at the corner of 14th and U streets NW next to the Franklin D. Reeve’s Center. At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Vision Zero Initiative takes on the form of “The Walkway,” designed by D.C.-based architecture firm Marshall Moya Design.

Vision Zero is an action plan that hopes to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries to pedestrians and cyclists from drivers by the year 2024. Bowser released the action plan, which involves 30 government agencies, community groups, and residents, on December 2015.

The 32-foot-long, 11-foot-wide, nine-foot-tall walkway offers graphics as well as city sounds and conversations that become more and more intense as one walks towards the middle of the walkway. The middle of the walkway also becomes more compact, dropping to seven feet wide and seven feet tall.

According to a fact sheet on The Walkway, the purpose of the exhibition is “to capture the moments in which exchanges occur, transitioning from harmless to threatening and back to harmless exchanges.”

In a statement, Design Strategist Zarela Mosquera said, “This project aims to create an experience where people can reflect upon the different interactions that occur in public spaces. Whether they are negative or positive, these interactions shape the public spaces that connect us as a community.”

If interested in providing one’s own stories, they are being collected on The Walkway website here.