Arts, Culture & Mobility: Addressing Participation Barriers through Transportation Equity

Abstract

Inequities in transportation policy and infrastructure pose barriers to arts and cultural participation for individuals in communities with poor transit options. Arts organizations can address transportation barriers through civically engaged programs and initiatives that facilitate community dialogue around transportation, facilitate community engagement with transportation planning processes, connect artists with transportation design, and identify opportunities within transportation projects as catalysts for enhancing existing cultural assets in their communities. This paper presents a brief history of transportation policy in the United States, discusses the barriers to arts participation that current transportation infrastructure and policy present to individuals, and provides examples of how arts organizations and groups have taken on roles in addressing transportation challenges in their communities.