Eugene Intersection Murals

ething together... to take people out of their comfort zone and into their 'connection zone'.

26th and Olive Mural
The South Willamette area is undergoing some positive growth and a resurgence of interest in civic issues. Business activity is strong and appears to be growing. The College Hill area adjacent to these developments is also gradually changing: many long‐time residents have raised their children and are aging, and new homeowners are moving in. Many of us in this group are those newer owners, moving into the area and choosing Eugene for its quality of life and the promise of being able to buy and home and build a community around us. Others are older residents, some of whom have been in their homes for 40-50 years and have seen the area evolve over time into a stable but not deeply inter-connected community. Many of us have young children now; this neighborhood is our place to teach the next generation values of healthy, local, connected living where you can enjoy just about anything in a few blocks’ distance on foot. These children are just learning what it means to be rooted in place and what it means to be part of a neighborhood: learning to ride a bicycle in the street outside your home, singing Christmas carols for your neighbors in their 90s, and learning where to find the best blackberry patches, etc. We aim to do small but impactful things to help this neighborhood be vital and engaged, to bridge the broad generations of residents, and encourage a safe environment where our children can play outdoors and our elderly residents can walk. In Fall 2015, Bethany Steiner led a service-learning PPPM (Planning, Public Policy, and Management) class entitled "Real World Eugene" at the University of Oregon in a partnership with the City of Eugene. A group of five students took on this project as part of their exploration into and development of a guide to Tactical Urbanism for the City of Eugene. Since the Fall, Erik and the students have worked with dozens of people within the community, the Friendly Area Neighborhood, and the City of Eugene to develop the project. In the Spring of 2016 we received a Neighborhood Matching Grant from the City of Eugene to support the mural at 26th and Olive.