INTRODUCTION

The ‘Sidewalk Subway’ was developed at the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, the Department of Landscape Architecture and the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK, no Blueprint Kentucky) as a civic engagement tool. 

The Sidewalk Subway is a place making project that welcomes people to explore the unique character of downtown following the phased reopening of businesses due to COVID-19. Inspired by subway and metro maps from cities across the world, this project interprets the walking tour routes into subway lines with color coded markings on the downtown sidewalks, including ‘stops’ at destinations. The total cost of this project was less than $500 and was installed with a dozen volunteers over a weekend in September of 2020.

MATERIALS NEEDED

1. Collect maps of any existing walking tours you plan on using.
2. Create any new tours that you’d like to incorporate.
3. Measuring wheel or measuring tape.
4. Spray Paint Cans in different colors for each route. One can of spray paint can make about x30 1’ diameter circles.
5. 24”x36” Cardboard template with 1’ diameter circle cut out. A cardboard template for each color you are spray painting is recommended.
6. Optional: vinyl sidewalk stickers that correspond to the stops on the walking tour. These should be larger than the spray paint circles and can be printed at local reprographics shops.

PROCESS

1. Determine the total length of each walking tour in feet. This can be done using the walking wheel or measuring on Google Maps. Divide the total feet by 6. This is how many circles you will spray paint. You will need one can of spray paint per 30 circles. If you have multiple walking tours, pick different colors for each tour.
2. Using the walking wheel or measuring tape, walk the path and measure every 6 feet. Mark these distances with a quick spray paint dot.
3. Place the cardboard template over the marked stops. Spray paint two coats of paint within the circle template. If you are using vinyl sticker, place them within the 6’ pattern as close to the stop as possible.

SIDEWALK SUBWAY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Map Creation 

   This map was created as a synthesis of existing walking tours in downtown Cynthiana. Using their downtown Pocket Park as the ‘Central Station’ from which every walking tour would start, we overlaid the tours on top of each other to determine how the route for each tour, and where they overlapped. This showed us where the lines will need to be spray painted on the sidewalks, allowing us to measure each route length, thus determining how much spray paint to purchase.

2. Spray Paint 

   Each walking tours has a unique color of spray paint, and the number of cans required depends on the length of each route. We found it helpful to spray a small marker at the location of each marker on the ground the day before installation to help the volunteers know where to spray paint each circle.

3. Circles 

   This photo shows how each volunteer would see the marker on the sidewalk that corresponded with their color. They would then lay the cardboard template over the marker and spray paint that circle.

4. Routes 

   When placing the markers on the sidewalks, it is helpful to group the circles together as that provides more visual queues to both users and passersby.

5. Central Station 

   The Pocket Park vinyl sticker on the sidewalk provides an additional visual queue to people that this is where the walking tours begin.

6. Stickers

   Each stop is identified by a larger vinyl sticker in front of the stop, while the coordinated colored circles give people clear guidance on which routes to take on their desired walking tour.

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