A new University of Cincinnati study says those splashy murals around town are doing a lot more than brightening blank walls. Blocks with murals pulled in nearly three times the pedestrian traffic of similar streets without them, a surge that could mean extra customers for nearby restaurants and shops.
The paper, published in the journal Cities, uses aggregated StreetLight cellphone-location data to stack up block-level patterns in mural and non-mural areas. Researchers controlled for things like commercial activity, mixed-use zoning and pedestrian quality, and still found strong associations between murals and higher foot traffic. The authors stress these are correlations, not proof that murals by themselves are driving neighborhood change.
As reported by the University of Cincinnati, the project was led by assistant professor Hyesun Jeong with DAAP students working alongside community partners. Jeong told the university she was struck by Cincinnati’s murals on her first visits, and what began as an internal Faculty Scholars award grew into a larger research effort. University coverage also notes that mural blocks tended to feature higher housing density and more small, independent businesses…