Case Studies

Made You Look

How might we ensure that pedestrians and bicyclists are seen and prioritized?

About Made You Look

In Baltimore City in 2017 there was one crash every 30 minutes, one traffic-related injury every hour, and one traffic-related fatality every week. Since 2018, we've been working closely with community partners and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office to implement the following interventions for pedestrian and bicyclist safety:

The Baltimore Underline

The Baltimore Underline is an exploration of how lights can enhance the feeling of safety for vulnerable road users. In collaboration with Central Baltimore Partnership, Station North Arts District, and Formstone Castle, we're using lights to reimagine the I-83 underpass on North Avenue - a nexus of many different transportation modes. 

Learn more about the Baltimore Underline here.

Art in the Right of Way Toolkit

The Art in the Right of Way (ROWArt) Toolkit is a step-by-step guide for Baltimore communities that want to install traffic calming art in their neighborhoods. The Toolkit, created in collaboration with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation Community Programs, gives directions for how to create and implement Art in the Right of Way in Baltimore City.

Download the toolkit here.

For any questions related to the Toolkit or to sign up for a Toolkit Workshop please contact madeyoulookbaltimore@gmail.com. 

Reflective Streetwear

Reflective streetwear experiments with reflective materials to create fashionable designs that enhance pedestrian and bicyclist visibility on the road and raise awareness of the importance of pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The designs were created after conversations with youth and local community members in response to the prompt: "What Would Make You Look?"

The streetwear features vibrant colors and reflective designs. Each item comes with a reflective tag that can be attached to zippers or bags.  Current collaborations include:

  • Made You Look x The Bmore Brand - Created by The Bmore Brand, a local clothing line started by Akia Jones '21 (BFA Graphic Design). Available for purchase here.
  • Made You Look x MICA Store - MICA sweatshirts and t-shirts take on new life with reflective designs. Available for purchase here and here.

Bright Lanes

Bright Lanes uses creative crosswalks to enhance the visibility of pedestrian zones and provide visual cues to drives to slow down and stop for other road users. The Made You Look project has installed three demonstration crosswalks, in Greenmount West (outside of OpenWorks), Reservoir Hill (at the Whitelock Community Farm) and outside the Johnston Square Elementary School. You can find an initial evaluation of the Greenmount West Bright Lanes here.


For Made You Look updates follow @madeyoulookbmore on Instagram or visit our project blog.

Articles & Publications

Project Team

Quinton Batts (MASD '19), Vilde Ulset (MASD '19), Lee Davis, and Becky Slogeris

Project Advisors

Akia Jones, Graham Coreil-Allen,  Jasper Barnes, and Michael Bowman

Community Partners

The Bmore Brand, BYKE Collective,  Formstone Castle, Graham Projects, Neighborhood Design Center, Station North Tool Library.