call for artists: shared micromobility corral artworks

The City of Raleigh is seeking artists to contribute to an exciting new initiative to improve safety, enhance public space, and support sustainable transportation. As part of Raleigh’s expanding Shared Micromobility Program, more than 70 new parking corrals for scootershare and bikeshare vehicles will be installed across the city in 2026. These will be installed primarily in high-visibility locations in the downtown core, with additional sites in surrounding neighborhoods. The size of a standard corral is roughly 25 ft long and 8 feet wide. Sizes vary at locations and selected artists will be provided with specific locations and sizes.

A shared micromobility corral is a designated area where users of scootershare and bikeshare vehicles can safely and conveniently park their vehicles. The city currently works with Lime and Spin to provide shared micromobility devices. These corrals can also be used by residents parking their personal bikes and scooters. Corrals play an important role in improving sidewalk safety and guiding responsible vehicle use.

This project builds on a successful pilot along the Glenwood South corridor, where upgraded corrals (combined with in-app parking guidance and visual infrastructure) have led to a scooter parking compliance rate of more than 72%. This means that the majority of trips now end in the designated corrals.

Since 2019, more than 1.9 million miles have been traveled through Raleigh’s shared micromobility program. The program is estimated to have replaced 550,000 car trips and resulted in up to 100 metric tons of CO2 emissions savings. The expansion of mandatory parking zones is a critical step in ensuring the program continues to grow in a way that is safe, sustainable, and equitable.

This corral project supports the City’s broader transportation and climate goals while making Raleigh’s streets more colorful, welcoming, and reflective of our unique creative community. At its core, this is a safety initiative that benefits both those who ride shared micromobility devices and those who share the streets with them.

To ensure long-term durability, the City will provide a high-performance waterborne epoxy-modified acrylic coating (“paint”). Once a bucket is opened, the coating must be used within 24 hours, as it will fully harden and become unusable after that time. The paint is applied as a multi-coat system, requiring four coats with approximately 45 minutes of drying time between each coat.

We recommend artists plan to paint two colors per day and rotate between their assigned corrals to allow drying time between coats. Artists should keep these requirements in mind when developing their concepts and planning their work schedule.

The City will determine the final 10 color palette artists will be able to choose from for their design. Given the properties of the pavement coating material, designs should be impactful yet feasible, favoring clean lines, bold forms, and clear compositions over highly intricate or overly complex patterns.

We invite artists to help us reimagine these spaces. Not only as infrastructure, but as moments of joy, visibly, and beauty across our city.