Better Block Foundation

The Better Block began with an idea from a group of neighbors who wondered, "How could we have bike lanes like those found in Holland? How could we have night food markets like those found in Thailand and beer gardens like those in Munich?" They realized they couldn't. There were decades-old ordinances on their city books that prohibited them from creating spaces like those they dreamed of.

So they did the only thing they could: for one weekend, they painted bike lanes, coordinated pop-up food markets and retailers, and created a beer garden. They called their experiment the Better Block, and through it, the community brainstormed together, learned together, and ultimately shared in the beautiful and vibrant spaces they helped create together.

The drive to make places better was placed in the hands of neighbors, and they ran with it. Over the years, Better Blocks have been implemented from Portland to Detroit and Melbourne to Tehran.