Brno received a grant to revitalize the area around the White House polyclinic

Brno - Brno has received a grant of 25,000 dollars, which is approximately 625,000 crowns, from the American foundation Bloomberg Philanthropies for the revitalization of the area around the Bílý dům polyclinic. The application was prepared by a team working on Brno's candidacy for the European Capital of Culture in 2028. The foundation announced the grant allocation in a press release; the program director of the Brno 2028 project, Marcela Straková, described the project details to ČTK.

"We worked on the application with the Center for Central European Architecture. The project concerns artistic interventions in public space around the Bílý dům building," Straková stated. According to her, it should involve artistic or architectural modifications to the space.

In preparing the activities, various entities will need to collaborate, from the Brno-střed city district, which falls under the regulation of public space, to the company Veřejná zeleň města Brna, which manages green spaces, as well as representatives of the institutions located in the Bílý dům.

"The workshops that will temporarily transform the space are expected to take place next May. The so-called open call for artists and architects will run from January to March, with the jury convening in April. From May to October, we will map people's reactions in a survey and in November next year, a lecture will be held to evaluate the entire activity," Straková added.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies foundation allocated grants within the Asphalt Art initiative for artistic modifications to public space next year among 19 European cities. In 11 of them, the funds will be used for the revitalization of public spaces; besides Brno, projects from Brussels, Zagreb, and Rome received grants, while in five cities, the funds will be used to increase pedestrian safety, and in three cities for murals at intersections and pedestrian crossings.

The Asphalt Art initiative was inspired by the activities of the foundation's founder Michael R. Bloomberg as the mayor of New York in enhancing pedestrian safety and revitalizing the city's streets. The foundation has previously supported 42 projects in American cities and three pilot projects in European cities. For next year, the initiative is expanding to Europe.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is a foundation established by American philanthropist and former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. It has so far invested in projects in 941 cities across 173 countries worldwide. It focuses on five areas: arts, education, the environment, government innovation, and public health. Last year, the foundation distributed 1.66 billion dollars, which is approximately 41.5 billion crowns.