The First Friday in Flagstaff is often a bustle of tourists and locals cruising between galleries and snacking on finger food.
But this year, one man is attempting to reshape it by promoting pedestrian and bicycle access.
Surrounded by the bustle of last month’s First Friday ArtWalk and with a helmet over his flat cap, the Flagstaff man-about-town known as Dapper Dre leans on his bike in the center of Aspen Street.
Around him, instead of drivers struggling to parallel park, groups of friends mill about, chatting and laughing in the middle of the road.
He’s paying to periodically close the block throughout the summer.
He says he wants to show what downtown can look like when people are prioritized over vehicles.
“The perspective shift is just so wonderful. It's seeing your friends in a space that is open and inviting, but we always just leave it to the expectation that a car is going to go by or need to park,” Dre says.
Dre says he wants to show city leaders that investing in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improves safety, pays off economically and improves quality of life.
He also hopes the city will install removable bollards so downtown streets can be closed for events on a more regular basis.
Dre plans to close the block on each first Friday through October.
