Our Program | Sidewalk Stories LA

The Process

Four Steps, One Panel at a Time

01

Snap a Photo

Residents use our mobile app to photograph damaged sidewalk panels. The app automatically captures geolocation, so we know exactly where the hazard is. No forms. No phone trees. Just a photo and a tap.

Each submission is reviewed by our team to confirm it is a legitimate sidewalk panel (not a driveway or private walkway) and to assess whether it is a tripping hazard.

Photo upload with automatic GPS tagging
Simple category tags: crack, lift, root damage
Monthly submission window closes on the 15th
Anonymous or named submissions both accepted

Cracked and lifted sidewalk panel ready for repair

Los Angeles cityscape where neighbors vote on sidewalk repairs

02

Community Votes

Once a month, the neighborhood votes on which submitted panel matters most. The top-voted panel wins. This ensures we are fixing what the community actually cares about, not what an algorithm or a bureaucrat decides.

Voting is open to anyone in the neighborhood council district. One vote per verified address to prevent ballot stuffing.

Voting period: 7 days each month
Results announced publicly within 48 hours
Runner-up panels stay in the queue for next month
Property owner consent confirmed before work begins

03

Repair & Create

A licensed concrete crew removes the damaged panel, preps the base, and pours new concrete. Then our teaching artist leads neighborhood kids in designing and placing a colored concrete artwork (the owner picks the theme: a flower, a sun, a pattern, a family story) on the fresh surface.

The color pigment is mixed right into the concrete, so the art sits flush with the sidewalk with a slip-resistant finish. The goal is a smooth, firm walking surface that works for everyone, including people using wheelchairs and strollers. The process takes roughly two weekends. The first weekend is design: kids sketch the pattern and choose colors. The second is build: the crew places the colored concrete under the youth's direction, and kids help finish the surface.

Licensed, insured concrete crew handles all structural work
Teaching artist leads all youth design sessions
Integral color mixed into the concrete: flush and slip-resistant
No tiles, no grout, no raised edges: art you can walk on
City right-of-way permit obtained before any work begins

Teaching artist guiding children through a design session

Real colored concrete sundial set flush in the ground

04

Celebrate & Share

We document every panel with professional before and after photography. The young artists get credit by name (or tag, if they prefer). Sponsors get public recognition on the panel and across our digital channels.

Then we move to the next panel. Same neighborhood. Same process. Same community. We start with Site 1 on Laurel in Beverly Grove and grow toward 10 panels in Year 1.

Professional photography and drone documentation
Social media campaign tagging artists and sponsors
Annual impact report for all funders
Panel added to permanent online gallery and map

Site 1 Budget

What Our First Site Costs

Site 1 is four panels at S Laurel Ave and W 1st St, lifted by two parkway trees. This is our current estimate; contractor quotes are due November 6, and we will update it when they are in.

Item	Description	Estimate
Remove and haul	Saw cut, remove and haul four damaged panels	$1,620
Form, pour and finish	Licensed crew pours the new panels with the colored design set in	$1,980
Root pruning and root barrier	Certified arborist, under a City root pruning permit	$600
Sub-base preparation	Grade and compact the base	$350
Pigment and design materials	Integral color for the design (Davis Colors is donating pigment)	$1,250
Teaching artist	Youth design workshops with local kids	$400
Accessibility documentation	Slope and flush checks after the pour	$100
City permits	Waived under Adopt-A-Median and the street tree A-Permit waiver	$0
Contingency	10 percent	$630
Site 1 Total		$6,930

Sponsor Site 1: $3,500 Founding, $1,750 Panel, $500 Step, or any amount as a Neighbor.

Our full Year 1 budget, about $37,200, adds youth workshops at more sites, insurance and administration as we grow toward 10 panels.

Sponsor Site 1

Timeline

Year 1 at a Glance

Q1

Foundation

File nonprofit paperwork. Confirm pilot neighborhood. Hire teaching artist. Get first permit. Launch app beta.

Panels: 1

Q2

Momentum

Submit first small community arts grant. Host neighborhood vote events. Complete panels 2 and 3. Recruit youth participants.

Panels: 3

Q3

Growth

Secure corporate sponsors for panels 4 through 7. Expand social media presence. Document and publish first impact stories.

Panels: 4

Q4

Proof

Complete panels 8 through 10. Apply for medium youth development grant. Publish annual impact report. Plan Year 2 expansion.

Panels: 3

The Future

Scaling Path

We are not building a single installation. We are building a repeatable model that works in any neighborhood with cracked sidewalks and kids who want to create.

Year 2: Scale to 30 panels across three neighborhoods. Revenue grows to approximately $95,000 through larger grants and expanded sponsorships. Total costs reach approximately $91,000. The program breaks even.

Year 3: Expand to 60 or more panels annually. By now, Sidewalk Stories LA has a track record, a portfolio of completed panels, and a diversified funding base. The program becomes self-sustaining.

Los Angeles skyline representing neighborhoods ready for Sidewalk Stories LA expansion

Design Showcase

Colored Concrete, Art You Can Walk On

We repair the sidewalk properly, then place colorful integral-pigment concrete in whatever theme the owner chooses flush and slip-resistant. Durable, accessible by design, and beautiful.

Concept: colorful flower in colored concrete sidewalk

Concept Render

A Flower in the Sidewalk

Neighborhood youth design the pattern, and the color is mixed into the concrete itself. The result sits flush with the walking surface: no trip hazards, no grout lines, no raised edges.

Flush surface with no elevation change, designed for accessibility
Broom / exposed-aggregate finish for slip resistance
Integral color fused into the concrete, so it won't peel or scrape off
Final treatment confirmed with the City before any work in the public right-of-way

Real colored concrete sundial at a school

Real Precedent

Proven in the Ground

Every panel becomes a landmark neighbors are proud of. Young artists get credit by name, and the community gets a safe, repaired sidewalk and a work of art in one.

Pictured: the Chinook Trails school sundial, a real colored concrete project by others. The flower above is a concept render; real projects like it (such as the colored cement flower at Castle Rock Hospital) show the method works.

Where we are headed: tile mosaics were the original dream behind Sidewalk Stories. Colored concrete gets us building now, and mosaics come next on partner plazas, walls and planters, then on the sidewalk once a tested, accessible panel is approved by the City.

How It Works