The city’s back alleys will be overlooked no more, if Jerry Aulenbach has his way.
The Edmonton man is on a mission to transform these often dilapidated lanes into beautiful community spaces.
And he plans to do it with chalk, and a few cans of paint.
“The point is to have a little bit of fun, add some colour to our back alley, make it little more safe and get the kids out there painting,” Aulenbach said in an interview on CBC Edmonton’s Radio Active.
On June 4, Aulenbach will host an open house to decorate the pavement behind his Capilano house.
He’ll put his five kids to work, along with their school mates, neighbours and other artful Edmontonians who want to join in.
“It’s just a boring old paved alley. It’s nothing special, so hopefully we’re going to change that.”
Aulenbach said there are no rules, but he hopes to keep the painting confined to his property, so as not to anger any less-than-enthusiast neighbours.
The painting extravaganza is part of 100in1Day Canada, a national campaign with ideas that range from practical to pie-in-the-sky. The project aims to inspire change across the country, by encouraging residents to launch 100 projects to enhance their cities, and do it all on the same day.
Aulenbach hopes other Edmonton homeowners will follow his lead and get out the paint brushes.
“This kind of project requires zero planning, so it’s the kind of thing that anybody can do, no matter where they live,” said Aulenbach.
“I encourage everyone else to join in add some colour.”