Beautification is the process of making visual improvements to a town, city, or urban area.
Old-fashioned cobblestones are sometimes used for crosswalks; they provide the additional benefit of slowing motorists.
Beautification projects are often undertaken by city councils to refurbish their downtown areas, in order to boost tourism or other commerce.
Often, this is also spurred by broken sidewalks, which pose a safety hazard for pedestrians and potentially insurmountable obstacles for wheelchair users.
The Laurel Hill Association of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1853, is the oldest incorporated village beautification society in the United States.