Most of the infrastructure that makes cities go often fades into the background of our daily lives. We certainly know that a roadway exists, for example, but we don’t often stop to appreciate it. There’s a reason for that: infrastructure is meant to be utilitarian, and what may serve a practical purpose won’t always satisfy an artistic or architectural one.

There are exceptions, of course. The Metro, for one, is architecturally distinct and significant in its own right, with cathedral-like ceilings covered in a patchwork of concrete tiles that create memorable sight lines. Or the Whitehurst Freeway, which, like many elevated roadways across the country, provides a chic industrial feel to K Street NW in Georgetown. (Some residents aren’t fans, of course, and want it torn down.)

But as more and more people in the District ride their bikes to work, there has been a small but growing move towards creating and installing creative and neighborhood-defining bike racks. While the city is still awash in plain, though practical, inverted-U or lollipop racks — around 2,000 of them — brightly colored and intricately designed racks have been appearing in neighborhoods across the city in recent years.

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District has commissioned and installed four custom artistic bike racks, starting with a blue “Bike Here” rack unveiled in 2009 at the southern entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro station. That same year, the Swiss Embassy gave the District ten standard bike racks it had painted to reflect Swiss themes, and Mayor Adrian Fenty unveiled 28 racks designed by six local artists in a collaboration between the D.C. Department of Transportation and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

GoDCgo, an initiative of the D.C. Department of Transportation, runs the BikeBrand Your Biz program, which allows D.C. businesses to commission their own distinct bike racks and have them installed by the city free of charge. Each custom rack can run from $500 to $1,500.

Ultimately, the purpose of the artistic bike racks — which can be found in many other cities like Chicago and Portland — is to promote cycling, break the monotony of normal infrastructure and better brand neighborhoods and businesses. It’s still a movement that’s extremely small, though: the Golden Triangle BID notes that it has 350 racks all told, only four of which are artistic.

More great shots of artistic bike racks from M.V. Jantzen here. Even more here.