Problem
Graffiti covers fine old buildings and fine new ones. I was appalled that so many beautiful buildings were covered in graffiti. Most of it seemed to be not political statement, nor with and repartee, but mindless scrawl by the bored who had no talent for art or writing or expressing thoughts. What can be done?
Answers:
Raise Awareness
Run forums and campaigns about removing and preventing graffiti.
Brainstorming
Ask for suggestions. Run a competition.
Surveillance:
Install cameras. Set up decoys of blank walls and keep watch and catch the perpetrators.
Introduce legislation demanding compensation or imprisonment or tagging of offenders. You cannot reward or punish until you catch people.
Reward:
Give rewards to organisations or individuals who catch those spraying graffiti, or to organisations or individuals who prevent or remove graffiti. You have to be careful that people are not creating graffiti in order to collect reward for removing it.
Graffiti in Romania. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Punishment:
Survey the success of punishments. Singapore has flogging, which many think is too severe. The UK has many surveillance cameras. Singapore also covers many bridges with flowers and creeper plants so any graffiti would be prevented or hidden.
Practical:
Removal:
Have a team of removal artists.
Banksy:
Invite Banksy to cover unsightly graffiti with better stuff to raise the standard.
He could cover new walls.
Art Students
could be invited to improve or cover graffiti.
Ban sales of Spray Paint
except to over 18s who have a reason for buying it and leave there names and addresses and evidence of colours they bought.
Create Places
where graffiti is done officially where youngsters and oldsters can congregate and leave messages and pictures.
Prevention
Cover walls with anti graffiti paint.
Story
Graffiti is not just in the capital city, Bucharest, but also elsewhere. This is the most photographed tourist site in Brasov, the String Street, the narrowest street in Romania, and Eastern Europe. What a mess! Do you think something should be done? What?
By whom? As Gandhi said: Be the change you wish to see.
String Street in the beautiful old city of Brasov, ruined by graffiti. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Tips
UK prevention:
http://www.enviroguard-anti-graffiti.co.uk
General Suggestions:
http://www.wikihow.com/Deter-Graffiti
Australian initiatives:
https://www.pps.org/reference/graffitiprevent/https://www.goodbyegraffiti.wa.gov.au/About
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several other posts on Romania, on Bucharest and Brasov. Please share links to posts.
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