EDINBURGH Greens have welcomed backing for a new project that will replace offensive, racist and damaging graffiti with street art.
Green Councillor Dan Heap added street art to the city’s new public art strategy last year, but no street art projects have started since then.
Last week (13 August), the city’s Culture and Communities Committee agreed to explore new street art projects, including a new scheme for walls and other spaces to be adopted by community groups for the purpose of painting murals.
Groups could include art groups, community councils, schools, and Edinburgh College of Art
Evidence suggests that street art discourages damaging graffiti, and has other benefits, such as improving mental health.
Speaking after the meeting, Dan said: “Edinburgh is a leading cultural city, but lags behind other cities in street art. We have some beautiful individual projects like the hugely successful Colinton Tunnel, but nothing like the large number of incredible murals that bring so much life to cities such as Glasgow.
We are hearing that many groups want to make their local are more beautiful and are willing to do the painting themselves, with minimal or no cost to the Council, but find it hard to engage the Council to get permission to paint on public walls.
“At the same time, residents are concerned about non-artistic graffiti that is meant purely to damage, offend or marginalise. There is, rightly, particular concern around racist graffiti.
“It is not hard to put two and two together here, and see that we can make our city more colourful, beautiful and welcoming by facilitating local communities to produce street art.”
