New Ways to Use Urban Space

By David Ninnes (from Sustainable Communities-Maclaren Vale blog) An example of graffiti art that symbolises a shift in thinking, reveals, ‘turns the inside out’ and paints a new picture on the urban landscape. ‘Graffiti on the Path and the Nature of Public Space’ was posted on ‘the nature of cities’ website by Paul Downton.

Paul writes: “The nature of cities is inextricably tied to the nature of public space and this blog is about just a small part of that ‘nature’. It was inspired by what appeared to be graffiti on a public footpath that runs along the street where I live, in sunny Semaphore, South Australia.

Sidewalk spam in Semaphore. Photo: Paul Downton

Now I appreciate intelligent, well-executed graffiti. I like the stuff that possesses some style and carries a positive, or simply necessary message. The best graffiti rescues blighted spaces from greyness and orthographic rigour with dynamic swathes and patterns of colour that maybe should have been there in the first place, and graffiti has a proud place in the annals of urban ecology.” Read more from Paul’s Post