Vancouver: city of graffiti

by Stephen Hui on Feb 5, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Wouldn't this map look amazing spray-painted on a wall?

We walk by graffiti every day. At the City of Vancouver, however, it's the staff's job to record instances of what may be described as street art or vandalism, depending on your point of view and the intent of the creator.

Thanks to this map by Tom Nightingale, we can visualize just how widespread graffiti is in the city. It's based on data from the city's open data catalogue, which is now over two years old. The darker, redder hexagons indicate clusters of graffiti.

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Comments (4) Add New Comment
Susan Fraser
Feb 5, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Let's face it, not all graffiti is art, so it's hard to say if this map is any indication of what could be a burgeoning art scene, or just "stuff" painted on walls. There are amazing artists working in street art all around the world, and I hope what is a very legitimate movement catches on here too.
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Teapixie
Feb 5, 2013 at 9:24 pm
Look into SPREAD THE PAINT, a program of volunteer high school students who are lead by Kitsilano Community Centre staffers. They are rarely thanked for cleaning up walls and fences of local businesses and residences. They remove graffiti!

It is an awesome program of dedicated people.
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painter
Feb 5, 2013 at 9:37 pm
It's far less graffiti than the more crude 'tagging'. And it's everywhere - both global and local - a modern version of Kilroy Was Here. And there's no redeeming value to found in it at all.
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GRAFFITI ARTIST X
May 4, 2013 at 8:33 pm
Graffiti writers don't give a fuck---that's the point. argue & debate with yourselves all you want.
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