Graffiti plagues many municipalities, but several innovative local programs are treating it as an opportunity to teach a lesson, engage youth, or create public art, rather than as a mere nuisance.

Residents of Hauppauge, N.Y. have voiced their concerns about the visual blight of graffiti in their neighborhoods. In Washington, D.C. the amount of graffiti has dramatically increased in recent years, even though it has decreased in many other large cities. Even though unwanted graffiti usually disturbs the neighborhood aesthetic, some programs recognize artistic talent in this work and seek to channel it into public art. In Washington, a program called Murals DC gives street artists a legal canvas to make murals rather than vandalism. Programs like this help beautify a neighborhood by using their own resident’s talents.

In response to rampant graffiti, Olympia, Wash. expanded their graffiti removal program by providing graffiti kits to parking-services employees, who are spending a greater portion of their workday  finding and covering graffiti. In Nashville, Tenn. some citizens have brushes and paint ready to take care of graffiti themselves rather than rely solely on the city’s clean-up efforts. In Las Cruces, N.M., cleaning graffiti is not just a job but also a form of punishment for teens caught vandalizing public places. Those caught in the act will help undo their own creations by cleaning it up with local police.

The Knowledge Network’s Graffiti topic page has many case studies, ordinances, and other documents on how local government has approached graffiti in their communities.

• El Centro, Calif. was nominated for an award for its program helping property owners remove graffiti.
• Arlington, Tex. created a Graffiti Abatement Team to help clean the community and increase code enforcement.
• This Washoe County, Nev. ordinance regulates the possession of graffiti materials.
• Santa Ana, Calif. encourages citizens to cover their graffiti by offering discounted paint in one of five standard colors

You can find these and more in the documents section of the Graffiti topic page.