There doesn't seem to be very clear evidence that one broken window leads to others, although there does seem to be an effect on people's perceptions of their neighborhoods. I think there may be a correlation/causation question here.
I grew up in a very affluent area and never understood why people "tagged" things. The perception of attributing narcissistic boredom as the reason was wildly apparent in those that partook, not to mention the kleptomania that also seemed prevalent. I always associated graffiti with "America's Mayor" after 9/11. News constantly praised Rudy Giuliani for turning around NYC crime rates using the broken window theory:
But as I've gotten older I've experienced situations where that belief has taken on a more nuanced interpretation. The graffiti murals in PB & OB were pretty great when I was living in San Diego. But the murals for the counterculture in Taxim, Istanbul, Turkey was like walking through a museum without a roof.
Then we had Banksy and his art form that created copycats. In Austin there's an artist that creates graffiti via tagging things with "LOVE".
Recently I learned of how homeless use it as a form of communication. But soon after adjacent tags with what I assume are gang related began appearing.
The wildest part is I started noticing people tagging things soon after the city came in for surveying and spray painted markers for a future construction project.
I don't really have anything substantive to add, but this is just something I've been thinking about lately. Apologies for the word vomit as I ponder the butterfly effect and grey hues.
That's the power of collective thought. Because society decided Banksy belonged on a pedestal its the difference between a shop owner having to call someone and forking out $100 to power wash the side of their building versus some rich person swooping in to renovate the place with a sweet $100,000 bonus.
Then again Banksy proved he belonged where society put him when he did the shred painting stunt to highlight the hypocrisy of it all. Part of why I'm so fond of the local graffiti artist just placing reminders that love is always present around town.
I wonder if cave paintings increased ancient hominid civil unrest as well.
Tag you’re it good read
Free palletline indeed!
The broken windows theory seems to be somewhat mixed, according to meta analysis. https://news.northeastern.edu/2019/05/15/northeastern-university-researchers-find-little-evidence-for-broken-windows-theory-say-neighborhood-disorder-doesnt-cause-crime/
There doesn't seem to be very clear evidence that one broken window leads to others, although there does seem to be an effect on people's perceptions of their neighborhoods. I think there may be a correlation/causation question here.
I grew up in a very affluent area and never understood why people "tagged" things. The perception of attributing narcissistic boredom as the reason was wildly apparent in those that partook, not to mention the kleptomania that also seemed prevalent. I always associated graffiti with "America's Mayor" after 9/11. News constantly praised Rudy Giuliani for turning around NYC crime rates using the broken window theory:
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/17/nyregion/mayor-announces-new-assault-on-graffiti-citing-its-toll-on-city.html
But as I've gotten older I've experienced situations where that belief has taken on a more nuanced interpretation. The graffiti murals in PB & OB were pretty great when I was living in San Diego. But the murals for the counterculture in Taxim, Istanbul, Turkey was like walking through a museum without a roof.
Then we had Banksy and his art form that created copycats. In Austin there's an artist that creates graffiti via tagging things with "LOVE".
Recently I learned of how homeless use it as a form of communication. But soon after adjacent tags with what I assume are gang related began appearing.
The wildest part is I started noticing people tagging things soon after the city came in for surveying and spray painted markers for a future construction project.
I don't really have anything substantive to add, but this is just something I've been thinking about lately. Apologies for the word vomit as I ponder the butterfly effect and grey hues.
I appreciate your thoughts, actually. When I started writing the piece and doing some research, I realized it can really be an entire book.
It's also interesting how forgiving with are when it's a Banksy vs some random not particularly good graffiti artist.
That's the power of collective thought. Because society decided Banksy belonged on a pedestal its the difference between a shop owner having to call someone and forking out $100 to power wash the side of their building versus some rich person swooping in to renovate the place with a sweet $100,000 bonus.
Then again Banksy proved he belonged where society put him when he did the shred painting stunt to highlight the hypocrisy of it all. Part of why I'm so fond of the local graffiti artist just placing reminders that love is always present around town.
I wonder if cave paintings increased ancient hominid civil unrest as well.