What if a simple mural could change the way you feel about a place?
In the August 2024 Place Leaders Asia Pacific Community of Practice, we explored three award-winning street art projects that transformed neglected spaces into vibrant, safer, and thriving hubs of community pride. From Sydney to Darwin and South Hedland in WA, these projects show the power of Street Art to reshape urban landscapes. Here’s how three Place Leaders did it.
Bob Whyte (Transport for NSW): The Rainbow Tunnels Project
Bob Whyte shared how the reVITALise - Rainbow Tunnels Project transformed four under-utilised walkways in Sydney, coinciding with Sydney World Pride. By using light and art installations delivered by LGBTQ+ artists, these spaces went from eerie to inspiring, celebrating local identity in a way that resonated with the entire community. As one passer-by said, “This tunnel used to give me the heebie-jeebies, now it’s butterflies.”
Key Learning: Street art installations can dramatically shift negative perceptions of safety.
Key Takeaway: Simple, cost-effective artistic interventions can change how people feel about public spaces, improving safety and increasing community engagement.
The Transformation: Three pedestrian tunnels in Sydney’s Inner West, once considered unsafe, were brought to life with vibrant, light-based art designed by LGBTQ+ artists during the Sydney WorldPride 2023 festival. 91% of users reported an improved experience, and 71% felt safer at night. Female pedestrian traffic increased by 24%, highlighting the project’s success in creating a more welcoming space for all. Cultural Capital, an arts consultancy, was instrumental in ensuring that the installations aligned with the heritage constraints while delivering vibrant, site-specific activation.
Overcoming Challenges: Balancing artistic freedom with the need for public safety was key. Incorporating community feedback and understanding heritage constraints ensured that the installations both resonated artistically and enhanced the physical space. The project contributed to the United Nations Safer Cities for Girls Program, aiming to improve safety and access to public spaces for women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
Jo Smallacombe (Activate Darwin): Darwin Street Art Festival
Jo Smallacombe discussed the Darwin Street Art Festival, an annual event that has redefined urban renewal in Darwin through traditional and digital media. By integrating augmented reality (AR) technology into the murals, the festival has not only beautified the city but also deepened community engagement in exciting new ways. Jo shared behind-the-scenes insights.
Key Learning: Street Art is a powerful tool for urban renewal and can significantly boost visitation / tourism.
Key Takeaway: Street Art can be used as a tool for urban renewal, to drive visitation and tourism, and as an engagement with hard-to-reach community members. Augmented reality (AR) technology can deepen public engagement with street art and foster deeper connections with local culture.
The Transformation: Over the past seven years, the festival has grown from 8 murals to 130, with the accompanying AR-enhanced app downloaded over 2,500 times. The app allows users to interact with the murals in real-time, making the art experience immersive and dynamic. Local businesses have integrated the app into their offerings, and the festival has generated over $1.3M in Advertising Sales Revenue (ASR), reaching over 1.5 million people across the Northern Territory and beyond.
Overcoming Challenges: During the COVID-19 pandemic, gathering restrictions made it difficult to host traditional events. In response, the team staggered mural installations and leveraged the app’s AR capabilities to keep the public engaged. The festival expanded to include regional towns like Tennant Creek and Katherine as well as murals along roadside stops on the Stuart Highway, creating a Territory-wide street art trail to engage locals and tourists.
David Snyder (Town of Port Hedland): South Hedland Street Art Festival
David Snyder shared the story behind the South Hedland Street Art Festival, winner of the prestigious 2023 Centrepiece Award for Excellence in Placemaking. The project focused on youth empowerment and strong community engagement, beautifying the town centre and providing local youth and Indigenous artists a platform to express their creativity. David emphasised that Street Art can transform community spaces and promote a sense of ownership and community pride.
Key Learning: Engaging youth and artists enhances ownership and pride in the outcome.
Key Takeaway: Involving community members in the creative process can transform unsafe or neglected spaces into vibrant community hubs. The project included a six-month engagement program, with co-design processes allowing community input to shape each mural’s narrative.
The Transformation: The Festival was a key part of revitalising South Hedland Town Centre, with 200 local youth involved in the creation of 14 murals, and engaging 3 Indigenous artists for the first time, giving them a platform for their work. One of the murals, designed by Indigenous youth and local elders, tells a story of the Pilbara landscape and its river systems, uniting different parts of the community through art. Foot traffic increased, and crime in the area decreased, showing the transformative power of public art. Strong local support saw 1,500 attendees at the opening weekend.
Overcoming Challenges: South Hedland was once seen as unsafe, but through a collaborative design process, perceptions changed. A post-event survey revealed that 77% of respondents felt a stronger sense of place, and no vandalism was reported at the mural sites. The project even created a permanent walking tour of the town centre, ensuring that the murals continue to engage the community long after the event.
Street Art as a Tool for Creating Safer, Welcoming Spaces
Across all three projects, one common theme emerged: Street Art can change how we perceive public spaces, especially at night. Strategic lighting and engaging designs not only beautified these spaces but made them feel safer and more inviting. Night-time installations and lighting considerations were identified as critical for making spaces feel safe at all times of the day.
Practical Challenges and Solutions in Placemaking Projects
Each of these street art projects faced challenges, from securing permits to coordinating with multiple stakeholders. Collaboration between public and private entities was key to their success.
Navigating public-private partnerships, securing approvals / permissions, and coordinating with artists were challenges in all the projects. Collaboration and coordination across various public and private entities through a passionate project ‘connector’ leads to successful outcomes.
Maintenance, anti-graffiti measures, and ongoing community involvement are critical for sustaining the impact of public art projects and ensuring the art installations remained maintained and respected.
Example - Darwin Street Art Festival. The festival used solar-powered lighting to illuminate 15 murals at night, ensuring they remained visible and accessible after dark. Anti-graffiti coatings were applied to prevent vandalism and reduce maintenance costs.
Example - South Hedland Street Art Festival. The project tackled the challenge of authentically integrating Indigenous stories into public spaces by giving local artists ownership of the creative process. This ensured that the final artworks authentically represented the community’s cultural heritage.
Final Thoughts: Street Art’s Lasting Impact on Communities
All projects highlighted the power of Street Art as a powerful tool for beautifying public spaces, driving deeper community engagement, improving community perceptions of safety, and enhancing local pride. Street Art can leave a lasting impact on communities, even if it’s to validate the next, more permanent, Street Art project. For example, the South Hedland Street Art Festival led to permanent pedestrianisation of some streets to further activate these areas, showing how temporary art projects can lead to long-term urban improvements. The murals became a symbol of local pride, leading to future collaborations with the Department of Justice to involve young offenders in future street art projects.
Upcoming Place Leaders Communities of Practice
September 2024 - 'Place Measurement' Place Leaders Asia Pacific Salon-style Community of Practice
Date: Thursday 19 September 2024
Time: 5:30pm (AEST) / 3:30pm (AWST) / 7:30pm (NZST)
Duration: 60 minutes
Platform: Zoom (Zoom link will be sent closer to the date)
Register: Send an email with subject 'Place Measurement - YES' to hello@placeleaders.com
Places thrive when we understand what makes them work. This fun, informal learning event will explore Place Measurement - the tools and techniques that allow place professionals to monitor and track the success of place-based initiatives. An award-winning place practitioner and an academic expert will share their insights and real-world examples of how effective place measurement can drive continuous improvement and create vibrant, thriving places and spaces.
Who’s Speaking?
2023 Place Leadership Award Winner - Hoyne for ‘The Place Economy Series’
Speakers: Andrew Hoyne, Hoyne
Highlights: The Place Economy Series has garnered global attention for its role in advancing placemaking. This series collates best practice case studies and leading industry insights, showcasing the strong link between visionary placemaking, economic growth, and enhanced community wellbeing. Andrew will share how decision-makers are using data and insights to drive investment in placemaking for better economies and healthier communities.
Key insights from the Place Leadership Micro Credentials Program - Measuring and Monitoring Place
Speaker: Robyn Creagh, Associate Dean Research, Faculty of Arts, Sciences, Law & Business, University of Notre Dame
Highlights: The Place Leadership Micro Credentials program is Australia’s only postgraduate short course in Place Leadership. Robyn will share key insights from the Measuring and Monitoring Place micro-credential module, which explores practical methods to track the progress and impact of place-based projects, ensuring they meet key placemaking goals and objectives.
October 2024 - 'Main Streets' Place Leaders Asia Pacific Salon-style Community of Practice
Date: Thursday 17 October 2024
Time: 5:30pm (AEST) / 3:30pm (AWST) / 7:30pm (NZST)
Duration: 60 minutes
Platform: Zoom (Zoom link will be sent closer to the date)
Register: Send an email with subject 'Main Streets - YES' to hello@placeleaders.com
Streets are vital public spaces for communities to connect and thrive. Join us for a fun, informal learning event - a one-hour Main Streets salon-style webinar hosted by Place Leaders Asia Pacific. Award-winning place practitioners from across the region will share their success stories and insights.
Who’s Speaking?
2023 Large Scale Place Project Winner - Open Streets Program (NSW)
Speakers: Alison D’Costa, A/Director, Streets and Centres and Emilly Wickham A/Senior Manager, Planning and Strategy, Cities Revitalisation and Place, NSW Department of Transport
Highlights: The Open Streets Program catalysed local activation and community engagement across multiple NSW local government areas through collaborative efforts. Alison and Emily will discuss how they energise NSW streets with locally responsive solutions.
2023 Large Scale Place Project Commendation - Miles Streetscape Revitalisation (QLD)
Speakers: Brooke Williams, Director at Fourfold Studio (partners Vee Design, Western Downs Regional Council, POMO, Storiedland, and Bark Architecture)
Highlights: This project transformed Miles through place-based design and community engagement, celebrating local identity and driving economic growth. Commended by the 2023 Awards jury for its ambition, Brooke and the team will share their success stories and the role of 'courage' in placemaking.
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