Graffiti Eradication
The Community Foundation of Greater Kingston, The Davies Charitable Foundation and the Downtown Kingston! B.I.A partnered in a Graffiti Eradication Program during the summer's of 2005 and 2006.
The main component of the program was hiring a Queens student each summer (Katie Grubbe and Paul Weidemann) as a Graffiti Specialist. They were responsible for the research of graffiti removal techniques on surfaces such as limestone, brick, mortar, metal, and wood; documenting existing graffiti downtown; securing approval from the property owners for its removal; using the researched techniques to actually remove it.
A comprehensive report was then done on the findings in year 1 - this was augmented with the results of year 2, and also contains updated information on the removal products for 2007. A copy of the report can be downloaded by clicking on the link below. Unfortunately due to the pictures the report contains, it is a large file (+10 MB). We have also taken elements out of the report that you can download individually i.e.) if you are wanting information on how to remove graffiti from porous (brick) surfaces.
Background
The amount of graffiti has increased across Canada over the past few years.
Demographic profile of the average tagger - 16 year old male, no specific socio-economic background, who is seeking a sense of identity and self-fulfillment.
Only real way to prevent graffiti is instant removal - removes the sense of satisfaction the tagger gets from seeing his work.
'Legal walls' that give graffiti 'artists' a place to display their work actually encourages graffiti to spread to other areas of a city.
Costs
Studies show that graffiti costs Canadian taxpayers roughly $1.4 billion annually.
In the US, that figure is closer to $12 billion for graffiti removal.
Property values - National Association of Retailers (US) says properties in areas with a lot of graffiti lose 15% of their value.
Retail sales - graffiti can contribute to lost retail sales - people tend to feel less safe in areas with a lot of graffiti and are therefore less likely to come to those areas.
Information above is taken from 2 sources - the City of Toronto's 'Graffiti Eradication Program' and 'Graffiti Hurts', an American graffiti education program.
Please click here to contact us for more information.
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