Nowra CBD what's the issue?

A 'photoreal' graffiti image from down near the foot bridge in Nowra

Just over week ago I attended a Friday afternoon walk around Nowra Central business district with business and building owners, council staff and of course the obligatory political patrol.

I attended as I was interested to see the point of view of other people as personally I don't find Nowra to bad. Having lived in Belfast Northern Ireland as a young person nothing could be as depressing as it was in the 80s.

But I could see the point made by the company of folk in attendance. Cracked and raised footpaths, dirty buildings, vandalised glass, heaps of poor quality graffiti-mainly senseless tags and the current dust bowl rest area in the Egans Lane vicinity.

The Egans lane dust bowl is an interesting location, I have seen it used by many an older person during summer to stop and rest under the cool tree canopy, reading a newspaper and taking general respite out from a hot day. Why is it that Nowra always feels three degrees warmer? It is a tired location but getting rid of the trees isn't the answer to this pocket park problem.

One conclusion I did come to was the existence of 'class warfare' in Nowra. I'm not saying that the graffiti and vandalism is all young people's fault, but the folk who live fairly close to the CBD would have to be some of the most disadvantaged in the state, we rank around 12 on the socio economic indicators range beaten by places such as Brewarrina and Moree.

Our community is a victim of the classic two speed economy- except I think we might fit in the stalled category rather than slowed. With a high amount of welfare dependence it is little wonder that the chasm between the haves and have nots is widening- in fact it is remarkable that the main street of Nowra has not given in to a plethora of two dollar shops. At least the public service and the navy has created enough free income to allow a diversity of business to survive.

I digress..the point is that the cracked footpaths and maintenance issues can be address by Shoalhaven City Council but the general appearance needs effort from all stakeholders including the disenfranchised. We need to somehow get those on the outer edges in. So this propelled me to put together a discussion paper on legal walls for graffiti artists...a 'if you cant beat them, join them' attitude to street art which has been recognised world wide as a meritorious way to address graffiti problems.

Heres a copy -

Graffiti: Turning things around in Nowra CBD.



Nowra CBD is located in a densely populated, socio economically disadvantaged area. The CBD suffers from a high rate of vandalism in particular graffiti. The opportunities for graffiti artists are many, due to the configuration of buildings and lane ways, the physical environment is near impossible to change.

People who carry out graffiti are often disenfranchised from everyday social order. Anti- social behavior in particular graffiti gives them ‘presence’ within the town that they do not have normally through traditional avenues such as employment or other social activities.

It needs to be acknowledged that fixing the socio- economic gap in and around Nowra is a large job and one that will not be achieved overnight. Meanwhile the CBD suffers from an unkempt appearance which adds to the overall economic disadvantage. Many businesses’ are subject to large bills to repair damage from vandalism.

Punitive measures to tackle do not work on their own, but can be part of a range of strategies.

Reclaim the lanes.

There are a couple of ways of tackling anti- social behavior this paper focuses on non-punitive socially inclusive measures that seek to build community pride, create a talking point and provide a sense of energy in the CBD.

Legal walls or approved street art spaces are one way to ‘reclaim the lanes’ it is an approach that is employed around the world- some places even capitalize on the quality of the artwork in their neighborhoods and provide guided tourist tours.

In a recent presentation to the Shoalhaven City Council tourism board, Rand and Associates advised the board that links to Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon were not used to the best advantage. A street art project could link Bundanon resident artist to street artist or could be part of a prize structure for the best group / artist.

Nowra has many ideal sites in great locations. The abundance of sites can be a driver for prominence in the ‘tag’ scene, but could also act as a competitive catalyst for a street art competition.

Business owners / operators may believe that a clean white walled town is desirable, but a compromise approach needs to be taken and to be inclusive of the users. The current strategy is not working and social indicators would suggest that in the short to medium term the situation is unlikely to change.

‘Reclaim the lanes’ could identify say 6 sites with approval from landholders for the installation of a large mural/street art design.

The sites could then be competed for by teams or individual street artists.

Each project would have the materials paid for, but the participants would complete the artwork on a voluntary basis.

A set time limit could be negotiated with the artists for completion of the walls.

A cash prize of reasonable value for the best wall could be awarded by the Business Chamber ( or CBD ratepayers or retail association).



Advantages of ‘reclaim the lanes’

Gives street artists a legitimate claim to ‘walls’ around Nowra in a coordinated and open way that gives the best opportunity for a quality art project.

Assists in breaking down the barriers of the ’us and them mentality’.

Win / Win situation for landholders as it would reduce the costs of dealing with random graffiti.

Provides a point of interest and invites people to linger longer in the CBD to enjoy the artworks.

Could become highly competitive and run on a cycle once the existing walls become tired.

Creates community pride and drive down random acts of poor behavior.

Possible Funding Sources

Attorney Generals safer communities program and anti graffiti program.

Donations from the CDB business community.

Walls sponsored by building owners.

Community development grants

Tourism grants

Arts grants

CBD Promotions committee

Possible Partnerships

Nowra Youth Centre

PCYC

Bundanon

Koori Habitat

Nowra City Arts Centre /Shoalhaven City Council

Shoalhaven Business Chamber

CBD Ratepayers Association

Tourism

Additional information

Society for Applied Anthropology: Volume 51, No 2 Summer 1992, p 188-196

Hip Hop Graffiti Writers' Evaluations of Strategies to Control Illegal Graffiti

http://sfaa.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,13,14;journal,81,281;linkingpublicationresults,1:113218,1



Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 2002

Halsey and Young , The meaning of graffiti and Municipal Administration

http://anj.sagepub.com/content/35/2/165.short

Dealing with Graffiti in New South Wales, Rachel Callinan, Parliamentary Briefing paper 8/02

https://143.119.255.92/prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/9C425494BD3AE384CA256ECF0007BBDD/$File/08-02.pdf