Graffiti as public art

Speaking about graffiti in public transport precincts at the UITP (International Association of Public Transport) Summit, Hamburg, June 2025.

Is it possible to include graffiti artists in the creation of train and tram stations? Would that formalise an art form that goes against the establishment, and therefore, by definition, the moment you try to formalise this form, it is no longer graffiti and turns into a mural?

Does this difference matter?

What are some of the practical steps?

My fellow panel members who deal with cleaning graffiti from train stations, see it as vandalism. They are trying their best to police it. They have even proposed tracking graffiti artists from their tags and CCTV footage to make an arrest. Because, as they claim, even the presence of graffiti makes their passengers feel unsafe.

These are some of the questions I had to face this year when I was invited to speak from the perspective of a designer on the challenges that transport authorities face with graffiti.

I do not want to advocate for policing actions that do not endanger anyone, which made this a challenging conversation to have.

What do you think? What do you think when you see graffiti or a tag in such public spaces?