From: Murals & Illustrations / Specific to: Placemaking / Street Artist
Murals and Street Art used in Tactical Urbanism
Mural art and tactical urbanism are closely connected, especially when artwork activates or tests a public space rather than simply decorating a wall.
The distinction is that not every mural is tactical urbanism. A permanent mural commissioned purely as decoration wouldn’t necessarily qualify. It aligns more closely with tactical urbanism when the artwork is part of a broader temporary, experimental, or low-cost intervention intended to change how people experience or use a place.
Below you can see a ground mural that HAPPY DECAY designed and painted, commissioned by Nacho Station for the City of Greater Bendigo Council.
Explain Tactical Urbanism
Tactical urbanism is the practice of making small-scale, temporary or low-cost changes to public spaces to test how an area could be improved.
Instead of waiting for a major, expensive urban redevelopment, councils, communities or artists can make a relatively quick intervention and see how people respond.
Street Art and Murals as an Example
A council might have a dull or underused laneway. Rather than immediately spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a permanent redevelopment, it could commission murals, temporary furniture, planting and lighting for six months. The council can then observe pedestrian activity, community response and how the space is being used.
HAPPY DECAY uses large-scale mural artwork and creative interventions to activate urban spaces, encourage community engagement and transform underutilised environments into more engaging places for people.
Back to: Murals & Illustrations
