Currently, well over half of the world's population lives in a city. That number is expected to do nothing but rise in the future. A greater concentration of people means less room for each individual, and places greater importance on shared public spaces. In much of North America, there has been little concern for beauty within our cities – perhaps because we historically imagined we had such a surplus of land that everyone could have their own space that could be made beautiful to their standards. As our personal spaces shrink, how can we be sure that public art and other placemaking techniques are given importance in city budgets? What argument can we make in support of public art and the benefit it confers to residents of a city?
Part of this discussion could be about the interpretation of urban art. For example how does legal aerosol art fit into the concept of public art? Consider also international or national art trends, such as the painted cows that appeared in different cities around the world. – SaraiMW7 years ago