The next Banksy or unwanted tagging? How the City of Melbourne is cleaning up graffiti

Melbourne’s world-famous laneways are often described as a "shifting canvas," where street art transforms everyday spaces into cultural landmarks.

At the heart of managing this unique urban environment is Emily Bardella, the City of Melbourne’s Clean City Manager. As a trained graphic designer and street art lover, Emily understands the value that art brings to locations like Hosier Lane and Presgrave Place, but she also knows that "even beauty has its place."

The challenge for any vibrant city is distinguishing between celebrated street art and unwanted graffiti. While a mural can act as a landmark, illegal tagging often contributes to a sense of general grubbiness. Emily notes that there is a strong psychological link between this type of grime, litter, and residents reporting that they feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods. When graffiti appears where it isn't wanted, it can make a community feel neglected and less secure.

To address this, the City of Melbourne has changed the way it manages its streets. Through partnering with Snap Send Solve, the City of Melbourne has streamlined the reporting process to make sure unwanted tagging is handled with speed and efficiency by sending reports straight to the contractor.

Bypassing the need for manual processing by the City of Melbourne’s customer experience team, cleaning crews can get on-site faster. For residents, this means quicker resolutions, the ability to track the job's progress in-app, and the knowledge that their Snaps are directly helping to keep Melbourne both beautiful and safe.

Check out the full story here.