Inkluderandet av urban konst i stadsplaneringen : En studie om graffiti och gatukonst i offentliga rum

Sammanfattning: In recent times, the popularity and acceptance of urban art has gradually increased among residents of the community. Graffiti festivals are being arranged and large murals are beginning to be seen more and more in our cities. Graffiti has for many years been seen as a major societal problem and it has often been associated with crime. Today, graffiti is not associated to the same extent with crime among residents and it is easier to include graffiti as an art form in the public space. Graffiti can also be described as an effort to show up and express oneself in the city. Even though graffiti is more accepted today, there is still a policy in Stockholm, regarding painting and graffiti without a permit should be cleaned up within 24 hours, a so-called "zero tolerance for graffiti". Graffiti is usually illegal, although there are places where it is allowed to paint. It can be in the form of places or on so-called open or legal walls. One of the most popular places to practice graffiti in Sweden is Snösätragränd in Stockholm, which from being an old industrial area has developed into a graffiti area. In August 2020, the municipality of Stockholm began demolition of parts of the graffiti area, which has brought to the discussions about urban art as a de-prioritized art form in urban planning. There is thus a growing demand for the art form in society, but also signs of fear that it may lead to for example crime and littering. The purpose of this study is to create a deeper understanding of urban art and how urban art can be included in urban planning. It is thus important first to examine how public art is included and then understand what conditions the actors of urban art have for expressing their art in the public space. The knowledge about art in public spaces and about urban art is based on literature and research. Furthermore, the graffiti area Snösätragränd, which is currently facing demolition, has been chosen as a case study area to create a deeper understanding of the subject. The case study together with site visits, interviews and e-mail communications further contributes with a current and in-depth picture of the studied phenomenon in its context. The study concludes that there is both a need and a desire to view and express urban art in our cities. Furthermore, the study shows that the financial means for public art that exist today are insufficient to enable practitioners of urban art to perform and display their art in the public space. On the one hand, municipalities want to limit urban art with the motivation to avoid crime, on the other hand, there are also efforts to make room for artists to promote this art form. Finally, it is clear that there are different views on urban art and whether it should be included in the public space or not. The study is therefore important for understanding graffiti as an art form or a breeding ground for criminal activity.