Harnessing the Visual Public Realm for Community Prosperity

Marine Tanguy

The visual public realm – the images, symbols, and messages that populate our streets and shared spaces – plays a profound role in shaping the identity, memory, and lived experience of urban communities. Yet in cities across the globe, this shared environment is increasingly dominated by commercial interests. This shift undermines local identity, public health, and collective wellbeing – eroding the commons in favour of private gain.  

A new White Paper, Harnessing the Visual Public Realm for Community Prosperity I co-wrote with IGP researcher Holly Norman critically examines the implications of this trend. In the paper we argue that the visual public realm is becoming less democratic, less representative, and increasingly shaped by the logic of profit rather than the needs of people. Commercial imagery diminishes civic values and weakens community cohesion.  

We examined how it is “not merely a visual backdrop, but a powerful platform for sparking civic dialogue on pressing contemporary issues – from environmental sustainability and social justice to representation, beauty standards and combating disinformation.” 

We also had to acknowledge the challenges we face in the modern visual urban environment. Many urban spaces "have been reduced to transactional zones where individuals are addressed primarily as consumers." A landscape rife with billboards and commercial advertising "undermines local identity, public health, and collective wellbeing – eroding the commons in favour of private gain."  

We then make some policy recommendations to begin resolving those challenges. We put forth support for “citizen-led creative interventions” and encourage “reinvestment in visual cultures that serve the common good.” We present the idea that reclaiming the visual public realm “ as a space of civic value rather than commercial extraction” can help “build more just, inclusive, and prosperous cities.” 

Public Art and Visual Storytelling for Community Prosperity 

Public art operates as a dynamic and often contested force within the urban landscapes – functioning simultaneously as a tool of regeneration and a mode of resistance, a vehicle for inclusion and a form of critique. Long embedded within the strategies of culture-led urban development, public art has played a central role in revitalising neglected spaces, stimulating local economies, and positioning artists as influential agents in the reshaping of cities (Cameron and Coaffee, 2005; Hall and Robertson, 2001; Sharp et al., 2005; Lovaglio and Scortichini, 2021). 

Across Europe, cities are increasingly recognising the potential of public art to support community prosperity and democratic expression.  

In Sweden, the Art is Happening initiative, led by the Department of Culture and delivered by the Public Art Agency, uses artistic interventions to foster democratic participation in areas with historically low voter turnout (Wiberg, 2022).  

Likewise, in Munich, the city commissioned artist Gretta Louw’s The Commons, an installation that interrogates the use of shared space for the collective good of people and planet (Molina, 2024). 

A similar story of cultural regeneration unfolds in Lisbon, where public art has become central to the city’s broader revitalisation strategy. Through the Galeria de Arte Urbana – an initiative of the Lisbon City Council’s Cultural Heritage department – mural sites are identified, property owners are engaged, and artists are commissioned to create works that enhance both private properties and the city’s wider cultural landscape. Strict guidelines protect Lisbon’s architectural heritage: murals must respect original stonework and tiles, remain in place for a minimum of three months, and contain no commercial advertising. Crucially, participating artists are fairly compensated. 

In London, the Mayor’s Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square exemplifies participatory public art at a high-profile site. Uniquely, the selection process invites public engagement: shortlisted proposals are exhibited for public viewing, expert review, and popular vote – allowing both residents and visitors to shape the final commission. This open process transforms a historically charged location into a democratic space for cultural expression and dialogue. 

Such commitments to public art and visual storytelling are especially critical in cities saturated by commercial imagery. In dense urban centres like London, advertising dominates much of the visual environment – often to an ‘overwhelming’ degree (Tanguy, 2024:221). From tube stations and escalators to buses and shelters, commercial messaging permeates the transport network, constituting a major portion of the visual stimuli city dwellers encounter each day (Finlay, 2021). In response, Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London have embedded public art initiatives into these high-visibility spaces. These interventions go beyond aesthetic enhancement, and seek to visually communicate community-driven messages and elevate narratives rooted in local histories, cultural identities and shared legacies (Bamford, 2025). 

The transformative potential of public art lies not merely in beautification, but in its ability to spark joy, foster emotional connection and ignite civic imagination. They become platforms for engagement – inviting reflection on collective histories, values, and future aspirations. More than an aesthetic contribution, public art and visual storytelling are vital instruments of democratic expression and social change.  

Reclaiming advertising spaces for critical thinking and community engagement

One particularly impactful strategy within this landscape involves the creative repurposing of advertising infrastructure to serve public, cultural, and ecological purposes.  

By embedding art into the everyday visual environment, these interventions reclaim spaces once dominated by commercial messaging and reorient them toward community engagement and critical reflection. 

This growing movement also includes community driven projects that use visual storytelling to build social solidarity and collective responsibility. In Bristol, a collaborative initiative supported by the University of Bristol and Rising Arts Agency, transformed lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis into powerful visual narratives that fostered empathy (University of Bristol, 2022).  

The For Freedoms collective exemplifies how art can become a platform for civic action and cultural transformation. Operating as a decentralised network, it equips artists, institutions, and communities with the tools to activate public space and advance social justice. Billboards serve as both medium and message – reclaimed as canvases for dialogue, representation, and collective responsibility. 

In London, Hackney Council’s Old Street Digital Canvas demonstrates how municipal authorities can work in partnership with advertising firms to repurpose commercial media infrastructure as platforms for public art. Positioned in one of the capital’s busiest intersections, the initiative temporarily inserts contemporary artworks into the daily rhythms of city life – reaching diverse audiences, including those who may not typically engage with formal cultural venues (Billboard Insider, 2024).  

Public art and creative placemaking act as accessible entry points into complex issues. They contribute to inclusive urban governance, promote cultural rights, and encourage civic agency. By making transformative processes visible and meaningful to diverse publics, such efforts build capacity for shared ownership of the city’s future – advancing both local regeneration goals and global commitments to sustainable, just urban development. 

Reclaiming the visual public realm is more than a rejection of commercial encroachment – it is a powerful opportunity to reimagine how public spaces can nurture belonging, wellbeing, and civic participation.