I don't see that way rebeccaC, because the graffiti art that I've seen looks permanently damaging..meaning it doesn't wash off just like that in the rain. Calling in paid staff, is very expensive to remove the stuff: they have other work...for a rapidly growing city like ours....there are other areas in need of beautification from ground level up because of decades of surbaban sprawl. I will be honest, I work for a municipality and we go to great lengths to figure out ways to protect outdoor mural public art from being graffitied.
Some great cycling-inspired outdoor public art carefully planned and painted by volunteer community groups in Vancouver have been subjected to graffiti. I don't appreciate it as an art lover. The artists who were commissioned by the city spent hrs. designing and preparing the wall surfaces, plus painting.
On a section of this outdoor mural art by a popular bike-ped path in Calgary, see the fine details of mapping? It's gone now. Because someone graffitied over it. So the city had to scrub it off and the details are gone.
http://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/...river-calgary/ The piece is actually part of a bicycle theme. Coincidentally this morning, I was cycling by the art in the same area and marvelled that it had not been grafffitied much yet. Probably because there are some planted bushes..plus I believe the police do drive by this area several times a day.
We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the real visual artists who have been approved/commissioned to have their work for free viewing by public outdoors. Ask yourself, would you want a graffiti artist spray painting all over your work?
My attitude is not generational...it is simply about how we value public property that's open and free for viewing.