Back in 2009, San Francisco's DPW held a Zero Graffiti conference. They released a video talking about problems of blight (i.e., graffiti) that cities face across the world. Out of curiosity and continued research on how people interact and react to graffiti, public art, etc., I attended the event. Beyond the government hurrumphing and back patting (for spending millions of dollars to not solve a "problem"), I was impressed by all the statistics that the City government presented that day: stats that showed complaints and arrests (not many arrests) in a zoned SF. There was also talk of new technologies for detecting spray paint on a wall, but I do not know if this has advanced since then.
For 2013, Zero Graffiti has gone international. They are bringing in people from Canada and elsewhere in the USA to talk about tactics and means to eradicate graffiti. While the last event was free, this one is not. I saw a few artists in the mix at the first conference (where about 100 total people attended, mostly working with government agencies), mostly seeking legal walls to spray on. I doubt anyone who is not an abatement professional will attend the upcoming conference, which carries a $289 price tag (that includes "city-wide tours").
While the last conference had no sponsors, this one has at least a dozen, including the Academy of Art. I guess we now know where this art school stands on zero graffiti. Conference topics will include "Catching the Graffiti Vandal", "Best Use of Volunteers", and "Using Technology and Social Media".
Since I frequently post legal articles, documents, ordinances, etc. that pertain to potential and alleged illegal public placement of pigment and media, I felt that it is fair to post this new and much larger conference that is dedicated to "stopping urban blight." And, as I've stated many times, in public, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!
