This might be the best plan for blighted neighborhoods I’ve heard yet, mainly because it can be implemented by anyone, it can happen fairly instantly, it engages the community, and it avoids any zoning / reinvestment / ownership issues.
Step 1. Take an abandoned building in a prominent location, one that gets a lot of foot traffic.
Step 2. Cover it in chalkboards or chalkboard paint.
Step 3. Pose a question or fill-in-the-blank, like the one above.
Step 4. Leave chalk.
This is precisely what artist and designer Candy Chang did in New Orleans.
Before:
After:
Once the wall has been filled, she washes the board with water and starts all over again.
Even though they disappear, as all street art does, Chang is collecting the responses for a book she wants to put together, a catalog of New Orleans dreams, written on its buildings and abandoned homes.
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 