A few years ago the Albanian City of Tirana elected a new Mayor, his name was Edi Rama and he was not just a politician, he was also an artist. The City was emerging from decades as a depressed Communist enclave. Crime was rampant, the streets were filthy, illegally built houses had swallowed up what were previously beautiful parks and gardens. No one felt safe, Stores shuttered their windows at night and a general atmosphere of gloom pervaded.
Within weeks of coming into office in 2000 he embarked on what must be one of the most unusual stories of urban renewal ever. Instead of hiring more police officers, expanding the prison system or getting tough on crime, he went out and hired artists. He gave them unlimited quantities of bright colored paint: bright pinks, oranges, yellows and blues and told them to go paint the town. And that is just what they did.
As the paint started to cover the drab walls, a change came over the city. Residents started sweeping up outside their homes, shopkeepers stopped boarding up their windows and left them illuminated at night, people started to plant gardens and crime dropped. The city was transformed!
In 2004 Edi won the world’s best mayor award, and now, fourteen years later he is the Prime Minister of Albania. Not bad for a few cans of paint and a creative approach to deep seated social problems.
Let’s start painting…
Within weeks of coming into office in 2000 he embarked on what must be one of the most unusual stories of urban renewal ever. Instead of hiring more police officers, expanding the prison system or getting tough on crime, he went out and hired artists. He gave them unlimited quantities of bright colored paint: bright pinks, oranges, yellows and blues and told them to go paint the town. And that is just what they did.
As the paint started to cover the drab walls, a change came over the city. Residents started sweeping up outside their homes, shopkeepers stopped boarding up their windows and left them illuminated at night, people started to plant gardens and crime dropped. The city was transformed!
In 2004 Edi won the world’s best mayor award, and now, fourteen years later he is the Prime Minister of Albania. Not bad for a few cans of paint and a creative approach to deep seated social problems.
Let’s start painting…
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