As in many cities, Hayward encourages community members to create art on surfaces that might otherwise attract graffiti.  As you can see in the last picture below, metal utility boxes (electric, phone, and cable) are a common target for graffiti vandals, and they’re also an ideal canvas for community art.  Most graffiti vandals respect this art and won’t “tag” over community art (but a few will).

Another strategy that I’ve noticed as effective is the use of vegetation (especially ivy) to cover or obscure walls that would otherwise attract graffiti.  This week, I noticed a simpler solution: tinsel hung in a spiral around a stop-sign post had effectively deterred vandals who had tagged every other signpost in the area!

(Click on any picture to see a larger, clearer version.)