In cities across the world, graffiti is more than just a mark on a wall—it’s a form of storytelling and self expression, a cultural pulse, and a visual record of communities in motion. Yet all too often, graffiti culture is erased, criminalized, or overlooked in the process of urban development. The Urban Experience Alliance (UEA) is working to change that.
The Urban Experience Alliance is a shared exploration of how story, brand, and design can shape our most beloved urban landscapes. It’s a space where creative collaborators, cultural workers, and design studios come together to reimagine how cities reflect and support the cultures that make them unique.
As part of the 2025 UEA Project Labs, fabric collaborated with Alex Beim from Tangible, and Graffiti+ to ask a bold question: What if cities were designed to embrace graffiti culture—not just tolerate it?
Watch the video below to learn how graffiti can contribute to a more expressive, inclusive, and dynamic public realm—if we make space for graffiti culture to thrive, rather than treating it as a nuisance or an afterthought.
From creating frameworks for sanctioned graffiti zones that invite community participation, to prototyping surfaces that evolve with layered storytelling over time, the lab focused on strategies that elevate graffiti as a legitimate cultural force. The result is not just a set of ideas—but a growing network of people and practices committed to celebrating the living texture of cities.
At fabric, we believe placemaking should be a dialogue, not a monologue. That means listening to the artists, youth, and subcultures who have long used the streets as their canvas for self expression—and designing spaces that speak back.
Stay tuned for more outcomes from the UEA Project Labs, and the next phase of this ongoing collaboration.
Special thanks to the UEA Project Lab Team for their collaboration and contributions to this video:
- Ryan Savella – Arcade Original
- Amanda Oster – Provoke Studios
- Mackenzie Page – Mackenzie Page Design
- Geoff Hunt – Tiny Vikings
- Tak Yukawa, Don Williams, Eliza Gray – Free Agency Creative