Winnipeg’s broken windows.
Posted: November 10th, 2010 | Author: Erica | Filed under: Advertising, Branding & Retail | Tags: advertising, construction, outdoor, Plugin, posters, Toronto, Winnipeg | 1 Comment »I don’t mean to rag on our beloved Peg here, but I couldn’t help but draw a comparison with Toronto’s shiny, happy posters and Winnipeg’s bleak public advertising space as I walked a scaffolded block in the Exchange yesterday.
Besides the cultural commentary implicit here, I have something darker to discuss.
There’s a sociological theory called “Broken Windows” that basically explains visual disrepair is an invitation to crime. If you let a street have broken windows, it signals there’s no one there and that no one cares. If not for the fact that this scaffolding actually encases the Public Safety Building, I’d be kinda antsy to walk through it.
The new University of Winnipeg Buhler Centre / Plugin Institute of Contemporary Art handled this issue beautifully by painting their scaffolding in funky, stripey colours. They created a stimulating, visually engaging, vibrant public space that said “Winnipeg is growing”.
