Liveable Whitchurch: Graffiti

Street Art
(Could Whitchurch have a 'Wall'?)

Is Graffiti art? Its a discussion that has gone long into many nights.

When does graffiti become art, or is it always vandalism? Its a discussion I love, where the rules of authority and freedom of creative expression clash head on.

A recent visit to Gent (or Ghent) in Belgium focussed on two main activities* - cycling and graffiti (or street art if you wish) and it was interesting to visit a street where both have combined. This is a section of Tweebruggenstraat used for murals - now are they graffiti? The street is a heavily used cycle route with very limited motor access and the artwork changes, the most recent being on the theme of cycling.
Street View Link before the new cycling murals (below) were added: Tweebruggenstraat

Belgium has taken a very strong line with 'graffiti' - it is illegal with very heavy penalties. But such decoration can add a lot of colour and interest to an area, as in this otherwise unremarkable street. But here it is authorised – so is not graffiti?

To discourage 'illegal' graffiti another street has been given over to artists who are at liberty to do what they wish - Werregaren Straat - or more widely known by tourists as the 'graffiti street'. Here artists can paint, spray and experiment, expressing their creativity without constraint, except perhaps for the occasional bicycle passing through. And importantly they practice their skills.

While Whitchurch doesn't suffer from too much illegal spray painting, perhaps a facility for similar creative expression could be made available locally - and in a location where others could enjoy it?
Any ideas?

* there was a third activity - lambic (wild yeast) and other beers - but that should go without saying.

Click on pics below to enlarge