Mural at Gifford Park, Edinburgh

Project Description

Despite being a well-used route by pedestrians and cyclists, the area was neglected and ugly, with a very large number of waste and trade bins, and was regularly disfigured by fly-tipping of mattresses and other large waste, and the walls on either side were dirty and covered with graffiti. When the City of Edinburgh Council decided to rationalise the pedestrian traffic lights so that they would be located at the end of this short street and connect to new bicycle path in the street opposite, and onward to the Innocent Railway (a well-used route to the eastern suburbs) as part of the upgrade of the Meadows to Innocent Railway Cycle path, a plan was developed by Mrs. McDowell, a member of the community, to clean up the area, and have a local artist (who had already made one mural in the neighbourhood) design an attractive mural for the walls. The City of Edinburgh Council and Sustrans agreed to provide modest funding to pay the artist to design a mural highlighting pedestrians and cyclists, and with other attractive designs relevant to the area, including illustrations of the kind of work done by the adjacent small businesses. After consultation with members of the community, including the owners of the shops whose walls were to be painted (who were understandably very enthusiastic about the project), the artist, Kate George arranged preparation of the wall surfaces and drew the outlines, and supervised and led the painting, helped by members of the local community. The result has transformed this area into something attractive, which is noticed and appreciated by both residents and tourists.