Top 11 Best Cities In America For Street Art
New York, New York
Yes, New York. Obviously, New York. We can’t not New York. From the elaborate murals visible from the High Line to the Graffiti Hall of Fame in East Harlem to what remains of the most Banksy this side of the pond, New York still reigns supreme as the capital of street art in America, which is probably one of the only things that can be said to have remained the same about New York over the last few decades.
But that doesn’t mean street art isn’t threatened in NYC. “Graffiti-fication” – the inadvertent gentrification that often follows artist-led beautification and creative placemaking – is a real thing. One of New York’s most iconic street art hubs, the 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center in Long Island City, was recently demolished and replaced with condos, while the rents in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick (of Bushwick Collective fame) continue to skyrocket as internationally renowned muralists add to the neighborhood’s cool factor.