There are many examples and studies of how murals benefit community and social equity. Here are some articles on the power and place of and thoughts from some community leaders on the impact of aesthetics at their nonprofit.
“Cities gain value through public art – cultural, social, and economic value. Public art is a distinguishing part of our public history and our evolving culture. It reflects and reveals our society, adds meaning to our cities and uniqueness to our communities. Public art humanizes the built environment and invigorates public spaces. It provides an intersection between past, present and future, between disciplines, and between ideas. Public art is freely accessible.”
https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/PublicArtNetwork_GreenPaper.pdf
“Public murals are painted as "art for the people." Many folks would never walk into a gallery so a work of art placed for everyone to see can impact a person deeply. Murals also can tell the average person's story in a way that most everyone can begin to understand. Public art murals also add interest and value to communities like no other art form can. Dying communities can come alive with hope and pride in their neighborhood through public murals. There is also an economic advantage that is surprising to see as people come to see the art and begin investing in their community as a result of beautiful mural art.”
“While the end products—the works of public art—are always beautiful, their deeper value lies in the conversations we create, the connections we build, and the legacy of relationships we foster along the way, often with transformative results,” said Golden. “As Arlene Goldbard says, ‘The experience of art moves us from the everyday into the realm of possibility,’ and that goes for individuals, communities, systems, the city, and Mural Arts’ own practice.”
ArtWorks was inspired by Philadelphia, PA’s, Mural Arts Program, which under Executive Director Jane Golden sought to reorganize the raw artistic talent of the city’s graffiti artists. She went on to partner with city agencies to create programs that connect the process of muralism with art education, restorative justice, and behavioral health programs for Philadelphia’s youth population, inmates at area prisons and detention centers, and those suffering from trauma, mental illness, and addiction. https://opticosdesign.com/blog/the-power-of-public-art-murals/