Getting Hold of the Urban Chameleon

This paper presents Urban Chameleon, an online platform currently developed within INDIGO, an academic project that aims to inventory, disseminate, and analyse contemporary graffiti along the Donaukanal (Eng. Danube Canal) in Vienna, Austria. Urban Chameleon serves as a digital space to visually and analytically explore these graffiti. The paper provides an in-depth overview of the platform’s development process, including data modelling underpinnings and Web development technologies. The text further discusses the platform’s potential applications for researchers, heritage professionals, graffitists and the wider public interested in engaging with the vibrant and dynamic graffiti-scape along the Danube Canal. In that way, the article contributes to the ongoing discourse on graffiti as a multi-faceted, modern cultural practice with heritage value.