@mattbrowne
You might be interested in the implementation of this idea in Philadelphia. It was begun 25 years ago as the Anti-graffiti Network who hired Jane Golden, a muralist to head the program under the direction of then mayor, Wilson Goode.
It proved highly successful and the name was later changed to the Mural Arts Program.
Before a mural is painted a team consults with community leaders in the neighborhood where it will be done to reach a consensus about the theme.
Nowadays, there are even organized mural tours for interested visitors and Philly natives get to pass by beautiful art as they go about their daily business.
You can see some examples at the website but just the pics fail to give the full impact as some of these projects are huge. Really impressive.
During the 20 years I lived there, I always looked forward to going to a new area of the city as I knew there would be at least one or more new visual treats in store for me.
For anyone interested, there’s a podcast narrated by the original artists and others who tell the the stories behind many of the murals found on “Mural Mile” which passes through the downtown commercial areas of Philly.
www.muralarts.org