Exploring Territorial Identity Through Street Art. A Systemic and Semiotic Study of Nature-Inspired Motifs in Ballarò, Palermo

Street art has increasingly gained recognition as a legit-imate artistic practice capable of transforming public spaces by intertwining creative expression with social and environmental sustainability. Urban environments, seen as dynamic ecosystems, provide expansive canvases for political, social, and cultural expression. Through street art, these settings encourage critical reflection on the interconnectedness of communities and their surround-ings. Frequently inspired by nature, these artworks raise awareness of sustainability, foster collective identity, and strengthen local heritage. This contribution explores the potential of street art, within the context of systemic design, to promote social cohesion and shape neighbor-hood identity through participatory urban regeneration. Focusing on the Ballarò District in Palermo, an area char-acterized by cultural diversity, migration, and complex socio-economic conditions, the contribution illustrates how street art transcends aesthetics to become a tool in constructing a neighborhood’s identity. Artistic inter-ventions by both local and international artists serve as compelling visual narratives, strengthening the commu-nity’s bond with its urban landscape and transforming public spaces into arenas of reclaimed cultural iden-tity. The methodology combines design principles and vision science to examine how street art contributes to the construction of territorial identity. In particular, the study catalogs and analyzes murals in Ballarò that feature nature-inspired patterns, correlated with the rules by which perception draws information from the environ-ment, highlighting the parallels between ecosystems and urban spaces. Furthermore, the systemic design frame-work underscores street art’s role as a catalyst for social innovation, resistance to gentrification, and sustainable urban regeneration, thereby fostering a more multifaceted comprehension of sustainability. The contribution further explores the multisensory experience evoked by street art, which encompasses visual, auditory, and olfactory elements, thus redefining public spaces as dynamic plat-forms for cultural expression and environmental regener-ation.