Italian Mural in Hell's Kitchen Links UN Goal 16 to Urban Art

Yourban 2030, a non-profit founded in Rome in 2018 by Veronica De Angelis, continues its Walls of Tomorrow project with a new eco-mural by Tommaso Spazzini Villa in Hell's Kitchen, New York. Titled Strength, the mural addresses UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions) by depicting a giant root system as a metaphor for invisible societal structures that support equity and inclusion. The project, which began in 2025 with Fabio Petani's Botanic, commissions Italian artists to create 17 murals across U.S. cities, each corresponding to one of the 2030 Agenda's 17 goals. Spazzini Villa, known for his root imagery previously exhibited in Italy and abroad, describes roots as "architectures of belonging" that sustain visible life from below. Curator De Angelis selected him for this second mural because his work embodies the idea that a society's true strength lies beneath the surface—in justice, accountability, and inclusion.