Council is being asked to consider an advertising request at this evening's meeting. Congratulations to the party involved for coming to council with the request. There are many signs, which ignore sign regulation bylaws already in place. Many signs are haphazardly stapled to poles and sitting on boulevards. We must ask what they add to the aesthetics and memories of those who drive, walk, or cycle the strip, whether visiting for the first time or whether a resident or returning visitor. If not controlled, signs could get bigger, bolder, higher,wider and more prolific all in an attempt to be noticed. What limits should there be?
Is it time for the city to review and implement its sign bylaws?
In 2006 Mayor Gilberto Kassab of Sao Paulo Brazil had a quest to eliminate visual clutter from the city. This resulted in a ‘Clean City Law’.
“The Clean City Law’ came from a necessity to combat pollution . . . pollution of water, sound, air, and the visual. We decided that we should start combating pollution with the most conspicuous sector – visual pollution,” said Kassab.
From the Editors of Big Think in 2012
What's the Latest Development?
Five years after São Paulo, Brazil, began fighting visual pollution by banning billboard, poster and bus advertisements, people report being happier with their city and business leaders have become more forward thinking. The ban was the result of the 'Clean City Law' of 2006 which required the removal of tens of thousands of unregulated advertisements. "Anna Freitag, the marketing manager for Hewlett-Packard Brazil, said her company had never considered how inefficient billboards and the like were until they were illegal."
What's the Big Idea?
Some Americans now looks at more than 4,000 advertisements per day. Since the ban in São Paulo, which with 12 million residents is the largest metropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, people can again see the city's architecture and businesses have been forced to reevaluate their marketing strategies in ways that connect more directly with consumers. Marketing experts say the industry has grown complacent with public advertising even though it executes a 'call to action' less effectively than social media advertising.
From http://weburbanist.com/2010/03/06/clean-city-sao-paulo-scrubbed-of-outdoor-ads/
While advertisers weren’t too happy about the law – $8 million in fines were levied against those who dawdled in taking ads down, and Clear Channel launched an unsuccessful campaign to raise support for putting them back up – the citizens clearly approve. Surveys found that at least 70% are happy with the change.
Over 20 years ago we first drove thru Cranbrook. The reason we drove thru instead of stopping was all the signs on the strip - they reminded us of the big town we were on vacation from. Now that we live in Cranbrook we still hate the signs, especially when we have been out of town and drive back in. If I was a tourist I would still drive thru without stopping.
ReplyDelete