Brazilian Billboard Ban

Via jwz, the story of São Paulo's new no-billboard law.

Imagine a modern metropolis with no outdoor advertising: no billboards, no flashing neon signs, no electronic panels with messages crawling along the bottom.

Come the new year, this city of 11 million, overwhelmed by what the authorities call visual pollution, plans to press the "delete all" button and offer its residents unimpeded views of their surroundings.

Of course, businesses and advertisers are all so pissed about it that they're trying to dream up some kind of benefits that billboards provide. Really great, convincing stuff, like night-time lighting for safety, and "a form of entertainment that helps relieve solitude and boredom". Yeah, there's no way a city could provide either of those without giant Coca-Cola signs.

Rock on, São Paulo.