Bucharest city council yesterday debated a motion to outlaw large outdoor advertising banners that cover blocks and buildings.
Like these:
There's a building underneath, somewhere
The final decision will be taken next month, but the wind appears to be blowing in favour of an outright ban on these eyesores.
We have long said that there are two things which – in particular – make Bucharest look Third World: cables strung anywhere and everywhere and outdoor advertising.
Getting rid of one is a good start.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent! I hope a full ban will succeed. Consider that Sao Paolo was able to completely ban billboards and oversize advertising successfully, and the city is far better for it.
Really? Wonderful news. I doubt it can ever happen here though.
My opinion from 2 and a half years ago remains unchanged: take down the carpets and put LED screens instead.
Not sure if ENEL will be able to take it, but that’s the way it should be done.
But let’s be very clear about it: either we put LED pannels or we take down all outdoor advertising and go to sleep!
Why take down the carpets but approve and keep the small pannels on the streets?! No sir, either we do it right or we don’t do it at all!
Advertising is great for the economy, I agree to take down old-style advertising but only in order to put new-style advertising in place! If I take down old-style advertising and put nothing in place it means I’ve only done half of the job!
Let’s see if Oprescu and the counselors are smart…
They have to be replaced with LED dispaly pannels like the ones at Cocor shopping centre!
Those carpets hanging on the walls are indeed very ugly but LED pannels are beautiful :X
I want the city to look like Tokyo and Las Vegas :X
I just wish good riddance to those unsightly and intrusive adverts and hope the council will approve that measure. It is going to be a big blow to the media advertising companies; they have grown fat on revenues from large square foot area adverts such as the ones covering entire building walls. However, in all fairness, it is not entirely their fault. As you pointed out, that type of advert is also often seen in third world countries, the reason being that big painted images have a more powerful impact on the public that the written word. That is also the case in Romania: see only how crucial is here for political propaganda the ownership of a TV station that uses language clichés and aspirational western flashy imagery as opposed to a reasonable quality newspaper.
Getting rid of these ugly, often filthy banners would bring a welcome change. As for other buildings than apartment blocks, look at what they did at Cocor compared to the chaotic masquerade at Unirea Shopping Centre.