A Swiss town banned billboards. Zurich, Bern may soon follow

Real‑world billboard bans and their effects

• Multiple examples cited: São Paulo, Vermont, Maine, Hawaii, Marin County (CA), Irvine and Redmond (WA), parts of Atlanta, Krakow, Grenoble, some Dutch and German localities, Canadian provinces, and Seattle‑area rules.
• Common reported outcome: streets feel calmer, cleaner, more scenic; returning to ad‑heavy areas feels jarring and “polluted.”
• Krakow and São Paulo are held up as dramatic “before/after” cases; some visitors say they now find other cities visually unbearable.
• A minority view argues Krakow’s rules favor big brands that can pay for exceptions and are part of a broader overregulated, anti‑car, anti‑small‑business direction.

Perceived benefits: aesthetics, cognition, safety

• Many frame billboards as “visual” or “cognitive” pollution that steal attention without consent, increase mental load, and degrade quality of life.
• Bright LED billboards are singled out as particularly distracting and potentially dangerous for drivers.
• Some compare ad‑free cities or subway stations to a feeling of “time travel” or “zen” because normal background noise is gone.

Public goods and ad‑funded infrastructure

• Berlin’s model where an ad company provided public toilets sparks debate:
  • Supporters see it as a pragmatic public‑private partnership when cities lack funds.
  • Critics argue toilets should be straightforward public infrastructure, not tied to ad concessions.
  • Follow‑up notes that Berlin has since separated toilets from ad contracts and is moving toward free, ad‑free facilities.

Shift to online and AR advertising

• Concern that banning billboards pushes budgets into online, surveillance‑based ads, seen as more invasive and manipulative.
• Counterpoint: online ads can be blocked; street ads cannot.
• Discussion of emerging virtual ads in sports broadcasts and hypothetical AR overlays; fears that AR could lead to even more inescapable advertising, though some imagine AR ad‑blockers.

Ethics and economics of advertising

• Strong anti‑ad thread: advertising described as manipulation, psychological bullying, overconsumption driver, and “pollution” whose costs (attention, mental health, environmental) are externalized.
• Others defend limited, informational advertising (e.g., finding services, small‑business discovery, equipment rental, off‑airport parking).
• Large sub‑discussion asks how new or small businesses would be discovered without advertising; suggestions include directories, independent reviews, word of mouth, and product registries.
• Meta‑point: even if specific formats (billboards, tracking ads) are banned, some form of promotion is likely to reappear unless the underlying incentives are addressed.