Billboards & City Landscapes

Do Billboards disrupt the look of a city or do they accentuate it? The recent collapse of a billboard in Mumbai, questions the need for billboards. Here is what the teens at the Young Writers' Club had to say in response.

Last week, at the Young Writers’ Club we talked about the recent news of a Japanese construction company, Sejisui House, volunteering to bring down its almost finished condo, built in front of Mt.Fuji. The reason was simple. They could themselves see how the building impacted the view of the monumental mountain, an important symbol of Japan. Given this background, the teens debated about the need to build multi-storyed buildings that could potentially hinder with spectacular views. Read a synopsis of the debate here.

Compare & Contrast

Amidst news of buildings being brought down on account of lack of authorization, the news of a construction company volunteering to bring a condo down was definitely eye catching. The condo was a 10-Storey Grand Maison Kunitachi Fujimi Dori, consisting of 18 units sold for 70-80 million yen per apartment. Sandeep Goyal in his article, It Can Happen Only in Japan draws an interesting parallel with this news and the recent accident in Mumbai when a billboard collapsed injuring several people. He points out the irony of news in Japan and in contrast the excess number of billboards that adorn the busy city of Mumbai. He questions the need for so many billboards all over the city, the money making racket behind permissions and the potential lack of safety.

Do billboards disrupt the views of the cityscape? Do we need them at all?

A plethora perspectives got shared. While some didn’t really care much about billboards, the others gave reasons to support their point of view that billboards matter and actually enhance a cityscape.

• Billboards/screens define a city. Cities are characterized by billboards and large screens. You don’t find these in rural areas. They pretty much make the cityscape.

• As long as you are not driving, it makes for good entertainment.

• I’d rather look at a magnificent view rather than look at a billboard that spoils the view for me. I don’t watch ads. Just as I skip ads while watching TV, I don’t pay attention to billboards when I am on the road.

• Billboards help tell the story of the city. Ads on billboards would typically be about industries/ventures that are prevalent in the city. At some level they give the city some sort of a definition. What is the city known for? This is particularly interesting for people who are visiting the city. Also perhaps it even brings a sense of belonging or pride among the residents to get repeated re enforcements of how their city is defined.

• It helps to showcase what people living in the city specialize in.

• Helps with places where there are more of concrete buildings and hardly any color.

• It could help boost tourism. More effective than brochures.
  

Brochures vs Billboards

• For billboards the engineering team needs to be actively involved to ensure safety. Brochures don’t have this issue.

• Billboards tend to consume a lot of energy especially when they use lights and have bright screens. Brochures could be cheaper in comparison.

• Not necessarily. Printing brochures and distribution could reach only so many people but billboards can be seen by many.

• Too much info packed into the brochures. Billboards can convey more for less.

• Brochures are generally given away free. The chances are that the cost of printing and distribution could be quite a bit. The outreach might not be worth the cost incurred.

• Billboards with lights could serve as streetlights too!

• How about a combination of billboards and brochures? After all space for billboards is limited. Speaking of Mumbai, residential areas appear to have fewer billboards than the commercial areas. That probably defines sections within the city.

• Sleek billboards could actually contribute to beautiful cityscapes.

It is also easy to take the obvious route. Billboard fell down? Do we need these at all?

But taking the obvious route sometimes is hardly fruitful. What becomes important is to be able to take a step back, ask questions, ponder and come to a meaningful conclusion based on the facts available. The teens at the Young Writers’ Club did that and much more. They brought to the table their own experiences of travelling on the road. They actively listened to one another. When they felt the need to disagree they did but did so politely with respect for the other members of the club.

The teens at the Young Writers’ Club did that and much more. They brought to the table their own experiences of travelling on the road. They actively listened to one another. When they felt the need to disagree they did but did so politely with respect for the other members of the club.

It is so easy to get swayed by one opinion.

Japan might have seen a magnanimous gesture. But like any other country in the world, Japanese cityscapes too are adorned with billboards. As a matter of fact the recent hype is 3D billboards that are coming a huge tourist attraction. If that’s the case, the general consensus at the Young Writers’ Club makes perfect sense- Billboards Define A City. Hence it is only reasonable to expect adequate safety measure to be in place.

Previously published on the Young Writers' Club Magazine.

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