Like almost everyone else on HN, I believe everyone should have the right to block ads in any city, and it should be possible with VR technology in the not-too-distant future.

That said, I would always want to live in a city in which advertisers are constantly fighting each other to get everyone's attention with ads, in every possible way, to the extent permitted by reasonable zone/cosmetic regulations[a], because the alternative is often symptomatic of economic stagnation or even disaster.

Anecdotally, a city without ads is a city without economic growth. Compare:

* Cities in the former Soviet Union: https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=soviet%20union%20ci...

* Cities in North Korea: https://www.google.com/search?q=north+korea+city+streets&tbm...

* Cities in East Germany before reunification: https://www.google.com/search?q=east+germany+city+streets+be...

to, say,

* Peking streets: https://www.google.com/search?q=peking+streets&tbm=isch

* Tokyo streets: https://www.google.com/search?q=tokyo+streets&tbm=isch

* Times Square: https://www.google.com/search?q=times+square+nyc&tbm=isch

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[a] For example, in the US it is virtually impossible to display ads on residential streets, because doing so requires getting explicit permission from local government bodies like a neighborhood commission.