Hacker News Reader

Comment by luizlobo | Hacker News Reader

Interesting from someone that leaves in SP for 2 years and just spend about 40 days in Berlin and 21 in NY last year, this doesn’t seem to resonate as such a big difference.

Berlin almost doesn’t have any billboards and NY I didn’t saw it bothered me, at least in Brooklyn.

Curious on how SP was in the past.

Unfortunately the city has way worst problems then billboards.

View on HN

I worked in São Paulo before and after this law was enacted. The difference was honestly massive, there used to be billboards plastered all over the city: across any walls or free space around major avenues (imagine the whole perimeter of Congonhas airport with Av. dos Bandeirantes covered by giant billboards floating over the walls), on the visible sides of tall buildings towards major streets, there were billboards stacked on top of others around avenues overpassing other roads (seeing 2 or 3-stack wasn't uncommon). With technological advances then came the massive displays, blinking with lights, completely littering your sight with moving images, flashes, etc.

After those were torn down, and signs around commercial spaces were restricted to a maximum allowed diagonal, it felt like your eyes had at least some rest, even though the city is still an eye sore for most of it, you didn't feel eye fatigued just by driving around some 30 minutes. It's hard to describe the difference, a constant, loud background noise seemed to disappear, at least for me.

They were dangerous too. Huge and bright moving ads on the side of high speed highways. I don't know if any accident was ever caused by them, but they were really begging for it.

I've been in São Paulo for a week, and the city feels depressing. The architecture is horrible, boring, and not well-maintained, especially when compared to the architecture of old European cities where at least the buildings are aesthetically pleasing. The excessive advertising only worsens the situation. I've also visited Berlin, and unfortunately, it too felt quite dull.

What city doesn't feel dull? Where do you live or rather what is city that isn't dull and depressing? Without a comparison it seems strange to compare two completely different cities, in two completely different continents.

Barcelona, Madrid, Vitoria, Girona, Rome, Lisbon, Porto. Many european cities are really pleasant.

Barcelona we agree, Rome not. My pleasant not the same as yours.

Full disclosure, I happen to enjoy Berlin and find it everything but dull!

Berlin sure loves their concrete.

(I kind of agree. I have family in Berlin so I have visited them quite a bit during the past 20 years or so.)

For the past couple years, COVID and economic collapse took a huge toll. I grew up in São Paulo and I've never seen so many homeless people living on the streets than between 2016 and 2023. It was not always that depressing, of course. The past couple mayors also had some crazy ideas that certainly didn't improve the urban experience.

When I left there was a push for more cycle lanes everywhere, with large avenues closing off lanes for car traffic to increase space for bicycles. It was a great time.

And the restaurants continue to be superb.

Meanwhile, I find NYS's inundation of billboards downright depressing. It's just ugly, even in places that ought to be beautiful upstate. When I cross the border into Vermont, which bans ads on roads except for simple business signage, the difference is tangible.

NY City is an interesting case where the billboards almost don't even matter because it's already an unnatural high-stimulus environment. As for the rest of the state, I agree.

> an unnatural high-stimulus environment

I really can't stay in NYC for long. It just makes me angry all the time.

In Germany, outdoor advertising seems to be quite restricted in general, compared to the UK, for example. As a result, in cities and towns rich in post-WWII buildings one mostly sees similarly-looking walls, windows, and roofs everywhere.

I think it's all a question of finding the right measure: in Germany there are strict rules for advertisement (for example you won't see giant billboards like in the US anywhere, flashing/animated ads are also strictly limited etc.), but a complete ban like in Sao Paulo might be overshooting the target. I grew up in socialist Romania, and the Sao Paulo photos from the article remind me of how a typical Romanian city used to look back then - still an eyesore, but a very drab one...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com