Public Spaces
Why sign regulations matter
One of the most basic rules of urban design is that pedestrians need things to look at. Good walking cities are often visually messy cities.
Route 66, Albuquerque, mid 20th Century. Original photo by Ernst Hass.
For this reason, many urbanists are hesitant to support strong sign control regulations. Signs are things to look at, after all.
When Greater Greater Washington discussed illegal signs at the Uline Area earlier this month, many of the comments suggested that the signs should be allowed, or that the city shouldn't waste time enforcing sign rules.
I do think there is something to be said for a colorful streetscape, but it's easy to say that from the vantage point of an already heavily-regulated environment. A handful of illegal signs might very well improve the visual diversity of a street, but if we eliminated sign regulations entirely, is a "handful" what we would get?
In a previous job I worked in the zoning division of a local planning office. Part of my job was to process certain types of sign applications. Whenever I started to feel like I was wasting my time, I looked over to the image shown above, which I kept tacked to my wall. It was, and is, a healthy reminder that seemingly mundane regulations do make a positive difference to our built environment.
Cross-posted at BeyondDC.
 | Dan Malouff is a professional transportation planner for the Arlington County Department of Transportation. He has a degree in Urban Planning from the University of Colorado, and lives a car-free lifestyle in Northwest Washington. His posts are his own opinions and do not represent the views of his employer in any way. He runs the blog BeyondDC and also contributes to the Washington Post Local Opinions blog.   |
Comments
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/24978846@N00/189196136
by RJ on Aug 26, 2011 10:41 am
by Fitz on Aug 26, 2011 10:41 am
Either way Central Ave is no longer the sole center of commerce in Albuquerque like it was in the 1950s.
by Fitz on Aug 26, 2011 10:47 am
But the Nob Hill section a block behind the photog is rather nice.
by RJ on Aug 26, 2011 10:49 am
by Fitz on Aug 26, 2011 10:53 am
by Andrew on Aug 26, 2011 11:01 am
I didn't know where the picture came from, Andrew. Thanks.
by BeyondDC on Aug 26, 2011 11:05 am
The picture does show how bad things would get with no sign limits at all, but hopefully everyone understands there needs to be a middle ground.
You may not be able to do it now, but when the Arlington sign ordinance work is done, it would be an interesting piece to delve into where the line should be drawn and how Arlington made the decisions it did.
by Greg on Aug 26, 2011 11:26 am
I do agree that there should be a middle ground, and that finding it is an interesting question.
by BeyondDC on Aug 26, 2011 11:30 am
by Stephen Smith on Aug 26, 2011 12:46 pm
Further down the street toward downtown, as RJ points out, is an art deco strip mall from the 1930's.
People visiting ABQ and Sante Fe often take the side trip out Central Avenue, past the University, to see these sites. And preservationists jealously protect them. They are a powerful piece of our history, and witness to our great western migration.
by Mike S. on Aug 26, 2011 1:03 pm
They also employ extremely few people relative to the amount of income they gross, since once a billboard is up it takes minimal labor to maintain it (just some sales people to sell the ad space, and very occasional visits to either inspect its structural integrity or change the message. Even the latter is getting easier now that billboards are becoming electronic, which presumably means they can be reprogrammed remotely).
When you drive down an urban corridor in a depressed section of an urban area, and you see umpteen billboards every thousand feet, and most of those billboards are for soda or fried chicken establishments, it's downright depressing.
In general, I feel pretty strongly about the over-proliferation of commercial speech in general. Maybe I'm overly curmudgeonly but I get peeved even when I see those ads on the floor of supermarkets, or obnoxious commercials before the previews even start in movie theatres, etc.
by Marc on Aug 26, 2011 4:53 pm
"When you drive down an urban corridor in a depressed section of an urban area, and you see umpteen billboards every thousand feet, and most of those billboards are for soda or fried chicken establishments, it's downright depressing."
Not to mention the billboards advertising malt liquor, fortified cheap wine, and cigarettes.
I'm glad we don't have them in the DC area. It's one of the first things I notice when I visit some other cities.
by ceefer66 on Aug 26, 2011 6:00 pm
by Dave Stroup on Aug 26, 2011 6:28 pm
by Neil Flanagan on Aug 26, 2011 7:27 pm
by jm on Aug 27, 2011 2:10 pm
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