Rip it up and start again.

Following on from the short piece on Street Blitz*, I came across an article on São Paulo and it's decision to remove all billboard advertising from the city.

That's the way to do it.

Rather than adding more unsolicited visual ephemera as a protest against the intrusion of big business advertising, the populist right wing mayor of São Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, has passed a bill prohibiting all forms of outdoor advertising. Well, he's the mayor - he can do that sort of thing. And, as one industry insider commented, it probably takes everyone's mind off the task of removing more difficult eyesores from the streets - 'the poor state of the roads, the homeless and the notorious favelas'.

Tony de Marco has chronicled the startling effect in a photo series on Flickr. The ads may have disappeared but the structures remain in place and over time the ads themselves may creep back in, albeit in a more regulated form.

The council has already said that it would like to see the introduction of approved street furniture such as bus stops that may be allowed to carry advertising. No doubt these spaces will go to big brands with deep pockets. But for now it's an adbusters dream come true.

*19 posts on the Street Blitz map so far and only 4 days to go.