University of Nigeria Virtual Library

Serial No

Author 1

SAM-AMOBI, Chinwe

Author 2 NDUKA, Okey.

Author 3

Title City Landscape and Beautification: Focus

on Billboards as Element of City Landscape.

Keywords

Landscape, Billboard

Description

Urban Planning and Environmental Issues in Nigerian context: From Theory

to Practice.

Category

Environmental Studies

Publisher

Publication Date

2008

Signature

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AlTLttNOON SISSSION

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CITY LANDSCAPE .4ND UEAIITIFICA1'ION:

IWCUS OR 1~1LI~I~OAHI~S AS k:I,EMIfN'l' 01( ( '1 I Y LANDSCAPE

Being Conference Paper presented at ,4-2 Day National ConTerence on l irbn;? Plnn:l:ng :md I-lnvir-onrnentnl issues i:! Y i:cr::: C'on!eut.

t rom Theory to IJr-actice at University 01' N~geria, Lnugu Campus Main Hall

Sub-thenlc

City Planning Uevcloprnent Strntcgy

Topic

City Landscape and Beautification: Focus on Biilboards as eletncnt of City Lmdscape

Abstract

The city landscape is made up of several elements which either add value to the o::erall citlr en;;ir.o:~xe:!t nr !!~:ov.~ the city into chsos. This papel- rcc~!,ses 9:-I !?iIIt:o3rd~; 3s

element ofcity beautiiicntion, atlci its impact on the city Iat~cis~ape. I t I-eviews the problenis nntl prospects ofbiIlbo:?rtis nclvertising, in the city

The concept of city planning and development is to create an organized, safe, habitable s:~d l?ea:~tifui envircnment that wi!l encourage productivity and heallhy l i v i l : ~ 'fllcrefore. a lot of landscape elements are proposed at the planning stage of cit~es.

A city, according to Mer-!-ia!ii-W-ebst~r's Coi!egiate r)icii~!?a!y, is ' R E il>habitt:d ;3jorc of

greater size, population, or importance than a town or village. It is usually large or important municipality'. City landscape is a piclure repr.escnting a view of natural i~iland scenery or a pslrticuiar area oractiviiy.

The city landscape is composed of elements like buildings, road networks, parks, vegctr:tio:~ (lavns and trees), pedestrian walkways, billboards et cekm Thme e!exen!s. when properly designed, orgmized m d located/positioned; enhance movement, safety and the overall aesthetic of the city.

Billboards are large panels designed to carry out door advert~sing. They could be free standing erected by the roadside or attached to a building. They are landscape elelnents used for zadven~sing/pron~otillg PI-xiucis, a11 idea, service, pass messages on b e i d i ' o F m institution, organization, campaigns (political) and describmg directions. ?'hey come III

vanous sizes depending o!? the operative plmtnning regulations guiding the m i y e

The focus of this paper is Enugu city. A brief background of the city will be done then disc:lssion wil! be on the impact of billboards or, Enugu city landscape, n i th a xviev,, n f the problems and prospects of billboards advertising in the Enugu city.

Enugu City (Background)

Enugu used ro bc a major coai inining city and civii service cnclave mtii attention was directed towards other sources of revenue earning ventures like petroleum and petroleum prnci~~crs mnrkeii;:~ g?:a:rmce:liic,nIn, tzIecc;i1~m~:nic:1ti011~., bankin: cr ccicrn Tiic:,; :r, :!I:: industrial estate in E~nene where steel rods, asbestos cement products, and oxygen and acztylene gases are tnanufactured. Enugu has a railway workshop, an autonlobile

assembly plant (ANNMCO), furniture and pottery factories (PRODA), sawmill and small textile and Foodstuff e:!te:pr-ises. There is the Nknlag~! cement fxtory Encgu is an educational as well as a government and industriai centre. It is the site of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC), Enugu State University of Science and Technology i i- ,.eSr_jTj, !wtih.~k ~f b!ai~agc!llciit and Techi~oiogy (TLfTj w ~ d Fel:fernT Traii~iilg Cw11.c (FTC). It has a state library, television (ESTV), radio (ESBS) as well as national television CNTA) and radio (FRCN). This new comn~ercial status inspired a lot of rzdver:ise:~leni arid conscquentiy, tilt asc olbiil'uoa-ds in ~lrfvcr .~is i~l~ pi.oducis, pxssi~ig on of information, political campaigs, et cetera.

Enugu municipaiity is made up of four Local Government Areas namely; Enugu North (Ogbete), Enugu South (Uwani), Enugu East (Nike) and Enugu Central (Ugwuaji). Ctirren!iy, Enrigr! city i s rile capiia.! of E n u y S!a!e nf N i . y i a .

Billboards: Calcgorics and lises.

Billboards are large paneis designed to carry outdoor advertising (Mesriam-LVebster's Collegiate Dictiona~y, Encyclopaedia Britannica 2005 Deluxe Edition). They are usually

, . 7 .

!zrgc $.-' -L.Jc/s!zi2 ai;.cl nia& of ijgtzbiz materid srri:j; 2.5 :!e;?] s!a!li!l it:,!^^ aijci s l ~ ~ ~ t s ; timber posts and boards or tarp&lins.

r..,., L~!!!oc,X& we c ~ ~ c ~ G : - ~ z c ( ~ accordirig to size (display artleaj; type (biiiposling a!. ho:i!ciiiig, or illunlinated sign or sky sign or otherwise), and position (permanently fixed or !mvezble). There are the i!!u!ninated types, designed or adapted to be illuminated by clrtitlciat iighting, directly or by reflection and which is so iiluniinated [or the purposes of advertisement; the fixed, free stcanding on its own support or affised to a building; and the rnov~hici"cc,iia~1si1~ic, displayed and ciismw:Ied on daiiy basis T i x y 9;-e i.~st:d for diffcrel:t purposes for example;

-.. . ,. . a L C give uirccrun

To advertise a product/products = To c~mmunicak Gi anngunce information

To advertise political or social campaigns

Billboard as a Iandsc'ye element used in describing direction, is often found stationed in strategic !ccations like Sateways intc states or cities, major rou!!dnbou:s m d road junct~ons. They are used as road guides for first time visitors entermg a state or city, and for residents of the state or city to navigate their way within the state/city.

An exampie of iliuminatcd billboard used to advertise a product and give direction. This serves dual purpose (direction and product advertising) This is standing on the sidew~tlk as can be seen, a pedestrian is avoiding it.

An example of billboard used to give direction only

Product advertising

I3illboard used in advertising products could bc seen along the highways leading into a state or city, major roundabouts and I-oad junctions within 2nd O I I I S I ~ ~ t l x c11y Also, they coirld be seen n~ounted on building \valls.

An esalnple of billboard used to advertise a product only (above and below).

Billboard in China Advett is ing is used th roughout the rvorid to pmrnote the sale o f products and senice:.. T l i i - CI~ine.;?

billboard advertises a brand of telephone card. ..; )I,:,: :,. E. . :,: ! I . T 7::- - I . , . - ,_ '.'#,, . ..

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Information communicatiodnnnounccment

Billboard used in comtnunicating/passing on information for example, arrival to a state or city, is often found dong highways leading to a sta~e/city and within the city along ma! or roads, junctions and near public buildings/facilities likej schools, hospitals et cetera.

Billboard for One-Child Families A man and l ~ i s child stand in f r r r i t o f J hi l lboard t h a t a d w c z t s s a pniicv of on.-, r l ~ l l r l I?+r t3rnily ir) C h i r r . The Cti inezr government's carr!oaicn for one-child families, alor;? ;;itt; i ts p ~ ' r r n ~ t i i . ~ o f biflll c : s n l ~ l and late marriages, has sln:ved the 2rov:th c f China's huge popf~i,t l~?n.

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Above is an example o f billboard used to cornmunmte informatton on fami ly .

Political/Sorial Campaigns.

Billboard used for this purpose is seasonal. That is, it's only seen cluring political activities to advertise the lxious political parties, their candidates and political agenda.

An example of billboard used in Political/Social Campaigns. The billboard below. is fixed on the wall of a building in China.

Billboards: Landscape and Aesthetics Elements

Billboards as landscape and Aesthetic element should be attract~ve and mterestlng to look at! Gcncratly, they should enhance and not destroy the aesthetics ofthe cltv. For t h s to be possible, established and authorized standards must be applied to achleve this. In the Control of Advcrtisernents Edict No.? of 1975, East Central State of Nigeria (now Enugu State), Gazctte No. 19 Vol6, the following standards were established:

Fised billboards - display area not exceeding 5.57 sqm Fised billboards - display area greater than 5.57 sqrn but not escceding 6.50 sqm F~xeti billboards - display area greater than 6.50 sqrn but not greater than 15.80 sqin F~xed bdlboarcls - display area greater than 15 SO sqm but not greater than 33 50 sq111 F ~ s e d billboards - display area greater than 33.50 sqni Sky signs - on permanent post measuring 18.29crn or above lllurninated signs - on permanent post measuring 18.29cm or above Neon signs Wall billboards

An example of Wall billboards attached to a builtli~-~y

An esampIe of movable billboard used to advertise PI-oducts. This type I S

collapsible and built n d h light durable materials.

Another exarnplc ofwall billboard. The intbrnmtion on the billboard i s clear and could be read from afar.

A n exrimple of'Neon s i~~s/ i l l~inimated billboard ~rscd to announce act~vity

1Zillbo;zrcls: Impact on tllc City Laiidscn pe

Billboards have both positive and negaiivc impacts on the city lanciscape. For instance. when billboards are propcrly used, they enhance thc general aesthetics ofthe city. Also, dcpcnciing on the co1oul.s uscci i r l the making ofthi. billboard adverts: a feeling of' excitement or aggression could bc created. Neon-sigs and illuminated billboards crcate warm and beautifd city landscape at night and ofen times; serve as landmarks at night for ~-esidcilis and firs! time visitors to the city. On thc ot!~er hand, when billborirtls arc not prope1.1y r~sed or the coIours used in the making ofthe billboard aclvcrts detel-~osatcs or when aut':?orized stculdxds are not adopted in bilIboart1 advertising, confusion and a feeling of uneziness is created. Also, the gericrd nestl~etics ofthe c ~ t v is affected.

Times Square a t Night

rqllar-e is home tr, t h e Groad.:'a.; ?hrit.r d~ ' . t r~ . - t . , - . .. ,,,, , 1:. 4-: I.:.. : . - , !

Microsoft @ Encarta @ 2008. @ 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. A ! ~. igh ts reserved

Billbon~ds: P ~ v b l e n ~ s nnd I'rospecls

The problem of billboarcl advestisiiig in the city is that wlien standartis are not applled as stipulated by the regulatory body and I-egillar monitoring as to whc~hcr tlicse standards are adhered to by persons or orgnizations advertising are not done: the city landscape becomes chaoric a i d a nightmare!

The[-e is thc problenl ol'obstr~uction of the smooth flow of tral'lic or? the I-oads wd in some cases, accicle~i ts because some motorists try to rc:~d billboarcls awkwardly posi tionecl while driving. Also, soille billboards arc positionedlstationed on road shou1ds1-s and sidewalks thereby obstructing pedestrian \rays a i d roadside vcliicular pnrkiilg. l'liis

dis~-upts both pcdestrim and vehicular movements because vehiclcs arc parked on the road instead of the road shoulders.

The problem of the colours used in preparing billbaal-cls is observed Some brllboards arc done in uncomplimentary colours rather than warm and friendly colours. This af'rccts the general feeling in the c ~ t y environment. Warm rmd fricndly colours esutle \$arm and friendly environment, and people. The reverse is he case when ~uicompli~ncntary coloul-s are uscd

The size of the billboards is another problem observed. The dtsplay arca of some billboards is so small that it niakes i t impossible to read the advertiselnenti'ii~fori~~ation they carry. This makes thcrn environmental nuisance instead of adding value to the city landscape. The essence of billboard advertising is to con~nlunicnte/pass on 1nfor.matio11 to the public and when this is not properly achieved, the whole exercise is dcfeatec!.

The problem of proper monitoring by the regulatory body is identified. 7'hc government has in place control edict regulating billboard advertising in the state but the problem is monitoring the proper use of billboards by persons or organizations involvcd in advertising. Section 13(1) of the Control of Advertisements Edict N0.7, 1975 of E,C.S.N. (now E n u y State), sub head: Advertisment injurious to amenities or environment; clearly reconmended the removal or renovation of any billboard deemcd as soiled, defaced, damaged or in a state that in the opinion of the regulatory bud)' constitutes a danger to the public s n f e ~ , or injuriously affects the an~ellities or natural Lwauty of any part of the city/envii-onment, the regulatory body may serve a notice on thc persons or organizations displaying t'ie advertisement. This is as observed is not diligently carried out.

There is the problem of some billboards collapsing due to the use ol'inferinr materials in constructing them. This not only poses serious risk to hulnrrri lives but defaces the aesthetics of the environmenticity landscape.

On the other hand, the prospects of billboard advertising enhancing the city landscape is very bright if only conscious efforts are rnndc by both the regulatory body to diligentlv monitor billbonrd advertisrng in the city and the perso~~s/orgalizations advertising adhering to or obeying t I 1 : Edict regulating billboard advertising in the city. The city landscape will be orderly, the environ~nent warm, friendly and exciting.

An example of billboards confusion. They arc of various sizcs, positioned or1 sidewa!k and raad shoulder. Note, the woman above is stantliny on the road whilc the okada man is squatting on the road shoulder thus csposing theniselves to thc dnnger c f car accident.

This scene above a id below is a display of confusion of billboards Some oftlie billboards are collapsing; some positioned awkwardl~ that information on thcm is d~ff icul t to rend, and they are of different sizes a i d colours. I t IS chaotic!

A chaotic scenc of billboards. Most ofthem are positioned on thc sidewalk and road shoultler.

An esarnple of billboards that are poorly constnlcted. The height- from the ground to the base of the display panel is not up to I .Om 111~1s tlic possibility of bein2 covercd by grass as seen above and belo\\.

A n esample of billboard m ~ i t h dctenoratcd colour Such ought to be rcmovcci or renovated

An esample of a well pos~~ioned b11lboa1-d along the road. The b~llboartls are not on the sidewalks or road shoulders, infomation on thorn could easily be read I'rom afar. thc co1ou1-s on thern are natut-a1 and compli tnent the environment.

An example of billboard that is well built and positioned off the road and sidewalk. Also information 011 i t could be read from a h - arid the colours, cornplin~entary to the environment.

An example of billbo~rrl that is well buil t and positionccl off the road and sidewalk. Also ~nforniation on i t couId be read from afar and the colours, complimentary :o the environment.

,411 esamplc of well b d t and positloi~eci billboards. 'The d~stancc between billboasds are good enough to enable motorists lo read the information on them.

COIISC~OUS effort should be made by the rcgulatosy body to monitor the activities of persons and orsanizations involved in billboard advcr-tisiny in thc city reguiarly. This will help to check on time, the dccay of thc city landscape. Billbonrds should be constnlcted with dura'ulc materials (stccl stanchions and panels) m d positioned at least about 3.60111 away from the ~aacl. This \ - i l l prcvent possiblc co!lzpse, obstructicn of sidewalks a ~ l d roadside parking. Billtoal-cis \vher: constr-uctcd should have at least a height of about 3.60rn from the grou~~t l to t i~c bottom ofthe tfisplq panel and positioned in such ;t way that ruofosists could read the information on thc billboard from afar without causing any road mishap. Thc colouss used in biliboarti advertising should be warm nataral colouss (green, blue, br-own, red, white or grey) that will compliment the environment and the city landscape.

Cities are built in order to accommodate the ever growing h u n m population. In doing so, some guidelines are put in place to consciously direct the desired growth. This is because man in building cities to meet his needs, wished to create a con~fortable, warm, aesthetically pleasing and friendly environment that will enable him n~axirnize hls potentials. Disordcrliness and confusion therefore, should not be allowed or encouraged. The elemcnts (billboards) irltroduced in city landscape should add value and not destroy the overall city aesthetic. Especially, at a time like this when the Enugu State government is spending huge resources to give the city a new and befitting look. All stakeholders must be able to play their own role.

Reference

I Adam, G. et a1 (2003); Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, third Edition, Pcrson Education Ltd. pg I I5

3 .L East Central State of Nigeria Gazette No 19, Vol. 6, Edict No. 7 of 1975

-, 3 "Enugu". Microsoft Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: R/licrosofi

CO~QO~,?~~OII , 2007.

4 Enugu State of Vigeria, Poverty Reduction StratwyiState Economic Empowerment md Dcvcloptt~cnt Strateg (PRSISEEDS), I'ublisher, Ministry of I-Iutnan Development and Poverty Reduction, Enugu State, 2007

5 Merriam-Webster collegiate Dictionary, EncycIopedia Britnnnica 2005 Deluse Edition.

6 Microsoft O Encarta Premium Encyclopedia, 200s