Clear Channel's freedom fighters recently took the initiative to stand up for urban beauty where few would dare, boldly taking it upon themselves to hire a landscaping company to clear away noisome trees that until recently blighted the South side of the Vine Street Expressway, and concealed the scenic majesty of a billboard near the railroad tracks.

The nightmare is over: Foliage once menaced the bottom edge of this handsome billboard.

Pride in our billboards is what makes Philadelphia unique, and we must do whatever it takes to ensure that our citizens have a clear view of them.  With all the unsightly landscaping and architecture that has historically been allowed to proliferate in this city, it is reassuring that Clear Channel is willing to take a stand, and insist that nothing interfere with the beauty of our billboards.

Philadelphians are blessed with a city increasingly devoid of livable spaces - a city that functions, as any decent urban planner will tell you a city should, as a forum in which to advertise to passing motorists first and foremost: a city that sensibly relegates livability and attractive design to the last millenium.

Want the real story?

           

 

  Issues of public space and outdoor advertising represent an international concern. This fact was made clear with a recent visit by representatives of the Gyeonggi Province (South Korea) to our office on June 11^th to talk about SCRUB's mission and its impact on shared space. Our guests included members of the Gyeonggi government's New City Development Division, Land Development Planning Division, and several other departments as well as representatives of the advertising industry. The group, which discovered the SCRUB Foundation through our website, was in the process of conducting a national tour of America, stopping in Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. Their stop in Philadelphia was planned solely to visit our organization.

                Mary Tracy, executive director of the SCRUB Foundation, presented a PowerPoint about SCRUB's mission, history, and actions. The group was especially interested in SCRUB's advocacy for protecting public parkland, as well as learning about signage legislation in general. While the Gyeonggi contingent had previously met with members of America's advertising industry, Tracy's voice represented a powerful and resonant counterargument to advertising and its impact on public space. Its members were struck by a particular quote Tracy shared: "One generation plants the seeds, another gets the shade." The sentiment was especially profound in light of the motivation behind this tour of American advertising practices: Gyeonggi leaders had come to America to garner ideas and opinions about the future development of their province. In particular, representatives were curious about the merits of LED signage in establishing the proper "look" of a modern region. As Tracy later commented, the journey was meant to encourage Gyeonggi leaders to be visionary; signage, especially LED signage-with its significant toll on environmental resources-is simply not innovative. We must remain sensitive to the "seed" we plant for future generations, and realize the environmental and visual burden we pass on through outdoor advertising.  

 We expect to hear from representatives of Gyeonggi about the future development and beautification of their province.

Three bills SCRUB has been fighting for months - in some cases years - will be before the City Council Rules Committee on June 7th, 2011.  The hearing is set for 10:00 am.  Please sign our petition to express your concern about these bills.

100678 - Would allow relocation of billboards and other structures displaced by the I-95 expansion.  We covered this bill in an earlier form, and this PlanPhilly article details some of the concerns this bill has raised.

100720 - Would permit large scale animated billboards on the historic buildings of Market East.  We covered the bill several times before, and the version up for vote in the rules committee on the 7th is far too broad an abrogation of existing zoning controls even for the development that is proposed for that area.

110306 - Would legalize a "Risque Cabaret" billboard at 73 Moore street.  While the bill is new, SCRUB has struggled with the owner of this billboard's attempts to skirt the zoning laws for years.  Besides the bill being a clear example of unlawful spot zoning, the owner of the sign should not now be rewarded with a special deal from City Council for his years of scofflawism .

Your Voice has been heard! Thank you so much for all your letters and communications to Philadelphia City Council.

Council has reported over 200 emails and letters received on the issue of a hotel proposed for Old City to include a controversial electronic sign and live entertainment. The voices of those who care about Philadelphia’s skyline as well as the safety of our drivers are being heard!

Compelling Testimony Given at yesterday’s City Council session, as Philadelphia residents, representatives from SCRUB, AAA as well as environmental groups and civic groups from across the City each voiced their opinions. At the request of SCRUB, the representative of AAA gave illuminating testimony on the potential life-threatening effects of having an electronic sign like the one proposed at the foot of a major city gateway like the Ben Franklin Bridge.

 

Councilmen DiCicco on bill amendments:

Hello All: After further review of the site lines of the proposed digital sign, I have decided based on those graphics that the sign would be visible to the residental communtiy. I will therefore introduce an amendment this Thursday to remove the sign from the current ordinance. I apologize for any inconvinence that this issue may have caused you the residents of Old City and other interested parties. My original support for the sign was based on what I was led to believe, that the sign would only be visible to traffic heading west on the Ben Franklin Bridge and that I would not move forward with the bill until I had evidensce to support that theory. Thank you, Frank

 

Click here to view the amended bill.