Billboards

Two digital cameras atop a billboard at a Tokyo rail station will scan passersby. One will record who is looking at the billboard, the other will count the number of people passing by.

The city of San Angelo, Texas bucks a regional trend towards stricter regulations for signs used as advertising.

Kevin Fry, president of Scenic America, explains the threat to the urban fabric posed by lax billboard policies. He also explains how cities can avoid L.A.'s problems enforcing outdoor advertising codes.

The historic city of Venice has largely been free from outdoor advertising, but a new deal with the city allows billboards to be placed on scaffolding set up for building renovations. Locals are not very happy about the change.

Giant 'supergraphics' drape over the sides of buildings in Los Angeles, usually advertising the latest blockbuster. Almost all of the signs are in violation of sign laws, and building inspectors think they may be fire hazards.

Across the country, the billboard industry is fighting to prohibit tree planting on public spaces that might block their billboards.

Officials in Abilene, Texas, are trying to pass an electronic sign ordinance "proactively" but are facing great resistance, as has been the case for other cities.

A local nonprofit named SCRUB caught Pabst Brewing creating "guerrilla marketing" ads disguised as decorative murals in Philadelphia, a violation of sign restrictions.

Following the example set by Sao Paulo, Brazil, the city of Encinitas, California is considering a plan to ban new billboard advertisements within the city.

Under a bold plan from the city's Mayor, the 11 million residents of Sao Paulo, Brazil, are enjoying a city free from outdoor advertising.

A six-month moratorium on new billboards has been passed by the Pittsburgh City Council as it struggles to formulate a policy for brightly lit LED signs.