Advertising Zurich City Council not expanding digital advertising systems until 2030

Zurich City Council is stopping the expansion of new digital outdoor advertising systems for the time being: despite this moratorium, it is against a general ban on outdoor advertising, as it announced on Wednesday.

The Alternative Liste (AL) had called for such a blanket ban on outdoor advertising that is visible on public property in a motion in the Zurich municipal council.

This would mean "a massive and one-sided regulatory intervention in the local economy", the city council stated in its press release. In addition, the advertising money would flow into other advertising channels that are dominated by international corporations.

According to the city council, there are 3377 advertising spaces on public land in the city of Zurich, 651 of which are for cultural advertising. The city council writes that municipal "regulations on the installation of advertising spaces" ensure compatible operation; their acceptance is therefore also high. And the installations generate income. The city receives 28 million francs a year.

For these reasons, the City Council is against the advertising ban demanded by the AL. However, it has announced that it will suspend the construction of new digital outdoor advertising installations until 2030.

There are currently 377 such installations in central locations and at VBZ stops. Although these are many times more attractive for the city, their ecological footprint is worse than that of posters, the city council notes. It now wants to wait and see how the technology develops and then "examine in detail whether further digitalization makes sense".

SDA