It is true that São Paulo is Brasil’s largest city, but that does _not_ make it the capital. This is still Brasília.

Amen. It’s like a breath of fresh air.

Right you are, Ronald. I left out the word “economic”. Thanks for the correction.

I never thought something like this could/would ever happen. I’m a big advocate of the quiet space. My respect and praise to Sao Paulo! Let it be a model for future cities.

Banning all outdoor signage may refresh the urban landscape but what about the visual blight of the remaining infrastructure? It may make for interesting photographs, both on a formal and conceptual level, however it isn’t always the case that outdoor signage is detrimental to the visual culture of a city. The spectacle of New York City’s Times Square and Tokyo’s Roppongi district at night are examples. And what about all of the designers and businesses that are harmed or put out of business by the ban? Wouldn’t it have been better to regulate the signage, perhaps by employing a committee of designers, architects and other concerned citizens to review proposed signage.

Newpathdesign partially agree with you. The case of Sao Paulo is particular. It was really caothic situation. Many mayors tried to regulate the bussiness with no results (maybe no will as well). I think it’s too early to say, the city is still adapting to the new legislation. I guess the idea was, let’s clean up this mess and after that we create other exemption instruments for some determined areas, as done in New York or Tokio. I hope it goes this way!