Motion rejected: City of Bern wants to keep advertising in public spaces

The motion called for public land, including bus and streetcar stops, to be freed from commercial advertising. "The progressive commercialization of urban space has undeniable negative effects on the well-being of the population," Christa Ammann of the Alternative List said Thursday. She also sees small local businesses at a disadvantage. These could hardly afford the advertising space, and the space could only be financed by multinational corporations and large companies, Ammann criticized. She pointed to cities such as Grenoble, Sao Paulo and Brussels, where restrictive advertising regulations have created "creative design space."

Ammann received majority support in the city parliament from left-wing parties. "Why not look at graffiti instead of H&M ads or study a cultural agenda instead of a car?" said Seraina Patzen of the Junge Alternative.

For the majority in parliament, however, the cost argument seemed to prevail. Advertising accounts for only 0.32 percent of the city's annual revenue, Ammann said. But that's 3.4 million francs and therefore no small matter, argued the city council, on the other hand. "In a free liberal society, everyone is free to pay attention to advertising or not," said FDP city councilor Christophe Weder. For Erich Hess of the SVP, advertising is even "part of a well-functioning economy".

According to the municipal council, the advertising space in the city of Bern is proportionate compared to other cities. "We have not put up any additional posters for numerous years," said municipal councilor Ursula Wyss. Ultimately, the advertising issue is a matter of attitude. The municipal council must find a compromise between all wishes, said Wyss. (SDA)

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