Billboards in the Avenida San Martin, Asuncion, Paraguay: as potential agent of visual pollution

Abstract

Visual pollution is a disturbance in the natural environment manifested as impaired visual image and the appearance of the urban environment caused by different factors. Today excess billboards seen in a strip of Avenida San Martin, starting from this situation, the study of advertising as a possible source of visual pollution given the importance from an environmental point of view of ecological and social dimension, because it affects humans in their quality of life. The research is descriptive cross with qualitative and quantitative approach and type, and according to the context in which research is conducted based on a field survey and document analysis. Data were obtained by direct observation in the field and analyzed with descriptive statistics. We have identified 146 billboards on a stretch of 8 blocks, of 55 % is corporate advertising, which is a very high figure for an urban area with heavy traffic, and it shows that in the study area there is visual pollution due to excessive amount of advertising posters is a risk factor for pedestrians and drivers, and alters the landscape due to irregularities in its structure. It is recommended to raise awareness of the problems caused because of the visual pollution of billboards character and their effect on humans and the natural environment in which it is established.