The other evening I had a meetup with friends. As some of us had never been to the izakaya where we planned to meet and thus had no idea where it is situated, the location of the Japanese pub/restaurant was then shared and everybody easily made their way to the meeting place. Yes, this is nothing new. Everybody does this nowadays. Exactly!
With a smartphone, which has become an essential part of life for today's humans, it's not difficult to find places -- be they eateries, hotels, rental bikes, ATMs of any specific bank, or even the house of your best friend's grandma, anything -- by looking them up on an online map. The question is Do we still need those obsolete but ubiquitous advertising signs on the streets? And: Do we still have to put up with such eyesores?
Let's take Chiang Mai as an example. The seven-century-old northern city is rich with elaborate Buddhist temples and heritage buildings. But everywhere you look, you'll see numerous signs intensely competing for passersby's attention. They come in all kinds and sizes, from A4 paper or smaller to placards and big banners made of vinyl or other materials.
What would happen if Chiang Mai manages to get rid of all those ugly signs, some of which are illegal? Imagine Tha Phae road or the old areas inside the city moat minus the thousands of advertising signs. Can you see the full revelation of the city's long-obscured glory and charm?
Actually, Chiang Mai has been on the right track with its projects to move overhanging utility lines on certain streets -- Tha Phae included -- to underground. Technically, clearing a road of unsightly signage shouldn't be more difficult. The major obstacle of such a clean-up is, of course, the signs' owners, who may be reluctant to have their advertising tools removed even though it means they will no longer have to pay the signboard tax.
To tackle this, the city has to come up with measures to convince them that considering the changing behaviour of digital-age consumers, their businesses will be minimally affected, but, as part of a more beautiful city, will improve in the long run.
Such measures may include assisting local shops, restaurants, guest houses and other businesses in enhancing their presence on the internet, especially on online maps and social media; or they may include incentives and even competition. People should be proud if their streets manage to be free of advertising signs before other neighbourhoods. Campaigns to raise public support will be of great help in ensuring success.
One good thing leads to another. With urban tidiness, the city will be more liveable for its residents and more impressive to visitors. Best of all, its aim to win a prestigious place on Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites may also become a reality.
Pongpet Mekloy is the Bangkok Post travel editor.