Reimagining Billboards as Natural Habitats to Increase Urban Biodiversity
Our landscapes are dominated by advertisements that ask for our attention – with the boldest visual noise coming from billboards. I’ll leave the advertising side of the debate to Adbusters. What I’m thinking about now is a much more direct question about the potential of billboards as structural elements in the city, beginning with the question:
“What if we repurposed Billboards to Increase Urban Biodiversity?”
Space is precious in cities, and advertising structures take up their fare share of it – valuable space that could be repurposed for a more sustainable urban environment. Billboards ask for our attention. They request our consider the products and services they advertise. It’s a pretty one-dimensional transaction, all this asking. After all…
“What have billboards ever done for us?”
By repurposing billboards as habitats to increase urban biodiversity, no one is depriving them of their advertising function or taking away any revenue – it’s simply a case of using what is already there for better use.
Take a close look at the above image. That’s a LOT of structural support for a piece of vinyl selling something. Is it structurally necessary? Yes. Does it have capacity for additional use? Absolutely. How about using some of that additional capacity to breathe life into the built environment and create a more harmonious relationship between the city and nature?
It’s not a big stretch for billboards to use their – plentiful – surplus capacity beyond advertising products to contribute to environmental sustainability and offer ecological services to society. Transforming billboards into multi-functional structures that integrate with nature from capturing rainwater to serving as habitats for wildlife needs to be explored.
A lot of attention is paid to making sure that EVs are able to recharge at key points across the city – shouldn’t the same attention be paid to natural species?
Increase Urban Biodiversity and Habitats for Wildlife
In urban areas, wildlife often struggles to find suitable habitats due to limited green spaces. By converting billboards as natural infrastructure and habitats, we can provide safe spaces for various species to flourish within urban environments. As cities continue to expand, urbanization poses a significant threat to wildlife populations. Incorporating nature into the urban landscape in this innovative way could help mitigate habitat loss and fragmentation, promoting biodiversity within cities.
Pollinator Sanctuaries: Attracting Bees and Butterflies
Another innovative way billboards can contribute to urban biodiversity is by serving as platforms for pollinator gardens. The decline of pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and other insects is a global concern, as they play a vital role in maintaining ecosystems and food production. By dedicating space on billboards to flowering plants, cities can create vital refuges for these essential creatures.
These billboard gardens would not only promote pollinator populations but also improve the aesthetics of urban environments, providing a splash of color and life to grey cityscapes, bringing nature closer to urban residents.
Creating Natural Habitats for Wildlife
Repurposing billboards as natural infrastructure and habitats for urban wildlife can support biodiversity and foster ecological connectivity within cities. Birds, insects, and even small mammals can find refuge in these structures if provided adequate spaces or greenery which offer food, shelter, and nesting opportunities. Moreover, these habitats can serve as stepping stones for wildlife, allowing them to move through urban environments more easily and safely. In other words:
Billboards as Wildlife Charging Stations
Let’s double back on the three qualities just mentioned. What all three combine to create are effectively “charging stations” for insects and birds as they make their way across the city. A lot of attention is paid to making sure that EVs are able to recharge at key points across the city – shouldn’t the same attention be paid to natural species?
There have been some exceptional examples recently, most notably the Bee Hotel in Utrecht, Netherlands, as part of the city’s pollinator strategy.
In Sweden, a campaign for McDonald’s created Bee Hotels in billboards:
The pollinator strategy in Utrecht is obviously an exceptional piece of interconnected thinking and action that cities could use more of. The McDonald’s campaign in Sweden is great, but it is an advertising campaign. Cities need to think long-term and repurpose infrastructure and billboards to be part of a sustained rethink for how existing assets can be used to create natural habitats and increase urban biodiversity.
Now onto the other benefits of billboards being repurposed to increase urban biodiversity:
Mitigating Urban Heat Islands and Reducing Air Pollution
By incorporating the greenery required for billboards to become natural habitats cities can reduce the urban heat island effect, as plants have cooling properties through the process of evapotranspiration. This, in turn, can help to improve the overall comfort and livability of cities.
Plants on repurposed billboards can help to reduce air pollution by capturing airborne particulate matter and absorbing pollutants through their leaves. This contributes to cleaner air and improved health for urban residents.
Enhancing Community Well-being and Mental Health
Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of exposure to nature and wildlife on mental health and well-being. By converting billboards into natural habitats to boost urban biodiversity, we can provide urban citizens with more opportunities to connect with nature, reduce stress levels, and improve overall mental health.
A Platform for Environmental Education and Awareness
By transforming billboards as natural infrastructure and habitats we can also create a platform for environmental education and awareness. These living installations can serve as a visual reminder of the importance of nature in urban settings and encourage citizens to make more environmentally conscious choices in their daily lives.
The time has come to revolutionize the role billboards can play in the city. By combining advertising with environmental stewardship we can create a more sustainable and interconnected world.
Get in touch to learn how we can help you repurpose existing structures to benefit nature.
This post is Issue Three of NurtureStructure’s “What If…” Wednesday Newsletter. You can subscribe here to get a dose of speculative thinking on nature and the built environment every Wednesday.
References for Further Reading
Bonthoux, S., Brun, M., Di Pietro, F., Greulich, S., & Bouché-Pillon, S. (2014). How can wastelands promote biodiversity in cities? A review. Landscape and Urban Planning, 132, 79-88.
Bowler, D. E., Buyung-Ali, L. M., Knight, T. M., & Pullin, A. S. (2010). Urban greening to cool towns and cities: A systematic review of the empirical evidence. Landscape and Urban Planning, 97(3), 147-155.
Brook, R. D., Rajagopalan, S., Pope, C. A., 3rd, Brook, J. R., Bhatnagar, A., Diez-Roux, A. V., Holguin, F., Hong, Y., Luepker, R. V., Mittleman, M. A., Peters, A., Siscovick, D., Smith, S. C., Whitsel, L., & Kaufman, J. D. (2010). Particulate matter air pollution and cardiovascular disease: An update to the scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 121(21), 2331-2378.
Gill, S. E., Handley, J. F., Ennos, A. R., & Pauleit, S. (2007). Adapting cities for climate change: The role of the green infrastructure. Built Environment, 33(1), 115-133.
Hartig, T., Mitchell, R., de Vries, S., & Frumkin, H. (2014). Nature and health. Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 207-228.
Kowarik, I. (2011). Novel urban ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation. Environmental Pollution, 159(8-9), 1974-1983.
Niemelä, J., Saarela, S. R., Söderman, T., Kopperoinen, L., Yli-Pelkonen, V., Väre, S., & Kotze, D. J. (2010). Using the ecosystem services approach for better planning and conservation of urban green spaces: A Finland case study. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19(11), 3225-3243.
Nowak, D. J., Crane, D. E., & Stevens, J. C. (2006). Air pollution removal by urban trees and shrubs in the United States. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 4(3-4), 115-123.
Oke, T. R. (1982). The energetic basis of the urban heat island. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 108(455), 1-24.
Potts, S. G., Biesmeijer, J. C., Kremen, C., Neumann, P., Schweiger, O., & Kunin, W. E. (2010). Global pollinator declines: Trends, impacts and drivers. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 25(6), 345-353.
Seto, K. C., Güneralp, B., & Hutyra, L. R. (2012). Global forecasts of urban expansion to 2030 and direct impacts on biodiversity and carbon pools. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(40), 16083-16088.