Visual Pollution and Urban De-

When there are words about pollution and the culmination point it has reached in the 21st century that we live in, it is mostly about physical pollution. i.e., pollution of air, water and soil. However, visual and noise pollution are increasingly mentioned, and although younger than previous ones, today reach unimaginable proportions in urban areas. Visual pollution is widely present in urban areas. Visual pollution is current, in smaller or larger amounts, in almost every space that people spend their time in. However, cities are areas where this problem culminated and has a great negative influence on quality of life. The goal is to raise awareness about potential problems that visual pollution creates, identification of negative influences and consequences it has on life comfort, but also, analysis of potential solutions, which would reduce or completely remove these problems.

Identity of a city is created by people – users of that space, during a certain period of time. City design is a type of permanent art. In every moment, there is more than eyes can see or ears can hear, so we explore every space. However, none of certain space’s elements could be perceived on its own, but as a part of a whole environment in which we occur.

According to some theorists of modern psychology, identity is a special state, characteristic for an individual subject or society. It develops from the relationship between that individual (or society) and some external influences. However, this uniqueness or any other identity characteristics hardly could be perceived in highly visually polluted areas.

Visual pollution is increasingly present in urban areas. It is usually the

result of negligence and disrespect of cultural heritage, but also uncontrollable economic.

Increasing billboard sizes, light and sometimes sound effects, inappropriate locations for their displacement on historical monuments are leading to bigger visual pollution of city centers. It is necessary to understand the negative influences that the economy has on the environment and quality of life of people as users of a space.

In that sense, it is important to educate people about its disturbances, but also stimulate their sense of aesthetics. Quality and diverse space does not only influence the mood of its users, but also, with its uniqueness, contributes to attractiveness of a city as a whole, and thus, development of economy and tourism.

By: Balen Kemal Jaff