by Charles F. Floyd
Professor of Real Estate, University of Georgia 

Introduction 

The Highway Beautification Act is a failure.  It has been unsuccessful in either removing existing billboard clutter from rural roadsides or preventing its spread.  In the past several years the act has become even more ineffective, being almost totally transformed into a sign industry dominated program that is actually enriching and subsidizing the industry it was meant to regulate, and serving as a protective umbrella to shield that industry from state and local governments that desire to effectively control billboard blight.  Repeal or extensive revision of the HBA now appears to offer the only hope for achievement of the original aims of the beautification program.

Download the full article