The town of Hilton Head Island, SC is more than half way through a 15-year project to put all utility wires underground. Town leaders see the project as both improving aesthetics and making the city’s power grid more resilient.

The City of Houston has done much to improve its image over the years. In the 1960’s (left) roads to downtown were littered with billboards. A 1980 ban on billboards has resulted in a much cleaner approach to the city.

After the North Carolina legislature allowed increased tree cutting for billboard visibility in 2012, the homes above near I-77 in Charlotte no longer have a buffer between them and the highway.

The genuine character of a neighborhood can be eroded by billboards and signs. The above Philadelphia neighborhood was restored to its historic and intrinsic nature when the off-premise advertising was removed from this building.

Not only was this historic building covered in an advertisement but the ad for alcohol was seen by thousands of children every day.

When these billboards were removed along East Main Road in Middletown, Rhode Island it opened up a whole new and unclutter viewscape for visitors and residents who drive past it every day.

The above video, Community of Choices, was produced by Scenic America and the Dunn Foundation and narrated by former Scenic America President Edward McMahon. In the video you will learn about all the different choices and options that communities face when deciding how they want to look, and how those choices can affect a community’s quality of life and prosperity in the long run.