Impact of Visual Pollution at the Entrances of Coastal Cities in Lebanon

Abstract

Visual pollution is a term given to unattractive visible elements such as non-thought-out buildings, unregulated architecture, street furniture, and random billboards. All these unattractive components have an effect on human eyes. The paper focuses on shedding light on the impact of visual pollution at the entrances of coastal cities in Lebanon to build a knowledge base for such pollution problem. Photographs were taken of the main entrances of Tyr, Saida, Beirut Byblos, and Tripoli through a camera installed on a car. These entrances were located using maps from Google, the municipality and other sources. The most important findings of this study were that cities' entrances have been visually polluted in several ways especially with facades of buildings, advertising materials, lack of aesthetic elements, and lack of street furniture. The study recommended that municipalities should carry out several actions in order to improve the visual and aesthetic aspects of the coastal cities' entrances. Creation of street furniture, organization of advertising boards, imposing of legislation and laws to regulate aesthetic aspects of building facades as well as promoting aesthetic education among the local community could help in mitigating the problems.

The Potential of Linguistic Landscapes for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Cuenca, Ecuador

“…Moreover, the presence of errors in a small percentage of signs highlights the evolving attention to language use or potential foreign influence, aligning with discussions on language learning and societal development (Cenoz & Gorter, 2008;Gorter el al., 2021;Li et al, 2020). These findings contribute to the understanding of how linguistic landscapes impact urban identity, tourism, and economic activities (Cenoz & Gorter, 2008;Cenoz & Gorter, 2009;Dong et al, 2020;Hasni et al, 2022;Farfán Pacheco, 2020;Leeman & Modan, 2010;Li et al, 2020;Rola, 2019;Shohamy et al, 2010;Shohamy & Waksman, 2009;). The distinct distribution of businesses and services in different areas of the city further emphasizes the unique linguistic dynamics in Cuenca (García et al, 2017).…”

“…In fact, Kallen (2023) argued that "the LL can be contained by public space, but […] the language display of the LL in fact creates the public space" (p.80). In this sense, linguistic landscapes could have a direct influence on the activities that take place in public spaces, namely, on tourism (Hasni et al, 2022;Dong et al, 2020), the economy (Cenoz & Gorter, 2009;Järlehed et al, 2023), the visual organization of the cities (Farfán Pacheco, 2020; Leeman & Modan, 2010;Rola, 2019;Shohamy et al, 2010), and language learning (Gorter et al, 2021;Hatoss, 2023;Li et al, 2020) Public areas that have language related to tourism are places where people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds are found. The display of different languages in these areas portrays this diversity, which contributes to a sense of inclusivity and fosters a richer cultural environment.…”

“…The visual organization and aesthetic of the cities is important as they add value to a place and contribute to an organized physical environment that can attract more tourists and therefore improve economy (Rola, 2019). The visual organization of cities relates to the field of linguistic landscapes to the extent that the elements displayed contribute to the identity and character of a city.…”