08/12/2026
Electronic Billboards in Our Parks?
Another Bad Idea form the City of Dallas!
"Dallas parks have long served as a refuge from the city's noise, traffic, and commercial clutter. Soon, they could become another place where residents are pitched the latest perfume, car, or corporate brand." - Houston Chronicle
Can you imagine needing to enjoy some quality time in any of our city parks only to look up and instead of open skies, passing clouds, the moon, or soaring birds, your eyes are filled with huge garish Las Vegas style electronic billboards with flashing screens and advertisements for anything and everything? Well you may not need to imagine it because this is exactly what the City of Dallas and the Parks and Recreation Department are planning to roll our across the city.
On Monday August 3rd, the Dallas Parks, Trails, and Environment Committee, chaired by District 10 Council Member Kathy Stewart, proposed allowing advertisements on city parkland to generate additional revenue and would like to offer 30 year lease agreements to digital billboard companies.
According to Dark Sky, an international advocacy group that works to stop light pollution and protect the night sky for humans and animals, these types of digital billboards should NEVER be placed in or adjacent to natural areas. These include but are not limited to natural areas, wetlands, parks, wildlife areas, and residential areas.
Dark Sky warns that these digital billboards can be harmful to the nigh time environment, unlike traditionally lit billboards these light emissions cannot be shielded, and the horizontal arrangements of their LED's emit light laterally into neighboring environments and upward into the night sky. This type of sign is typically 10 times brighter than a standard billboard, and will tower over the tree canopy.
If this proposal for large-scale digital billboard advertising is approved by the Parks, Trails and Environment Committee and the full City Council, it is reasonable to expect that these will appear soon in the skies above our parks across Dallas. There is no guarantee that any park will be off limits!
The addition of large-scale digital billboard advertising is antithetical to the stewardship of our natural spaces and the environment. The disruption to our lives, our city, our night skies, migrating birds, will be constant and intrusive.
Please take a moment to contact your council member and express your strong opposition!
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