Flyers have long been part of urban culture, despite ordinances banning them.
In Northampton, Massachusetts, a debate has been brewing in the last few months around its no-posting ordinance, established in the 1970s.
A group of artists and arts promoters are pushing to change the policy.
Northampton is not unique and the regulations around bill posting and advertising began long ago.
Samuel Holloren, a researcher in the field of urban design at the University of Melbourne, points to 19th century London as an example.
"Crews of mostly young guys [were] slapping up posters left and right for all these new industrial products," Holloren said, who in 2021 wrote the article "The Stealthy Politics of Urban Advertising" in the journal "Places"
An abundance of advertisements for spools, sweaters, cigarettes and more "came to symbolize how London was really out of control," Holloren said.
Two hundred years ago London city lawmakers passed an ordinance delineating areas where bills could be posted — like modern day ordinances in U.S. cities, including Northampton.
An arts promoter speaks up
The push to change the western Mass. city ordinance began at a Northampton City Council meeting earlier this year, when arts promoter Oliver Kelly said he witnessed city workers swiftly removing posters he had just hung for an upcoming event.
"I produce drag shows in the area and I come today to urge you to impose a temporary repeal or alteration of the ordinance, or at least the enforcement thereof in order to collect data," Kelly said in March 2026.
The data would show what happens if the ordinance is suspended Kelly said, and they're not suggesting people have the right to put flyers anywhere.
"I don't want people sticking flyers on post office boxes or parking meters, but I feel like [light] posts and general public structures should be fair game," Kelly said.
Other community members have also spoken up, asking for more options to post flyers and over the past few months, at least three city councilors and Kelly met to discuss options. A proposal to temporarily amend the ordinance is scheduled to be presented at the August 2026 city council meeting.
The suggested policy suggests something in the parlance of a current self-help theory "let them."
That is, let people post flyers downtown temporarily and see what happens, said Northampton City Councilor Jeremy Dubs.
"Take a look at it a year from now and see how it went basically," Dubs said, adding that members of local arts community have already volunteered "to proactively and vigilantly, regularly monitor the posters in town and to take down any clutter that's there or any potential hateful speech."
Who decides what is hate speech? That could be problematic.
"It's been a little hard trying to think of ways to enforce this," Kelly said.
Community building one flyer at a time
Social media posts have become the equivalent of posting flyers, but some maintain visible posters around a city can actually create community — and more public outdoor space is needed
Walk around downtown Northampton and you may find some boards, inside businesses and restaurant lobbies. That limits who gets to find out what's happening in their town, Kelly and others said.
Northampton City Councilor Garrick Perry maintains there are plenty of options.
On a tour of the city's public boards he pointed out several during a short walk.
"We're going to go over here to Local Burger," Perry said pointing to an outdoor board on the building exterior, after passing at least two other boards and a third inside a laundromat.
Then another. "Over here on Market Street as well," he pointed out.
Perry is a musician and a former club manager. He said he's posted a considerable number of flyers in his career.
"There are places to poster. Northampton still has a vibrant arts and culture scene," Perry said, defending the ordinance and the idea that it is hampering the city's arts economy.
He doesn't think the ordinance should change.
"I don't see why we would do that. It has worked," he said.
As Perry continued the tour, it's obvious some boards were well organized — while others were smothered with announcements for concerts, art shows, comedy nights, lawn and babysitting services.
Perry stood looking at a board in the stairwell of Northampton's boutique mall, Thornes Marketplace.
"It has flyers on top of flyers," Perry pointed out. "Then it becomes cluttered," he said as he started to remove a few dated posters.
Perry said he would like to see people take responsibility for themselves, take items down after they expire.
It's an aspirational goal. So is the upcoming Northampton City Council proposal which includes a volunteer crew maintaining the flyers, before the streets become what is called in the design world, visual clutter.
Something Melbourne University's Samuel Holloren, in part, defends.
"I think that there's a huge desire to connect to tactile postings, tactile things," Holloren said.
What people see day to day on the street creates texture and sometimes dialog, he said.
"[Like] posters where people are seeking language partners," Holloren gave as an example. "But there's also petty flyers, people who are saying, 'clean up after your dog!' 'Are you the person who's illegally parking in my spot? Stop doing that.'
And that's part of community life, he said.
One topic seems to have some consensus; Holleren mentioned it, as did a Northampton City councilor.
Lost pets. No one seemed to mind where those posters are hung.
