Grenoble is the first European city to replace billboards with trees. It has banned 326 advertising signs – 64 of which were billboards – that were removed in the spring of 2015. Bus and public transportation stations, however will continue to display ads as the city’s contract with advertising company JCDecaux  will end only in 2019.

Green party mayor Eric Piolle had promised to replace billboards with trees or community notice boards during the election campaign and he has very well kept his promise.

The city with a population of 160,000 first started using outdoor advertising in 1976. It will have to forego its revenue of about $640,000 of income from the exchange by not renewing the outdoor advertising contract.

Piolle said in a statement that the municipality has decided to free public space in Grenoble from advertising to develop areas for public expression. From January, free advertising space will be offered to local cultural and social groups, but the new signs will be smaller.

Last year Grenoble was voted the best city in France to be a student and Forbes magazine ranked it fifth in the rankings for the most innovative cities in the world.