The following map overlaps the distribution of advertisements in the French Concession over the period 1938-1943 with two types of restricted zones drawn by the French Municipal Council. 

In 1938, French municipal authorities designed a residential zone where advertisements were strictly prohibited, at least in principle (map) and in 1940 a zone for classified buildings (zone des établissements classés, which mainly included industrial plants labeled as polluting or dangerous) (red), in which any building, not only advertising structures, was strictly controlled (orange).

While the distribution of advertising roughly overlapped with the authorized zone and avoided restricted zones, however, there are a few notable exceptions. This suggests that municipal authorities probably experienced difficulties to enforce their regulations. At times, especially in earlier periods, advertisers successfully challenged municipal regulations. Most often, municipal authorities had to adapt their decisions after a careful examination of applications. In order to better appreciate spatial anomalies, we need to further examine each specific case.