What is Wayfinding?

A wayfinding system enables people to orient themselves in a physical space and navigate from place to place. In an urban context, it refers to both the built and natural environment and contributes to making a city more “legible” for residents, commuters, and tourists, alike. Wayfinding is more than signs-it includes names, maps, and elements such as lighting, street furniture and public art.

A wayfinding system should deliver significant, proven benefits to residents, businesses and tourists. The tourism experience can be enhanced if visitors can easily find their way to key destinations or are able to join local residents in exploring your downtown area.

In the 1990s it became clear that cities were shaping themselves into hubs for tourism and conventions and that urban wayfinding would be crucial to making these work. The idea of making a city easy to navigate for visitors became incorporated into many economic development budgets. Later, banners and streetscape enhancements were added to create a complete urban kit of parts.

During this time, a set of standards for urban signs was developed, covering wayfinding signs related to features inherent in all cities. Downtown wayfinding signs must:

  • Be oriented to both residents and to visitors new to the city.
  • Consist of a vocabulary of parts that each serves a specific role.
  • Be a part of the overall city identity.
  • Provide direction to smaller destinations.
  • Provide direction at a number of levels, for drivers in vehicles and pedestrians walking.
  • Compete with street, regulatory and storefront signs for the attention of the motorist and the pedestrian.

Wayfinding Elements

The Downtown Wayfinding system begins with identifying features, either natural or built, which define the edges (as a sense of entry), as well as the center (as a sense of arrival), of the downtown area.

System Design Recommendations:

For roadway signs especially, a combination of upper and lowercase text greatly increases the legibility of words and allows more space on the sign for the message.

  • Sign text should increase in size relative to the speed in which cars are travelling.
  • Sign should have a color contrast of at least 60 percent.
  • There should be no more than three or four destination messages per vehicular sign.
  • Use only three different colors at most to differentiate destinations or districts on a sign.
  • Make sure there is background space surrounding sign content, even if it involves simplification of the sign content.
  • Carry out a thorough analysis of the specific urban condition, including project goals; vehicular, pedestrian, and transit routes; destination criteria and urban stakeholders.
  • Make sure regulatory approval system is in place before a final sign theme is developed.
  • Make sure all design elements complement each other.
  • Limit the amount of information per sign to ensure visibility and comprehensibility.
  • Use colors and type that enhance legibility.
  • Develop route planning on models based on the history and development of your town.
  • A guide map should contain three important elements
  1. A map showing major destinations, routes, roads, districts and landmarks.
  2. Pictures of the wayfinding sign elements used.
  3. A list of the major destinations included on the map, with a basic description of each, including hours of operation and prices, and interpretive information for historic landmarks.

Signage Classification:

A “peeling of the onion” approach reflects the way traditional cities have developed. Using this approach, which incorporates a hierarchy of urban elements to direct the motorist to their destination without using an excessive number of sign messages, could be broken down as follows:

  • District edge: Direct to smaller subdistricts, major streets, major landmarks and parks
  • Inside the subdistrict: Direct to larger destinations and parking
  • At the pedestrian level: Direct to all destinations

A plan for expansion into adjoining areas should be put into place also. Most wayfinding systems evolve over time. A rulebook for a wayfinding system should contain the information needed for continual development in new parts of the city. The plan should include a continuing funding source.

 

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