The public realm is made up of a diversity of elements. Signs are an element that communicates to the public, direct and attract people through landmarks. As we meander or travel through the city, signs assist us in wayfinding.

Signs for food and a diversity of businesses

 

For people to follow wayfinding signs, the signs must be easy to find and understand, match the human-scale and be attractive. There are plenty of signs that are too big or too small which a pedestrian might miss. Some signs are simply confusing to understand or even exclude people from public places.

Public Property Warning Sign

 

In the mission to find signs in the public realm, I realized they are everywhere and that signs can serve different functions.  They Direct and serve as Landmarks. It’s important for there to be Signs that Direct people toward the places they want to arrive to. As people commute and transfer from one mode of transportation to the next, they need signs to know when and how trips happen. People need to know whether to turn left or right to move toward their destination. Signs that Direct serve an important role in tourism, for tourists to identify where they are and easily find important places.

Overland Park Downtown Directory

 

Landmarks are vital to wayfinding. Landmarks have social significance and remain in our minds as a reference of a place in relation to the area. Landmarks are meeting places and can be places that are heavily traveled. Some examples of Signs as Landmarks in Kansas City are Public Art, Murals, and business and theater signs.

I am designing a mobility hub for Gardner, KS. Creating a Lynch Diagram and a Land Use map of Gardner, KS, I realized that the blocks with a diversity in Land Use are higher in density and have a greater number of landmarks and signs. These areas with a diversity in Land Use and higher density attract activity and social interactions.

 

 

(Photos are my own)