VIDEO: Pedestrian Wayfinding System Up and Running

By Michael Oakes

Until recently if you were a visitor to Portland looking for Powell's Books you may have had a tough go at it. That is, until Portland's new Pedestrian Wayfinding system popped up to help keep visitors and non-visitors alike on the right path.

The 102-sign sytem, projected to go city-wide eventually, aims to enhance and make simpler Portland's already walkable style, as well as to highlight some potentially unkown destinations for visitors. The system spans five districts: Downtown, Portland State University, The Pearl, Old Town/ China Town and the Rose Quarter. The two-sided signs stand almost seven feet and are color-coated by district. An enlarged, easy-to-read map will point you to between 70 and 80 destinations, all of which are public except three: Pioneer Place Mall, Lloyd Center and Powell's. The signs also give directions to transit.

While the Wayfinding system -- a joint City/ Portland Development Commission project -- is ostensibly in place, 15 signs slated to fit on the bus mall will go up after construction there is completed in 2009. Also, local businesses still have a chance to attach their names to the system: for $200/ year, your business name can go on one side of the sign -- $400 for both sides. The sponsorship goes toward maintenance and expansion of the system while giving businesses a chance to advertise. Click here for more details on how to involve your business.

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Posted Wed, 03/14/2007 - 2:48pm.

[[ Categories: Livability & Environment ]]

While my sample was random,

Submitted by Lenny Anderson on Tue, 03/13/2007 - 1:36pm.

While my sample was random, I noted some serious mis-information on several signs in the Pearl District. Main Library to the east? try south. MAX to the south? try east! Someone should go over these signs with more care than seems to have been the case.

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Certain limitations

Submitted by Michael Oakes on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 3:46pm.

Lenny,

To be sure, the two-dimensional design of the system is not without certain limitations -- one being they will not always point you in the exact direction of your destination. Also, remember the system is designed primarily for Portland visitors and to that end directs pedestrians to the most-walkable -- not necessarily the quickest -- routes toward their destination. My hunch is that in your case, the sign telling you the main library was to the east was pointing you toward another sign a block or two down that would direct you south again down a more-navigable route.

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Granted in some cases an

Submitted by Lenny Anderson on Wed, 03/28/2007 - 10:06am.

Granted in some cases an arrow could point in either of two ways, but at 11th & Couch I don't see getting to the Main Library by heading east.
Another point a noted while in the Lloyd District (B-way & 9th), MAX Stations are not noted with a circle!...this is very common on maps of all kinds. Having the MAX lines without stations is of little help to a visitor trying to access the system. We should be highlighting MAX Stations.

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