Wayfinding and placemaking signage projects often moved to the backburner as budget tightened early in the pandemic. However, with residents continuing to flee major urban centers, small cities and suburban and exurban towns have an unexpected opportunity to invest in their communities. Even for small cities, wayfinding and placemaking signage systems help to improve citizen…
Parks and recreation spaces are important amenities for residents and major attractors of out-of-town visitors. The coronavirus pandemic has altered park usage in two major ways: Americans are spending more time outside than ever before. Many are exploring their local parks for the first time! Large gatherings and tentpole events have largely been put on…
Ah, the dreaded request for proposal process. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, your city’s wayfinding RFP or RFQ is a necessary component of designing and implementing a successful municipal wayfinding and placemaking signage system. There’s an art to creating a request for proposal that yields the result your municipality seeks. Before you issue your city’s…
Coronavirus has triggered a shift in home ownership priorities that may signal a new wave of post-pandemic suburbanization. A survey* of 5,000 home buyers in April and May revealed that only 31% were planning to purchase before the pandemic began. The other 69% made the move for reasons related to coronavirus. Some wanted larger homes…
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a curveball at urban planners invested in walkability. Do your pedestrian signs support walking in the age of coronavirus? For years, foot traffic has been on the rise in congested areas like downtown entertainment districts, colleges and universities, dense business parks, and transportation hubs. Coronavirus will not end walkability. Here…
An election year always highlights the challenges municipalities face in regulating temporary signage cluttering city rights of way. Unmanaged signage and abandoned sign frames are a visual blight that many cities are unsure of how to address. From political yard signs left standing well past a campaign to homemade signs for garage sales and local events,…
A robust civic wayfinding and placemaking system can accelerate economic development for your community by orienting residents and visitors and driving them into your commercial core. City planners often think that wayfinding and placemaking projects are expensive investments with never-ending timelines – and, to be fair, they are a major undertaking. But there are ways to…
Temporary home builder signs drive as much as 75% of traffic to new subdivisions. Sadly, the bright colors, waving flags, and large-font calls to action also create unattractive and off-brand signage clutter that deters potential new residents. What are high-growth municipalities to do?A strong but fair home builder sign policy allows home builders to drive…
Although planes, trains, and automobiles are America’s most popular transportation modes, there are a growing number of people traveling by foot. Do your pedestrian signs support these citizens? From the popularity of wearable fitness technology to the promotion of civic walking programs to Millennial home buyers’ interest in car-less lifestyles, cities must consider how they are…
It is easy nowadays to assume that social media is all you need to collect citizen feedback. However, effective city branding isn’t built on pandering to the masses online. Rather, it’s a proactive process for engaging your constituents, collecting public input, and incorporating it into your city branding initiatives. As you are revising, building, and…