Systematizing Public Signage Systems for Smooth Urban Pedestrian Movement

SOGABE, HARUKA; MORITA, YOSHITSUGU

While it is common for landscaped and well-marked urban streets to have sufficient identification signs, which display place or street names, they often face issues regarding the provision of information (e.g., in sign placement) and inadequate orientation signs, which play an indispensable role in facilitating pedestrian movement. Insufficient signage can be partially addressed by supplementing signs with non-informational urban elements, such as streetlights or other urban features that provide different sorts of information. In order to result in smooth urban pedestrian movement, public signage systems require a balance between districts and streets and a system for presenting linked information. This study proposes that an urban element design system can be applied to the construction of public signage systems for pedestrians. There are several methods by which to accomplish this; each fulfills the needs of different districts and streets. For example, some strategies suggest ways to integrate information in areas with many urban elements, such as public signage, while others offer strategies for adding pedestrian signs and other elements alongside vehicular signs in areas with insufficient information. This article proposes a distribution graph of public signage as a concrete method for organizing the construction of public signage. Such a distribution graph is a way to visualize different distributions of sign type, and see clusters of street patterns. It is an effective way not only to planning new pedestrian signage systems, but also for revising plans with biased or insufficient signage distribution.

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