Are We There Yet? The Downtown Wayfinding Saga

I have been following on the local MindHub website the pros and cons of establishing a directional sign "wayfinding" system for downtown Fresno. Downtown is confusing: The diagonal layout dictated by the railroads of long ago, the numerous one-way streets and the goofy (at least to me) pedestrian Fulton Mall that serves as an impediment to getting around.

Actually, to the credit of City staff, the Downtown Association and downtown activists, the question is not whether to establish a wayfinding system but rather, what it should say, how it should be designed, and who should design it. It's an appropriate debate worth having, but the debate is like the proverbial argument about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin...who cares if no answer is forthcoming?

If I hadn't followed the wayfinding debate on MindHub, I wouldn't have known that anything was being contemplated by the City. I would encourage City staff to brief the media about what is being contemplated and encourage broader input from the public.

I would also encourage the planning process to consider using the national park-theme adopted by our Fresno International Airport as a means of demarcating areas of downtown in the wayfinding system. The national parks theme could be used to supplement, where appropriate, other logical themes such as the museum, government, Tower or other "districts."

Finally, few things send a more negative message than signs that no one pays attention to (who, for example, pays attention to Neighborhood Watch signs?). Therefore, while it might take a little longer and cost a little more, let's do it right the first time.

Coming Soon. . .

1). City taxpayers guarantee another business loan?
2). Independents rule!
3). Dump the California High School Exit Exam?

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