Giffels Webster Partners with the City of New Baltimore and Art on the Bay on Wayfinding Signs
When it comes to planning and development, each community and client that we work with has its own personality, along with their own unique needs, challenges and opportunities. Because each client is so unique, we look for creative solutions to best serve the specific community. In the case of the New Baltimore Wayfinding Sign Plan, we had the opportunity to partner with community organizations to create and implement a plan to help the city achieve their vision.
Wayfinding Signs Lead the Way
The 2020 New Baltimore Wayfinding Sign Plan is an implementation tool that was envisioned in New Baltimore’s Master Plan, which Giffels Webster prepared in partnership with the city in 2017. The plan established a goal to make it easier for the traveling public to locate downtown businesses and amenities, in this case wayfinding signs were enlisted.
“When we were thinking of ways to direct residents and visitors toward some of New Baltimore’s best spots, we wanted to be sure that we we did so in a way that was simple, useful and visually appealing all at the same time,”said Rod Arroyo, partner at Giffels Webster.
Wayfinding signs provide information to the traveling public, as well as encouragement for people to complete or alter their journey to reach specific destinations. This includes motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and those using any other form of transportation in the community.
The signs promote community character and, in this case, will create opportunities for more people to discover the amenities, special event venues, public facilities and businesses in downtown New Baltimore.
A Perfect Pairing
Art on the Bay (AOTB) partnered with the City of New Baltimore on the wayfinding project. AOTB is a non-profit organization of volunteers and artists dedicated to benefiting the community on multiple levels. The organization coordinates the Art Show on Labor Day weekend which brings in thousands of patrons who shop and dine downtown. The group also offers grants to individuals and organizations that combine art and community. As a perfect combination of art and function benefiting the greater community, it seemed natural for AOTB to champion the wayfinding project, tapping into their community of artists for designs that would properly represent the City of New Baltimore.
More info at www.artonthebay.com
Giffels Webster led the wayfinding project with collaboration between the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), planning, landscape architecture, marketing and engineering departments. To inventory the existing signs in the community, an ArcGIS-based collector app was used, enabling the team to use smart phones to geotag sign locations and upload photos to the online database. The entire Wayfinding planning process story was then able to be presented via an Esri StoryMap.
Project Success
Giffels Webster worked with the Wayfinding Plan Committee to identify locations and designs that would meet the Committee’s goals and comply with Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) standards. The final sign layout design includes a logo created by local artist, Nino DiPilla.
In May of 2020, MDOT issued a sign permit, allowing the approved 2020 Wayfinding Sign Plan to be the guiding document for installation of signs along M-29 (Green Street in downtown New Baltimore). Additional signs are also planned along roads under the jurisdiction of the Macomb County Department of Roads.
We love when a project properly fulfills the needs of a community and represents the spirit of those living within it. As we took this plan from concept to completion, we couldn’t have done it as successfully without a great partnership between ourselves, Art on the Bay and the City of New Baltimore.
“To see everyone working together has been incredible, and we’re lucky to be part of the project. The partnership between the city and Art on the Bay sets a great example for other communities and organizations,” said Eric Fazzini, Senior Planner at Giffels Webster.
