ORIENTATION AND NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
Streetwise has been appointed to assist with the project management of the implementation of the wayfinding system for Halesworth, East Suffolk. This will involve working on behalf of Halesworth Town Council with the appointed providers of the information design services and also the manufacturer of the required hardware.
Following the acceptance of Streetwise recommendations, we have been appointed to assist Halesworth Town Council with the tendering process to appoint a manufacturer and installer of the wayfinding hardware and information graphics required. This will involve an open tender process and Streetwise will provide technical back up to the Halesworth team.
Following an invited tender process, we were delighted to be appointed to carry out a study of the town centre and develop recommendations for the creation of a new wayfinding/interpretive system for the picturesque market town of Halesworth, East Suffolk. There were three companies selected to bid, and each had to provide a written proposal as well as be interviewed by a panel of the town’s stakeholders.
Following our extensive consultation process and development of recommendations for wayfinding and interpretation for the town of Belper, and villages of Milford and Darley Abbey, carried out for our client Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site (DVMWH), we were retained to be part of the team to oversee the implementation of the measures agreed. The design and the content of the new systems is almost completed, and the fabrication and installation phase will commence soon.
Hampered by many of the constraints that the COVID-19 measures put in place, Doncaster town (achieved City Status on 19 May 2022) has now completed the installation of its new wayfinding system, following the adoption of our full set of recommendations in early 2019. The system has been well received, especially with the lifting of all constraints on pedestrian movement, post COVID.
We were commissioned to analyse the existing wayfinding system in Dereham, Norfolk. Following a coordinated series of discussions with a variety of stakeholders, we devised a new network of directional signs and interpretive panels to allow visitors to really appreciate all that this market town has to offer. Our client, About Dereham, organised an online exhibition of the proposals and were delighted to find that 96% of participants felt that the proposed system would enhance the experience to be enjoyed by visitors to the town centre and surrounding areas. The system elements have now been manufactured and are being installed.
Carolyn Coleman, the leader of About Dereham commented in an email to us:
"We will be very happy for you to quote our experience on your website. We genuinely could not have got this result without your help. When you visited Dereham you were able to see what was needed in an objective way - I don't think any of us residents could have seen it in that way. You pointed out to us what was necessary and what was desirable, and you shared your knowledge and experience in a such a way we were able to take the project forward to a successful conclusion. In our survey of our online exhibition - 96% of respondents said the panels will enhance the town centre experience. There were many other complimentary remarks."
In 2018 we were appointed by Doncaster Council to a major piece of consultancy, the objective of which was to provide a new wayfinding and visitor engagement system for the town centre, one which is undergoing major development. We produced a series of recommendations which were enthusiastically accepted. Following this we were awarded the task of providing ongoing consultancy services for the implementation stage; we are delighted to report that this project is in its final stages of completion.
Towards the end of 2019 we were appointed by Alton Town Council, Hampshire to develop recommendations on the town's wayfinding and visitor engagement. Our report, which highlighted some significant opportunities, has been well received by our client.
We are pleased to report that Kettering Borough Council have just appointed us to carry out a full wayfinding scoping exercise for their town and we will be undertaking this in September and October this year.
Having been appointed earlier in 2019, we were pleased to conclude a full wayfinding scoping exercise in July for this Norfolk town. Our recommendations have been welcomed by our client and will be implemented over the next year.
On the first working day of the year we were delighted to receive a call to tell us that we had won the tender for a major wayfinding strategy project in Derbyshire.
Vital Valley is a programme designed to inspire and enable people to have a sense of pride in and belonging to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site which is a place that changed the world and where the dramatic power of the landscape was harnessed through human ingenuity, leading to industrial developments that revolutionised the way people worked and lived. We will be auditing this area, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and subsequently producing a series of recommendations designed to produce top quality wayfinding to enhance the experience of visitors.
Following our scoping exercise for the town in 2017, we took part in a competitive tender to provide consultancy services that would assist Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council in managing an entire wayfinding initiative that will see a new signage network introduced over the next eighteen months. We were delighted to win the tender and have already started working on the project.
We were recently appointed to undertake a wayfinding analysis of the town and to make recommendations for a future network. We were impressed with all that was on offer to visitors and interested to learn that Darlington has the highest percentage of pedestrianised areas within any town or city in the UK.
Over the last nine months Streetwise has been engaged on a very interesting project for Milton Keynes Council. The city has one of Europe's largest network of dedicated cycle/pedestrian routes, Redways - 270 kilometres of paths designated for cyclists and walkers. New wayfinding signage is required and we have been analysing two of thirteen super routes in order to provide detailed recommendations on what type of signs are needed, the graphic style required and where each sign should be located.
Following our appointment in 2016 to review the Bath CIS (see item in July 2016 below) we have recently concluded a major piece of work that has been met with enthusiastic approval by our client. As a starting point for the system's development our work has led to two new signs being trialled within the City. Please see the following link for detailed information;
http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/planning-and-building-control/major-projects/public-realm-and-movement/city-information-sys
Early in the year we were commissioned by Doncaster Council to undertake a full wayfinding scoping exercise for the town - this included a workshop that enabled views to be taken on board from a variety of parties.
We have just concluded a wayfinding scoping exercise for the City of Rugby and also recommended on, and then installed, a signage system directing people to the recently opened World Rugby Hall of Fame.
We recently completed a wayfinding scoping exercise for Hereford Business Improvement District looking at strategies to improve the visitor experience.
Following stiff competition and a competitive pitch, we are pleased to have been appointed to undertake a thorough review of the pedestrian wayfinding network in Bath – one of Britain’s finest tourist locations. The review will not only analyse the wayfinding signage currently in situ, but will see the setting up of a series of focus groups to gather the views of locals, retailers, tourist attraction owners and visitors. We are delighted to have been awarded this prestigious commission.
We have recently completed a scoping exercise for the coastal town of Weymouth. This involved analysing the town centre and its immediate vicinity and producing a series of proposals to improve footfall and ensure visitors become fully aware of all that is on offer in this popular seaside resort.
A local press article can be seen here:
We have just completed a full scoping exercise for Lowestoft in Suffolk. This has led to a series of recommendations to enhance the current wayfinding system - these examine how to improve the flow of visitors between points of strategic importance to the economic development of the town centre.
Following our creation of an enthusiastically received series of monoliths for the City of Plymouth in 2014, we are now working on a similar programme for Sutton Harbour, the marina that is one of the finest deep-water harbours in England.
We are pleased to have been appointed to review an existing set of wayfinding development recommendations to look at improvements for the City. We are to then facilitate a wayfinding workshop helping all the relevant stakeholders to explore the key issues and set priorities and plans for a wayfinding system that will be an example of best practice within the UK.
Streetwise have just been appointed by Durham County Council to undertake a project to install a series of monoliths and fingerposts in the coastal town of Seaham.
In early 2014 Streetwise were appointed to develop and design from scratch a new wayfinding system to make it easier for visitors to navigate their way around Plymouth's city centre and Waterfront. The system was also to be designed with the aim of encouraging residents to try new routes, see new places or share new experiences. There were two main elements, free standing monoliths in the street and free standing and wall mounted panels at car parks in the city. The monoliths had mapping on one side and interpretive material on the other.
The network we devised included the installation of 19 double sided monoliths around the city centre, and information provision at 10 car parks. Streetwise designed and specified the monoliths as part of the project. The development of this scheme was led by the Managing Director of Streetwise, Peter McGrail. Peter has sixteen years of experience in running Streetwise and managing a wide variety of different projects, large and small.
The aim was to build on the branding that was already in use to promote the City and we aimed to, and achieved, a look and feel that made the degree of impact desired on street and that was consistent with the brand. The clients are delighted with the result as it achieves their original objectives and more. The project was completed in December 2014, since when Streetwise have been commissioned to devise a wayfinding system for Sutton Harbour, Plymouth’s historic port.
We are pleased to have just been appointed to undertake a scoping report for a town in Oxfordshire in which we will analyse the current provision and make recommendations for an improved wayfinding system.
We are delighted to announce we have been appointed by Dunfermline Delivers, the Business Improvement District for Dunfermline town centre, to create on-street panels that will support and collaborate with existing wayfinding elements.
We have just been appointed to carry out a revamp to extend the network of Reading Explorer, refreshing its graphics to reflect current developments.
We have recently completed a scoping report, whereby research was undertaken and recommendations were made to develop a new system for a busy Midlands town, as part of its re-development programme.
In 2012 we decided to undertake a major survey of Pedestrian Navigation Systems within cities and towns primarily across England, outside of London itself. It was not possible to visit every town, so we undertook to survey 186 of the largest cities and towns, the full list of which can be found within the report. The task was to identify and record what types of wayfinding assistance was provided for pedestrians in each city or town centre. Although we had a reasonable understanding of what is out there generally; we wanted to gain a much better knowledge base of what individual cities and towns have in place to help visitors find their way around. Thus by so doing we would have a very good comprehension of the overall situation across the country that would prove useful in helping our clients in the development of new systems.
The report shows the types of wayfinding assistance we found on-street. The percentages are essentially the proportion of cities and towns that had this element as part of its system. We were not recording every incidence of a type of sign, purely what type had been provided.
The survey was completed in September 2012. We believe this to be the largest survey of its kind. Please note that images shown within this report, unless otherwise stated, are images taken during our survey of the cities and towns as listed at the end of this report.
Today we can announce that we have been awarded the project to undertake the development of a Scoping Report for one of the UK's top cities. This will involve carrying out a review and compiling a report on all that currently exists in the city centre for pedestrian wayfinding. We will then make our recommendations for the design and implementation of a bespoke integrated wayfinding system to help the city achieve its economic objectives.
Following developing a Scoping Report for Worcester City Centre, the recommendations put forward by Streetwise Orientation & Navigation Systems have been adopted by Worcester BID for implementation.
When Streetwise were asked to carry out a revamp of the discover Leith graphics, we were asked to incorporate a QR code into the new design.
A QR code is a type of matrix barcode that can be captured by a mobile phone (requires a QR reader to be uploaded to the phone) it displays local information on nearby restaurants, bars and places of interest. A QR code is a variation of the traditional barcode that is seen everyday, however can hold much more information.
As a result of a tender involving design submissions, Streetwise is delighted to announce it has been awarded the design of the network, hardware and graphic content for a new integrated orientation and interpretive system for its city centre by Nottingham City Council.