Walsall’s Way Ahead Walsall Wayfinding Strategy Document December 2011 1 This report has been produced by URBED and United Creatives for Walsall Council URBED 10 Little Lever Street Manchester M1 1HR For any information please contact: Emily Crompton on 0161 200 5500 or
[email protected] Contents PART 1: Introduction 05 PART 2: What is Wayfinding? 07 PART 3: What’s in it for Walsall? 31 PART 4: How good is Wayfinding Now? 55 PART 5: Wayfinding Strategy and Action Plan 91 3 PART 1: Introduction Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council commissioned this Strategy using funding received from town centre investors. The document has been prepared by planning and design co-operative URBED, working with artists and branding specialists United Creatives. This Wayfinding Strategy - ‘Walsall’s Way Ahead’ - reviews how people navigate the town centre. Finally, it offers a localised strategy and action plan to guide action as resources become available. We have looked at all stages of people’s routes round town, from their approach and arrival to We have based our ideas around the ‘Clover-Leaf’ patterns of circulation, and assessed how to make shape that underlies the town’s street map. way finding around central Walsall easier for all. ‘Spatial artistry’ can create a memorable town. Art With footfall being the lifeblood of Walsall’s retail can play the roles of ‘orientation and information’ core, the primary objective has been to support - and also stimulation. In other words, it is both existing busy footfall routes, and open up easy to naturally navigate the streets, and also to underused ones.