St. Augustine Helps Tourists Find Their Way with WayFinding Signs

City Wayfinding
Wayfinding on Trails

As frequent visitors here know, "wayfinding" is a word we enjoy using. At its most basic, the meaning is simple: "to get from here to there in the easiest possible way." But this nifty term has been taken up by architects, urban planners, and city officials and given a much more vibrant and helpful meaning.

For example, St. Augustine, Florida, implements a wayfinding strategy to help tourists find the city's historic sites. This is no small undertaking, considering that St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States (settled by Europeans). This Florida landmark dates back to 1565 and is chock full of historic structures.

The approach is simple but expected to be a big hit. Starting in July 2014, 6' signs will be placed around the city, listing dozens of significant sites. Two signs targeted at pedestrians will be sited at the heavily trafficked Plaza de la Constitucion and the visitor information center. Smaller supplemental maps and lists will be posted in additional locations. To learn more, read the piece in the St. Augustine Record,' You are here 'Wayfinding' signs and mobile website for historic structures in works for St. Augustine.

We find significant about this story not merely that a town is putting up signs but that St. Augustine is implementing a well-thought-out plan for moving tourists through the city in a way that is easy and sensible. The project highlights the value of applying the wayfinding methodology to tourism.

St. Augustine is linking their wayfinding strategy to a mobile app. We think a pocket map would be a great addition to the plan, mainly as two large signs are for pedestrian areas where maps could efficiently be distributed. But app or map, we applaud St. Augustine's initiative in using wayfinding to make navigating "the ancient city" easy.

Don't hesitate to contact us to learn how PocketMaps can help you create the perfect wayfinding tool.