Applied Information Group (AIG), the multi-disciplinary firm of information designers and urban and transport planners, has opened a North America office, based in Vancouver, Canada. The office will lead AIG’s Vancouver wayfinding master planning project and explore new business opportunities in the growing field of urban legibility and smarter travel. The office is to be headed by Adrian Bell, Project Director for Applied Information Group North America Inc, who is emigrating with his family to take up the new post.
For the past four years, Adrian has been Active Travel Development Manager for Transport for London (TfL) and the lead officer and spokesperson for behavioural change initiatives, marketing and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) relations centring on leading London’s renaissance of cycling and walking. He was the policy lead and initiator of Legible London and led the 2012 Olympic cycling and walking programme.
Having worked closely with AIG on Legible London, Adrian will take AIG’s innovative methodologies to the North American markets, where there is a growing demand for sophisticated and coherent transport networks and alternative transport systems. Earlier this month, AIG and TfL won Gold for Legible London in the Design for Society category of the Design Business Association’s Design Effectiveness Awards.
Prior to TfL, Adrian spent 18 years in London local government with local, sub-regional and regional authorities. The range of his roles included strategic advice and project management in town planning and transport policy, town centre management and urban design. He has a Masters Degree in Transport Planning & Management and a Degree in Civil Engineering.
Commenting on his appointment, Adrian says, “This is a terrific opportunity to work with an award-winning company on a uniquely innovative project in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s provincial transport authority, is looking to wayfinding as a means to help meet the challenges of the 2010 Winter Olympics and a multi billion dollar transport investment programme. It is great to be able to bring AIG’s and my own experience to help them with this and my family and I are looking forward to our move to Canada.”
According to AIG Creative Director Tim Fendley, “There is a global shift for individuals, particularly in densely populated urban areas, to optimise their use of available resources. Offering our wayfinding expertise and approach in North American markets, with the express goal of helping people make better informed travel decisions, makes real sense at this time”.