In June 2009 the City of Leeds publishes a city centre walking map with a difference. Designed by information design specialist Applied Information Group (AIG), the map brings the city centre to life by giving a flavour of the character and cultural, retail and culinary possibilities of the different areas. It makes it simple to find amenities and places of interest, opening up the city to tourists and workers alike.
The map is part of a Leeds City Council programme to encourage sustainable city development and tourism. AIG’s in-house planners, cartographers and designers created the map from aerial photography and their own street surveys, with emphasis on improved accessibility and surprising insights. It reveals you what you might do in a day there, and shows that nothing is very far away.
Leeds City Council will publish the walking map with AIG’s new city centre overview map printed on the back. The maps will be widely distributed at main gateways to the city, including the bus and train stations, and at venues featured on the map.
Tim Fendley, Creative Director of AIG said, ‘While an A–Z is a useful tool for driving a city and traversing distances, it lacks the detail that people need when deciding to explore a city on foot and walk rather than take public or motorised transport. A city like Leeds needs to encourage walking as part of a robust and sustainable environmental policy; maps like these show that walking is a manageable and pleasurable option.’
Talking about the initiative to map the city, Cath Follin, Leeds City Centre Manager of Leeds City Council said, ‘The city centre is crucial to the continued economic success of Leeds, and it is vitally important that we continue to invest in improving the experience whether you are a resident, business or visitor. Through the creation of the ‘Walk it’ map we are delighted to have delivered such a practical yet attractive initiative with AIG, which benefits such a wide range of city centre users. Businesses will not only help distribute the map but will also have the opportunity to access and use it in their own communications. Our aim is for the map to be adopted widely by organisations and attractions across the city centre, increasing visibility and therefore usability.’
The Leeds maps are part of a larger Legible Leeds City initiative being developed by AIG for Leeds City Council. AIG is currently producing a concept scheme for on-street pedestrian wayfinding signage that will provide a focus for discussion, evaluation and future planning.
AIG’s unique approach to mapping as a way to make cities more accessible has been successfully piloted in central London as part of the ‘Legible London’ wayfinding scheme. In the Capital, where the temptation is to take the bus or tube, the maps include distance/time indicators to show what is within reasonable walking distance. Legible London won a Design Effectiveness Award in 2008 and the scheme is currently being developed across a number of London boroughs.