Finding your way around downtown Ann Arbor just got easier
Not sure how to get to city hall? Meandered away from Main Street and can't find your way back?
What if you want to know the quickest route to the Michigan Theater, Rackham Auditorium or the University of Michigan Medical Center?
After three years of planning, the Ann Arbor Wayfinding Project has gone from conception to fruition.
Downtown Development Authority leaders announced today the beginning of the installation of nearly 200 new signs guiding pedestrian and vehicular traffic. DDA officials say the project is geared toward making downtown Ann Arbor easier to navigate for visitors and new community residents.
“If you live here, you learn the best routes, the best times and places to park and how to maneuver. 
If you’ve never been here and need to find and park near the University Health Centers, or the Ark or Zingerman’s, the task can be daunting - even with a GPS,” DDA Executive Director Susan Pollay said.
Four downtown commercial districts - Kerrytown, South University, State Street and Main Street - will be distinguished by color and name, Pollay said. The downtown signs are customized so individual destinations can be installed or replaced as needed.
The system also includes signs at highway exits pointing the way to downtown, vehicular scale signs and pedestrian signs, as well as “You Are Here” orientations on some pedestrian-level signs.
“You'll see the arrows pointing where to go,” Pollay said. “These signs are designed to get you the information you need, when you need it, to get where you want to go.”
The DDA Board contracted with Corbin Design, a Michigan company that has developed wayfinding systems for more than 50 cities and towns across North America, including eight of the 50 largest U.S. cities. DDA leaders say the new system depends on the continued engagement of the community.
“We need to put the wayfinding system to work for the community,” Pollay said. “To do that, we’ll work closely with our local institutions, businesses and organizations to incorporate this new signage for directions in both online and paper publications as this installation is completed.”
The DDA Board voted to approve the wayfinding plan and project budget in June 2008. It's now expected to come in under $700,000, Pollay said.
Photos by Ryan Stanton: Signs installed Friday along State Street guide visitors to downtown Ann Arbor to various destinations, including Kerrytown, Main Street, Power Center and Rackham Auditorium.
Ryan Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
John Langmore
Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 6:02 p.m.
These signs are obtrusive, ugly, eyesores that should be removed. They are not consistent with the downtown architecture, but stand out in a style that might be called "Buck Rodgers." How the city allowed DDA to do this to downtown is beyond me.
DaveL48103
Wed, Aug 26, 2009 : 8:58 p.m.
I was just on State Street, the one directional sign is obscuring the next one. Oh, and when you walk east on Liberty, it sends you north up Fifth to get to "Main Street Area", sends you east on Liberty to get to "Kerrytown", and sends you further east on Liberty to get to "Bus Station" What "Bus Station" is past Main on Liberty? For $700,000 and three years of planning, seems a lot easier to just say "excuse me, where is Main Street?"
REALtownie
Tue, Aug 25, 2009 : 12:28 p.m.
Particularly for the price, they need to be left in storage with the halo.
pooh bear
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 : 3:19 p.m.
Well, these signs take up the sidewalk space being vacated by all the stuff for the Link. We can't let that space go to waste. Seriously, the important thing about the signs is that they work. Frankly, I don't think anyone in a moving car can read 8 lines of text in s few seconds and figure out which way the arrow is pointing to get them to the right place. It is just too much information in a short time span. Plus, the signs need to continue at the next intersection to make sure you know that you need to turn right from State to get to Rackham. That hasn't happened yet. In fact, with the North Quad construction getting to Kerrytown by going straight down State is not an option. I do think these signs are just another example of the DDA having too much money. They will disappear eventually, as have all previous 'wayfinding' signs that used symbols for various parts of town. Meanwhile, we just live with it.
comm.man3000
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 : 6:24 a.m.
Did you read the article, all you worriers over the "UM colors"? (And that's definitely a strange version of maize & blue in the first place.) These signs will be four different colors to match four different commercial downtown districts. Beyond the fabrication of modular signage, the holes that must be dug and the installation - a lot of that money went to the extended process of engaging the community (including an additional step back to get input from local contingent of designers.) And considering what my brother and his family went through to find Zingerman's on a vist last weekend, I'm thrilled that we're trying to make this great place more accessible, figure-outable & easy to visit. I've been reading about this Wayfinding effort for years and am glad it's finally coming to pass. Bravo DDA!
Neo
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 11:25 a.m.
Good idea. Great design of the interchangable sign.
Tru2Blu76
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 12:16 a.m.
While my first thought was about my on-going habit of photographing "everything," including street scapes in Ann Arbor, I think others have given good reason for accepting and being glad for these signs. I do NOT find Google Maps "essential" even though I do use them (even for a new kind of re-visiting far away places I have been to). I once not long ago got "grandly lost" trying to find a restaurant where an old friend whom I hadn't seen in 40 years was waiting - because I relied on Mapquest to negotiate... Jackson, Michigan! I accept that, in this case, it's a matter of "give a little, gain a little." I think improving the visiting experiences of thousands of people in Ann Arbor every year will pay dividends. For the person who wrote: "Ann Arbor is NOT L.A." - - I know people who live in the Los Angeles area: believe me, they will tell anyone here to be glad this is "not L.A." For the person with the lengthy claim that Michigan has "the worst signage" and that we "don't care" what outsiders experience here: I think you're experience may have given you an inaccurate idea of (a) how we go about things and (b) about our appreciation for visitors to our state. Michigan is a major tourist state - we are if anything "conditioned" to welcome and assist visitors. Ann Arbor isn't perfect - but I've often been impressed (over the past 35 years) at all the efforts to improve this town that have occurred during that time. I really like our new street lights, I like seeing the Main Street banners announcing events in town. I think the new "Art" bike racks are real improvements over the old ones. You don't see anything like this in most other towns. I'll never forget the day when, riding my bicycle to work, I found a lost couple standing at the intersection of S. Main and Stadium. These folks were here to meet their daughter who had told them to park near Michigan Stadium. It took a lot of convincing to get them to accept that they were standing within a stone's throw of the largest stadium in North America. Really! If we'd had these new sidewalk direction signs back then- it would have been a lot easier. (Anyone who says that Michigan Stadium is "obtrusive" should have met this couple. LOL!)
ann_arbor_guy
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 9:44 p.m.
Apparently all of the people that feel this is a bad idea have never traveled to a new and unfamiliar city. These are very useful even with a GPS or mapquest. I cannot tell you how many times I have been downtown and noticed people looking around like they are lost and asking for directions to certain locations within the city. I personally have been asked for directions on several occasions. Also not all travelers are high tech and plugged in when they are walking around the city. I think anything we can do to help tourists explore the city should be encouraged.
Eric P
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 4:33 p.m.
Is the U going to sue the city for using their colors? and if these signs are largely for the benefit of the population the U attracts how much did they contribute to the cost? At least tell me that some folks somewhere in the state of Michigan got part of the money spent on these signs?
Howie
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 4:23 p.m.
I love this idea. It reminds me of London when I was delighted to come across signs like this and not have to rely on a map. And the last thing we need are more distracted drivers trying to read a google map while driving....
djm12652
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 2:43 p.m.
Seriously...instead of the signs, the DDA could have lowered [rather than raise]parking, thus encouraging people to park and walk to their destinations...I mean c'mon...from Liberty and Divison, walk in any direction 2 Miles and you're pretty much out of town...this ain't LA...
Jake C
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 12:27 p.m.
Mapquest or Google or GPS are nice, but I'd rather encourage people to be interested in our city and browsing its downtown area as a WHOLE, rather than staring at their GPS or phone and relying on it to get them to a single location, ignoring everything else around them. We have enough of that already, and that's not the point of these signs at ALL. Just look at Detroit for an example of what happens when people pull into a parking structure, visit a single location (Fillmore Theater, Ford Field, Opera House, Ren Cen, Cobo Hall, Joe Louis, MGM Casino, etc, etc), and then leave town when they're done. Do we want Ann Arbor to be like that on Football Saturdays or when big-time music acts come to town, or do we want to encourage visitors to actually explore (and spend money in!) the rest of our town?
Alan Benard
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 11:23 a.m.
After 10 years in Ann Arbor my opinion is unchanged: Michigan must be one of the places with the worst signage in the world. There are many places where street signs are absent. Highway signs are misleading, or have cryptic labels only decipherable to long-term residents. The comments here only point up the enforced ignorance in which many Michiganders feel they must indulge. Not only do the locals resist education, even literacy, they dig their heels in at the least little sign of civic improvement. "Why help strangers find things? I know where everything is! My money has been wasted!! Strangers should move on if they question our right to be ignorant."Which speaks to another pronounced characteristic in the natives -- insularity. "We like it the old way, even if it didn't work! There's not need to explain this better -- WE all understand it! Why can't everyone else just know how it works here automatically -- are they dumb or somethin'?"This is why Michigan is sliding into the abyss.
erp
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 10:31 a.m.
these signs aren't for townies; they're to assist visitors. and there's an influx of newbies every year with the university's freshman class and every first time visitor to the art fairs, summer festivals, the hospital system, etc, etc. $3500 may seem like a lot but if you look closely, these signs aren't your typical easy-peasy signs. there's some actual design and construction to them and part of it is because, as the article states, new destinations can be added or old ones removed or replaced. i think anything that makes a visitor to our city feel comfortable and have an enjoyable time is good news for us. they'll take the time to look around more and spend money and perhaps revisit our fair city. and for the knee-jerkers out there, blue and gold may not be to your liking but they're appropriate for the state street signs because of the proximity to campus and the largely student-based clientele of the businesses in and around there. the rest of the city areas will have a different color scheme, perhaps more to the liking of the complainants in this comment column.
Angela Smith
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 10:29 a.m.
Thank You City of AA. As someone who still gets lost downtown now and again, I am happy to now have a little help in finding my way.
HENRYK
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 10:24 a.m.
I think it is a big waste of money. In todays info tech world of Mapquest and others,people can find where they are going with some trying. It litters the landscape for those of us who live here, and we are the ones paying the taxes here. We know where the Football Stadium is is.
The Picker
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 10:09 a.m.
In addition to the cost of the signs, what about the enless litigation from the U over stealing their colors? Bud Light is about to pay that price for the Maize and Blue beer cans, but they at least benefit from the free advertising.
C6
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 9:33 a.m.
Despite (or is it because of?) being a 30+ year resident of this city, I have no great love for the university. Still, at least in the two photos, I don't find the signs to be bad in appearance even though they are more maize and blue for us to drown in. I'll withhold my final judgement on their integration into the surrounding cityscape until I've actually seen a few however. In concept too, I think they're a reasonable idea, although apparently more than a bit expensive. I wonder however, how it will be possible to keep them from directing those lost souls down streets and sidewalks that are closed in this city?
mtlaurel
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 8:39 a.m.
better remove those- they are so hideous drivers will stare at them in disbelief and cause crashes.This visual pollution constitutes a public hazard.
daytona084
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 8:15 a.m.
Agree, those things are ugly, big and expensive! The colors make a great looking football uniform but don't look so good on the signs. And with the advent of GPS (soon to be on every pocket device) the signs will be a thing of the past, like pay telephones.
traum61
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 7:36 a.m.
I agree with the signs in concept, but I can't believe that that many people could look at this design and think their money was being well spent. The things are monstrous. Even University grads (such as myself) don't think we should paint the streets blue with yellow lines, nor that everything in this town needs to be UM-themed. Had they known this, they might have vetoed this hideous concept - maybe they could even have found a design that isn't painful to look at. Maybe if we chuck another $300,000 their way...? (Did they ever show these to any actual town residents before settling on this design?)
Maggi Idzikowski
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 7:16 a.m.
@UPSMan, I'm not resistant to change; I'm resistant to spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ugly signs. These are really awful. =(
Ryan Munson
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 8:31 p.m.
Lost? Can't find your way? Where's the amazing downtown? Just go 43 miles THAT way (points east).
Bryan Magnuson
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 8:15 p.m.
I frequently have drivers stop and ask me for directions. I always try to help as best I can, but I'm sure it's still difficult for someone to remember all the details I am telling them. Now I can get them started in the right direction and tell them to look for the blue signs if they get confused.
Bear
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 7:32 p.m.
I believe you still will have people asking directions, mainly because some people are clueless when it comes to finding their way. I am not one who looks forward to more gaudy signs on our streets. What next, signs directing people to LeDog, Encore records, the Fleetwood & The Blind Pig? And at $3,500 dollars per sign, I believe the money could have been better spent elsewhere. I mean, just look at the picture in this article; big, ugly blue & gold (go figure) signs. Many people already google their destinations and with streetscape, you can also see what the building looks like before you ever leave your house. And as they say in the military, bad planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part. My 2 cents for what it's worth.
UPSman
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 6:16 p.m.
Being new to the community and easily confused due to my disability I'm very happy for the "pollution of the streetscape". As I'm certain the many people that visit this downtown area are welcoming of the signage. I never get it when some people are so negative about change. Even though the change is good for the community as a whole. Something must be going right for Ann Arbor as I'm seeing a preservation of property values in this city as compared to almost all the other cities I look at in the state. I could get a whole lot more of a home on a whole lot of acreage for a whole lot less money - but there's something you have going on here in Ann Arbor that is very attractive to me. And I think when it comes time to seriously canvas my choices for buying a home - once my home sells in Texas - I'll be hard pressed to not choose Ann Arbor if I can afford getting my foot in the door.
The Picker
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 4:55 p.m.
Why did we waste our money and sign pollute the streetscape, Now and in the near future, people will find their way electronically!
Matt Van Auker
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 4:02 p.m.
Just as long as drivers or pedestrians aren't too distracted, I've got no problem with that.