CAP/ADID in partnership with the Midtown Alliance and the City of Atlanta sponsored an initiative to complete a comprehensive Wayfinding Signage Program for Downtown and Midtown Atlanta. The purpose of the project was to create a seamless signage system with enhanced pedestrian-scale signage, trailblazer signs, signage to and from MARTA transit stations and signs directing automobile traffic to and from major venues, parking and the freeway system. Despite an investment in directional signage and kiosks made prior to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, the signage in Downtown and Midtown was insufficient. The overall system was inconsistent and confusing as a result of numerous independent governmental and private initiatives to fill the void of missing signs.
The goals of the Downtown and Midtown Wayfinding system are to:
Provide the information people need to comfortably access area destinations, attractions, parks, historic sites and other public venues;
Provide better and timelier route information to reduce misdirected travel;
Improve vehicular, pedestrian and cycling safety by better informing visitors and reducing erratic maneuvers;
Help drivers locate and identify parking convenient to their intended destination;
Direct vehicular traffic along appropriate streets; and
Further enhance Atlanta’s public image through distinctive, helpful graphics, to make Downtown and Midtown Atlanta more “user friendly” to visitors and the local community.
Key elements of the wayfinding signage system include uniform, attractive, geographically oriented maps, signs and kiosks. The audience for the wayfinding signage project includes not only local, regional and international visitors to Atlanta, but also area residents, workers and students. The project area includes virtually all of Downtown and Midtown and several adjacent areas including the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District and the Government Walk area in the South Central Business District. In general, the project area runs from Brookwood Station on the north to Turner Field on the south and from Boulevard on the east to Northside Drive on the west.
Dow Live Earth Run for Water The Dow Live Earth Run for Water consists of a series of 6 km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) taking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world.
Downtown Weekly Walking Tour Get some fresh air and stretch your legs while learning more about Downtown by foot. Complimentary guided tour departs Residence Inn every Tuesday at 5:30 and local places of interest are pointed out along the way.
Heels on Wheels Glide down Peachtree Steet for a night on the town without driving or parking. Wear your finest outfit to show just how easy it can be to ride a bike in Atlanta.
