Leafline is a seasonal wayfinding and placemaking project along the Clifton Avenue sidewalk that invites pedestrians to engage with the natural environment of the adjacent tree line. By building on the ambiance of Burnet Woods, it enhances the walking experience through informative signage that fosters a deeper connection to nature and adds enjoyment to the journey.
What's the problem?
Through initial observations, interviews, and my first hand experiences, it was brought to light that while many students enjoy going to Ludlow Ave from UC's campus, they avoid walking down Clifton Ave and instead drive or skip going down there all together due to the walk.
PROBLEM SPACE
Pedestrians are unmotivated to walk down Clifton Ave, towards Ludlow Ave, as the walk feels long and daunting due to the lack of stimulation along the journey.
Pedestrians are unmotivated to walk down Clifton Ave, towards Ludlow Ave, as the walk feels long and daunting due to the lack of stimulation along the journey.
Initial Observations
As part of the exploratory research stage, photo studies were used to document the user journey down Clifton Ave. After, we then sorted the images into an image clustering of sorts into different categories.
Surveying and Interviews
Through the process of placing QR Survey Codes along Clifton Ave towards Ludlow Ave in addition to signs on Ludlow Ave, we got an outstanding 62 responses to our survey! These results in combination with our in-person user surveys revealed key insights that shaped our project.
INSIGHT 1
People enjoy walking on the Burnet side of the street as users feel more connected to nature with the nice ambiance created from the existing tree line.
People enjoy walking on the Burnet side of the street as users feel more connected to nature with the nice ambiance created from the existing tree line.
There is an opportunity to build off the already cultivated ambiance of Burnet Woods by reinforcing the positives rather than taking away from the existing nature structures.
INSIGHT 2
People are more disincentivized by the walk back from Ludlow than they are to walk down to Ludlow.
The improved experience of walking on Clifton Ave should be bidirectional. The experience should be engaging and interesting on both the way down and back up.
INSIGHT 3
Clifton Ave feels like a gray zone between UC and Ludlow with an undeclared identity only seen as a means to get to a users final destination.
There is an opportunity to add a clear and distinct identity that merges Ludlow and UC, cultivating an interesting and engaging public space through signage.
Generative Methods
AFFINITY CLUSTERING Method 1
This was an exercise where we asked students to draw ideas for how we might elevate the experience of walking down to Ludlow Ave from DAAP. We gave no limitations as we wanted the options to be limitless in this early stage of iterations. Some great ideas and brainstorming came out of this method.
Takeaways as possible directions:
Sidewalk Engagement - art, gamification
Public Art - murals, sculptures
Sidewalk Lighting - motion sensor activated
Miscellaneous - AR History of Ludlow, trolley Car, scavenger hunt map
Sidewalk Engagement - art, gamification
Public Art - murals, sculptures
Sidewalk Lighting - motion sensor activated
Miscellaneous - AR History of Ludlow, trolley Car, scavenger hunt map
PHOTO WALK Method 2
After an initial nature walk and plant species audit, the criteria for our chosen plants were defined as such:
- must be easily visible from the sidewalk and have a recognizable leaf illustration
for easy identification
- must be near pre-existing posts for non-destructive implementation
Desirability TESTING Method 3
We tested many iterations with people to gauge what direction spoke most to our intended audience. This method was crucial in guiding the final stretch of our project as we were able to hone in on ways to build-off of the already existing environment provided by Burnet Woods while also pulling just enough attention to the signage.
Key Takeaways included:
- Shape of sign is important to make ours stand out, preference towards non-rectangular shape
- High quality illustration provides enough details, whereas silhouette/cut out signs don't have enough details to help pedestrians identify each plant
- Hand drawn illustrations were preferred
- High quality illustration provides enough details, whereas silhouette/cut out signs don't have enough details to help pedestrians identify each plant
- Hand drawn illustrations were preferred
Final Proposal
All final plant illustrations shown below hand drawn by Sam DiMauro
