Peterborough’s wayfinding scheme helps city visitors and local residents find their way

Peterborough city centre regeneration

Peterborough’s regeneration project provided Cathedral Square, in the heart of the city, with new street surfaces, benches, bins, lighting, feature fountains and saw the removal of the 1970s Exchange Building and the creation of a new area, St John Square. We were appointed to provide a city wayfinding scheme, and began research into pedestrian movements through the city centre and Cathedral Square.

Through observation and discussion with city visitors, we obtained a valuable snapshot of the destinations visitors and city residents were travelling to, and from when walking through Cathedral Square, and some surprising results.

Constraints and context

The research led to the creation of a ‘Constraints and Context’ document which illustrated pedestrian movements and supplied an audit of the current signs and maps used through the city and design proposals for signs and information products designed and located to help visitors and city residents interpret and find their way in the city centre.

Designs were proposed to take account of, and integrate the diversity of current tourism, retail and business needs, whilst offering an opportunity to interpret green spaces and historical contexts of the city centre.

Sustainability, a greener product

Signs were designed to use solar LED lighting technology to cut down on groundworks, and provide a ‘greener’ product for the city, and historical context was produced in collaboration with the Cities Museum.

The scheme included the development of a pictogram set, typographic treatment and design style for city wayfinding signs. Detailed specifications and designs for the wayfinding ‘hybrid’ signs were produced and mock-up signs were produced and tested in-situ leading to full sign-off of the scheme by the client, wayfinding team and LDA.