The Observation Deck

Jimmy - To your list of things up next to be coopted, the schools and the city - I think they are working on own the school process and the city and LA already sleep together all the time.

By the way, One World Music has been coopted, or the attempt is being made. It is listed now as the "Front Porch Concert" series and moved to the front of the library.

Wrong name and wrong venue for the series, but I washed my hands of the whole thing and knew nothing about any of it.. I do now.

I knew it was going to happen, I said it was going to happen and it did. I must be psychic.

JimO said:

Back to the point I was trying to make, on where are we headed, and who is driving the bus, and where are the damn plans!

Again, a very good presentation of points and I have to agree with you. The exercise you present of the real world issues of over-cluttered signage, electrical wire visual pollution and perhaps a signage ordinance that could be reexamined if these first two were solved, is self evident. What would it take to expand on this exercise?

Seriously. Take a series of photographs of typical Lakewood areas, like those of Red Bank, New Jersey. Photoshop out all the clutter, just to reveal what is already there. Then find out what it might cost to hide all the electricity behind the stores and underground. Talk about way finding. You don't need any of it if you can actually see the stores again.

As for the I-90 part, I thought it was problem based on other commentary, however it sounds like there are much better core issues to solve. If you could revitalize to look like the New Jersey town example, word of mouth would take care of the rest. Just sayin.

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Dustin James wrote:JimO said:

Back to the point I was trying to make, on where are we headed, and who is driving the bus, and where are the damn plans!

Again, a very good presentation of points and I have to agree with you. The exercise you present of the real world issues of over-cluttered signage, electrical wire visual pollution and perhaps a signage ordinance that could be reexamined if these first two were solved, is self evident. What would it take to expand on this exercise?

Dustin

First the city and the region is very cash poor. This takes me back to my original comment. Who is paying for
these studies? If it is from grants that can be used for nothing else but wayfinding. Thank you for finding the
money and doing the study. If this is Lakewood pays any part of this, what is the reason? who are we serving?
is there a better way to spend this money? etc. It was my understanding that over a year ago a bill was
submitted to Lakewood for $71,000 er $38,000 for this "volunteer sign committee." Well if we have Gary Rice's
father carrying his grabage to the curb for sign studies, or we have stopped senior meals programs
for sign studies, then I am more than a little disappointed.

Right now, the only things that benefit from way finding is maybe 5 businesses in downtown, Lakewood Park,
the skate park, and three festivals. So again I would ask, Do we need way finding for this, and who
should pay? Certainly the city should pay for the festivals with help from them. But if it is to get drivers from
I-90 to one of the ever growing popular restaurants in downtown Lakewood, maybe they should pay through
the Chamber of Commerce as it is done in other cities.

Dustin James wrote:Seriously. Take a series of photographs of typical Lakewood areas, like those of Red Bank, New Jersey. Photoshop out all the clutter, just to reveal what is already there. Then find out what it might cost to hide all the electricity behind the stores and underground. Talk about way finding. You don't need any of it if you can actually see the stores again.

The city has become a hodge podge of various ideas never completed or done half assed with no serious
thought in maintaining, or outcome. Much of it is as bad as my post of Red Bank, NJ. Hey it works there
lets do it. No study no understanding, no purpose or long term plan. It occurred to me last night that one
possible reason for no long term plans, is that plans can be used against people in elections. That planning
allows others to gauge success and failure, that plans allow others to actually open their mouths and object, which has derailed some god awful projects in the past. AND plans cost money, Lakewood has none. Recently
I have heard of a switch from Levin College of Urban Affairs to Kent State's Urban Planning Department, this
would be seen as a very good thing. Kent State's UPD is very sharp. But it still gets back to, do they
understand Lakewood? Our pluses and minuses? Or are they using us for th grand experiment in
urban planning?

Dustin James wrote:As for the I-90 part, I thought it was problem based on other commentary, however it sounds like there are much better core issues to solve. If you could revitalize to look like the New Jersey town example, word of mouth would take care of the rest. Just sayin.

Dustin

The secret to Lakewood's future is very, very simple, and like Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz, has always been with
us. Lakewood for some strange reason is perfectly suited for now and the future, whatever that future is. Nice
homes that are interesting and serve a very diverse population from rich to poor, from renters to first time
home buyers to second time home buyers to retirees.

We have a wealth of business opportunities, store fronts can be had for as little as $400 a month, to $6,000
a month. this gives us a great chance to find various businesses that fit into our city, and can serve what has
always been a very nice, very quiet bedroom community that has proven time and again we are dedicated to
education, healthcare, civic intelligence, and involvement, and a comfortable way of life.

Again, this is why I ask, Where are we headed? Is there a plan? What is it? Who pays for it?

FWIW


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If you want support from a significant majority of Lakewood residents, you have to show them respect, have a plan that makes sense, be willing to educate ad nauseam, involve them in the process as early as possible, listen and be willing to adjust to what you hear, and most of all, know that some people will never be won over, but still stay honest in your message to them.

Jay, Mary Anne and LA people could heed this advice re-engage the Deckmosphere.

I think that a significant set of people see the wayfinding project as a logo, sign or branding initiative and would rightly take issue with going outside for something like that. Wayfinding is a specialization more related to information architecture than static visual design and I think this problem was not correctly presented. As a newcomer - the wayfinding is a no brainer for me. As an information designer that makes a living off being an outside designer I can both empathize and fault SG for not doing more to help their client to engage the larger set of stakeholders.

It's a shame that this type of project was not presented correctly on this message board and the misperceptions were allowed to veer even further from reality.

About 4 years ago I attended several discussions about issues facing greater Cleveland and wayfinding was identified over and over as a key component.

Why does wayfinding matter? The decriers cite GPS, wandering, iPhones, sign clutter, etc as reasons why this is a waste of money. It would be like buying ads in google only to have no one find the "buy" button on your site. You want to make sure your site (or neighborhood/district/zone) is easy to use before you can start investing in messaging/marketing. Otherwise you're just running people into a brick wall.

I know everyone on this board knows where everything is and can explain it. But families and professionals visit here daily and the overall experience is defined by the interaction with the space, people and places. I don't see how wayfinding=malls? People come here to watch their kids, use our parks and subconsciously make a tiny decision whether or not to live here every time. If you think this city is made of 30 year residents only then these dots have not been connected.

I would expect this wayfinding system to be scalable across the city. I would expect that districts/neighborhoods of around 7500 people each would be defined and linked in. I would expect that corridors off I-90 would be cited for navigation as well as the Beck, High School, Winterhurst, Lakewood Park and all the other significant venues and amenities would be brought "online".

It will probably cost a lot more money than people think and will take a backseat to other issues as prioities shift. It will take 10 years or more to get done.

But as Jim and many others have asked- what is the plan? I hope it far exceeds what I assume above.

An acquaintance of ours used to work out at the Lakewood Y. She would take Detroit or Clifton to get there. One day she was close to running out of gas and she felt panic. She found a police officer who could tell her where we hide gas stations.

It's my opinion that wayfaring should be useful.

dl meckes wrote:It's my opinion that wayfaring should be useful.

And needed.

Did anyone tell this group from CSU's Levin College when they crafted their Birdtown Plan?



http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/media/docs_1267245500.pdf


Or are the working in a vacum?


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Jim--- I read that plan when it was posted last week on CoolCleveland.com. The effort seemed well intended but the product seemed to be a generic exercise in neighborhood action plans. Specifically, it was chock full of history which is always interesting but was used mainly as filler for the report. Any recommendations were just a compilation of all the cosmetic proposals that can be found in reports and plans from the Community Development Department going back to the mid 1970s.
Stan

Stan Austin wrote:Jim--- I read that plan when it was posted last week on CoolCleveland.com. The effort seemed well intended but the product seemed to be a generic exercise in neighborhood action plans. Specifically, it was chock full of history which is always interesting but was used mainly as filler for the report. Any recommendations were just a compilation of all the cosmetic proposals that can be found in reports and plans from the Community Development Department going back to the mid 1970s.
Stan

Stan

In reflection you are correct, no "action plan," just an idea.

Guess they too need a new logo. Maybe they could take up a collection so they would
have the $32,000 for a volunteer sign study too.


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Wayfinding has arrived in Lakewood!

I understand that DowntowN wayfinding will be installed soon.

No more confusion.


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stephen davis wrote:

Wayfinding has arrived in Lakewood!

I understand that DowntowN wayfinding will be installed soon.

No more confusion.


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This is my street (wataerbury) and when I drove past this the other day I almost hit a parked car in utter disbelief over the sign. Seriously we can't find another sign to put up, or at least cover up Euclid?

Hi,
With regionalism there are a few wrinkles people have to get used to.

Donald Farris wrote:Hi,
With regionalism there are a few wrinkles people have to get used to.

Don

Yep, like us getting East Cleveland's broken crappy 1/2 leg construction signs while they get 20 new police
on Lakewood's buy in. Really, this sign underlines what happens when Lakewood becomes West Cleveland.

Steve

What a great thread to bring back.

Boy reading this whole thing, is amazing.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:Steve

What a great thread to bring back.

Boy reading this whole thing, is amazing.

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Love it or hate it, this discussion is now part of Lakewood history.

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They must have hired another non-Lakewood design firm that specializes in "wayfaring" because there aren't any Lakewood designers who can find their butt with both hands.

stephen davis wrote:Wayfinding has arrived in Lakewood!

I understand that DowntowN wayfinding will be installed soon.

No more confusion.

Steve,

Any updates as to when?

Matt