Regional Wayfinding System

Connecting Our Region – Kansas City Regional Wayfinding Guidebook 

This Guidebook is the product of a yearlong effort among jurisdictions across the Kansas City area to plan a regional wayfinding system. This project, managed by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, looked to develop a regional wayfinding system for residents and visitors that would make it easier to navigate the Kansas City Region by walking, bicycling and taking transit.

Wayfinding is a way to provide information to people that helps them navigate a space or travel through different points. A wayfinding system can help people quickly understand the features and amenities of a space, sometimes in high stress or busy environments, such as airports, shopping centers, or hospitals. Wayfinding systems can combine maps, symbols, color coding, and other communications.

The developed system for the region would encourage greater exploration of the region by multimodal transportation. Nearly 20 different jurisdictions participated in this project, including involvement in steering committees, providing funding, responding to surveys, and attendance at open houses.

Public input showed that the community desired a system that was:

• Functional
• Encouraged the use of active transportation
• Unique and showed the character of the different jurisdictions
• Still conveyed a regional identity

Words the public used were attractive, clear, simple, and consistent. Using public input and input from the steering committee, the following design concepts were suggested. The project also took into account the need to make these signs accessible for all users as well as opportunities to integrate this system with other information channels.

Regional Wayfinding Guidebook includes:

• Introduction and Purpose
• Project Background and Process
• Sign Family Types and Concepts
• Placement Guidance
• Implementation and Next Steps

The full document can be found online in three parts: Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3. The Kansas City