NEWS

Focus groups were convened during the Fall of 2009 to obtain a range of perspectives regarding the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities related to wayfinding in Oakland, as well as other private, institutional and public sector projects that might be relevant. In addition, a public meeting was held in Oakland in January 2010 to discuss the same issues with the public. A second public meeting testing the preliminary recommendations was held in June 2010.

The focus groups were:
• City Agencies/Local Advocacy Groups
• University Students
• OBID Staff and OTF Members
• Technical Advisory Group
• Faculty and Staff
• UPMC Visitors Group
• Oakland residents

Through the series of stakeholder meetings and the findings of a public 10-question online survey collected responses from 629 individuals, the Innovation Oakland research and design team was able to determine the answers to three simple questions with regard to wayfinding and access in through the eyes of those who work, play and live in Oakland: What is good about Oakland? What is bad about Oakland? What big ideas do you have to improve Oakland? The results were as follows:

The Good:
1. Word of Mouth
2. Landmarks
3. Fifth and Forbes Corridors
4. Street Signs
5. Oakland Trip Pre-Planning using Google Maps, etc.
6. Pedestrian Enhancements to Intersections
7. Physical Campus Maps (Carlow, Pitt, etc.)
8. Bus Transportation
9. Vehicular Wayfinding
10. Event Information on the Radio and Television

The Bad:
1. Difficult to Find Parking
2. Vehicular Traffic Congestion and Confusion
3. Bicycle Infrastructure
4. Signage Clutter in Streetscape
5. Lack of Gateway Orientation Signage
6. Poor Building Identification and Entry Signage
7. Campus/District Edges Not Clearly Identified
8. Insufficient Real-Time PAT Bus Information
9. Unpleasant Pedestrian Environment
10. Wayfinding Maintenance

The Big Ideas:
1. Treat Oakland as a Community with Shared Resources (parking, districts) via Coordinated and Consolidated Oakland Maps and Signage
2. Enhance PAT Bus Information (Real-Time Info)
3. Provide Bike Infrastructure
4. Improve Pedestrian Infrastructure
5.Clarify Parking Options and Provide Real-Time Availability Information
6. Improve Business District Lighting
7. Use Technology for Creative Interactive Wayfinding
8. Encourage More Public Art
9. Create an Oakland Information HUB/Center
10. Create District Guidelines related to Signs, Public Art and Architectural Aesthetics