What makes a sign effective?
In an analysis of public feedback to national park signage, NPS researchers identified three key design criteria that make people respond most strongly to signs such as those warning tourists to stay away from bears.
As Shi En Kim explains in High Country News, the three criteria identified are attention, authority, and persuasion. “Road signs have only a split second to communicate their message to drivers, so they have to be clear and eye-catching.” Signs that clearly indicate an authoritative agency invoke professionalism and authority. And simple, reader-friendly signs tend to be most persuasive. “The most persuasive signs came off as authoritative but not pushy.”
Read the full story: The ‘bear’ necessities of good sign design
Another Chicago Skyscraper Sign Controversy
Regulations crafted in the wake of the Trump sign controversy of 2014 could be relaxed to let Salesforce leave its mark on the city of Chicago's skyline.
Toward a More Sightly Future for Public Notice Signs
Public notice signs rarely garner much attention. Atlanta's planning department is changing that by partnering with a private design firm. The result? More striking signage.
New Jersey Town's Digital Billboard Ban Found Unconstitutional
Overruling an earlier appeals court decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court has found one township's prohibition on digital billboards to be unconstitutional.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic place names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority