Glendale’s new signs are pointedly helpful
‘Wayfinding’ placards share health tips and steer visitors toward local landmarks.
There are about 50 new signs hanging around town, but they don’t display parking restrictions or streetsweeping days. Instead, they encourage people to walk.
Called “wayfinding signs,” they serve two purposes: They contain health tips, and they point in the direction of local landmarks such as the Glendale Galleria and the Americana at Brand.
“We’re thinking they’d be helpful for visitors, people who may not necessarily be familiar with all the sights and attractions here in town, and residents may find a hidden jewel in their neighborhood,” said Juan Gonzalez, Glendale’s neighborhood services supervisor.
Some of those secret gems include Casa Adobe and Chess Park, he said.
As for health tips, one of the signs says that doctors recommend walking 6,000 steps a day to improve one’s health and 10,000 a day to lose weight.
There’s also a social media campaign. Pedestrians are encouraged to snap selfies with a wayfinding sign in the shot and to share the pictures online with the hashtag #GlendaleWalks.
The signs, however, will be up for only a few months.
They also serve as outreach as the city prepares to solicit more public feedback this fall for the development of a pedestrian master plan, said Justin Robertson, a planning assistant with the Community Development Department.
The city received nearly $3 million in grants to develop a plan that analyzes streets and develops recommendations on how to improve pedestrian safety.
For more information, visit GlendaleWalks.org.