Toronto Parks & Trails

Sep 21

Modular signage and wayfinding standards for urban greenspaces and multi-use trails.

Wayfinding map sign designed for Toronto by Steer

Toronto’s network of 1,600 parks and 600km of multi-use trails is one of the city’s greatest assets and a key part of its active transportation network. Previously, park and trail signs were developed on an ad-needed basis, often resulting in cluttered environments and inconsistent, poorly maintained signage.

Previous park and trail signs in Toronto

The growing pressure on parklands, driven by increases in population and a renewed interest in the environment and healthy lifestyles, supported the case for a wayfinding strategy. To begin, established the system’s core principles and design direction, informed by extensive consultation and community outreach including pop-up events in parks.

Community outreach event to help develop wayfinding strategy

Consultation materials to help develop wayfinding strategy

Following detailed design development, a pilot was installed the Lower Don Trail and Riverdale Park to test the suitability of the proposed solution in context.

Pilot wayfinding map sign at Riverdale Park

Installation of pilot signs at Lower Don Trail

Based upon lessons learned from the pilot, we refined the signage products, graphics and construction to ensure that the system is durable, flexible and viable in the long term.

The system consists of 17 sign types divided into two families: green signs inform users about parks and facilities, and support navigation and promote exploration. Orange signs support walking and cycling in, along and out of multi-use trails.

Line up of the Toronto Parks and Trails sign family

Each sign type follows a consistent information hierarchy and graphic design to create a familiar look and a predictable wayfinding experience. Signs are constructed from a standard kit of interchangeable panels and anodized aluminium frames, simplifying the fabrication and installation process.

Richly illustrated maps with content and scale variations to suit the needs of parks and trails users are at the core of the wayfinding system.

The maps share the same base as the Steer’s Toronto TO360 pedestrian wayfinding system, supporting friction-free transitions between parkland and urban environments through the use of a shared iconography and a consistent graphic language.

A close up view of the map design for the map signs

As part of the preparation for a city-wide rollout, we developed in-depth guidelines to codify standards for selecting, locating, and artworking the signs, as well as a governance structure and implementation strategy to deliver a decades-long implementation expected to include thousands of signs.