City entrances

[Gedunker]

Moderator note:

~Gedunker~ Threads merged. Thanks and carry on!

 

[evilurbanist]

Well, with the lack of some global input. I remember seeing these as a young child and was quite impressed with them.

The quality is up for debate, I guess everything is debatable, but at least you know where you are.

 

[boilerplater]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39735679@N00/1442393375

What? No photos of Baghdad's crossed swords?
You have to admit it makes for a memorable image. Far out of the budget of most towns though.

Photo courtesy of Dept. of Defense

 

[Aerorobyn]

My favourite city entrance is in Melbourne. This art work was built during the freeway construction- it apparently sealed the deal in the bid to get the project for the successful company. I think its a great piece of public art

http://www.artreview.com.au/art/artandabout/public-sculpture--who-needs-it.aspx

I was just doing a quick look through here, and this one immediately caught my attention! I love it!

I hope I'm able to do something (or help with) just as nice someday!

 

[Rygor]

On the Mombasa one (crossed tusks) it looks like somebody needs to work on the median landscaping.

 

[arquiteto]

ITABIRNHA, MG - BRASIL

I'M DESIGNING 4 PORTALS FOR 4 DIFFERENT CITIES HERE IN BRASIL, HERE'S THE FIRST ONE BEING MADE. http://www.flickr.com/photos/17121683@N00/sets/72157622855171356/

 

[deano]

While I find it fascinating to look at such diverse examples of gateway signage, considering the cultural context, isn't much of this thread placing the old "cart before the horse." When my boss at the local hospital asked for signage design ideas for the campus, I refused to go that route. Instead, I told him he'd get from me a written analysis of the entry and wayfinding problem based on my photographs of all the approaches to the campus, all existing signage, daytime and nighttime.

Standard planning process: inventory, analysis, recommendations. That report lit a fire under the board to finally hire a national signage firm to work on the design of wayfinding and identity systems, while I worked on plans for the spatial design of the campus gateways.

It seems that everybody in town likes the result. It really works. But none of this would have happened without the first steps of the design process and the 20-minute powerpoint in the boardroom summing up the problems and opportunities. If a planner doesn't take a firm hand when the community starts thinking about a new "entrance sign," it's all too likely that the result will just be one more object contributing to visual clutter at the city gateways.

 

[ssnyderjr]

Bryan, OH

Bryan Ohio's gateways boast their ranking of the "15th Greatest Small City in America". I always thought that was an impressive first impression entering the City.

 

[Streck]

Here is quite a city entrance monument in the city of Tehran, Iran:

http://www.farsinet.com/tehran/

 

[Streck]

Ooops! The Tehran monument is not really a city entrance, but a destination museum.

 

[Streck]

City Entrance for King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia:

 

[smccutchan1]

Do entrance signs serve any purpose other than stroking City Council members egos. No one really cares. They're generally designed by amateurs with no taste -- again the fore mentioned with the egos -- and they never represent what the City is all about. However, years ago while a student at Cal Poly SLO I did always enjoy the giant concrete clam at the entrance to Pismo Beach. I don't know if its still there but at least it illustrated that someone in Pismo Beach had a sense of humor and didn't take themselves too seriously.

 

[SW MI Planner]

Do entrance signs serve any purpose other than stroking City Council members egos. No one really cares.

Well, I do. I always try to take back roads when on a road trip and very curious to see the towns (big and small) along the way. I find the entrance signs interesting; plus I always like to know where I am

 

[Pragmatic Idealist]

Well-designed or professionally-designed city and neighborhood entrances can do quite a bit in terms of place-making and fostering cohesiveness in a community.

Sociologists say that the optimal size of a community is 35,000 residents, so, in terms of making self-contained urban villages with populations of that number, I think entrance signs are extremely important. I do agree, though, that most city entrance monuments that are designed by elected officials are hideous.

 

[szechwean]

Do entrance signs serve any purpose other than stroking City Council members egos. No one really cares. They're generally designed by amateurs with no taste -- again the fore mentioned with the egos -- and they never represent what the City is all about. However, years ago while a student at Cal Poly SLO I did always enjoy the giant concrete clam at the entrance to Pismo Beach. I don't know if its still there but at least it illustrated that someone in Pismo Beach had a sense of humor and didn't take themselves too seriously.

Well, it DOES represent what Pismo is all about, because after all, they're famous for their clams (or at least they used to be--remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon where he's on his way to Pismo Beach for clams and ends up in Persia or someplace running away from the "Hassan chop?" )

 

[Streck]

City Entrance for King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia:

Sorry I did not publish the above picture in my Reply properly.

Here is another link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Abdullah_Economic_City

In addition, it might be good to have a discussion on the city plan for King Abdullah Economic City.

 

[Tobinn]

Welcome Signs

This one is from an overpass over I4 for the City of Orlando

This is a google street view heading over to the beach in Clearwater:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=27.977575,-82.824039&spn=0,0.054932&z=15&layer=c&cbll=27.977556,-82.824215&panoid=oKLGtoYgSh-85kKPtBUBaQ&cbp=12,271.29,,0,11.33