CITY OF PEMBROKE PINES
PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA
Wayfinding Master Plan and Design Guidelines for an Evolving South Florida City.
In 2011, the City of Pembroke Pines began an initiative to improve the design and quality of the City's streetscapes. Incorporated in 1960 at less than one square mile, Pembroke Pines has grown rapidly becoming the second largest city in Broward County, and the 11th largest in the State. The evolution from small village to expansive city has produced a community with a wealth of public resources, and a growing need to unify the distinct neighborhoods and commercial centers that have emerged through the years. Our task was to create a new wayfinding strategy and design guidelines for Pembroke Pines as part of the City's "Building Our Future Program", which strives to improve the City's streetscapes and public spaces.
FINDING COMMON GROUND
Our discovery process began with a complete on-site analysis of existing wayfinding in the City. Identifying the City's borders and gateways was a prime concern for residents and City officials, made more challenging by the sheer number of major access points into the City from surrounding towns. We documented our findings and outlined areas of opportunity where significant improvements could be made. Working closely with project landscape architect Miller Legg, we presented and discussed these issues with the City and its residents in a series of public meetings and workshops. There was overwhelming public support for improving the City's identity and wayfinding, and our next task was to develop a comprehensive plan for a new wayfinding program that would elevate the character of the city streetscapes while providing much needed identity and direction.
THE DISTRICT MODEL
Early in the planning process, we made the decision to organize the city into three East-West districts. Due to the way the city had evolved and expanded, there was already an informal divide between the established historical neighborhoods in the East; the commercial core in the Center; and the new residential communities to the West that emerged after Hurricane Andrew. Pines Boulevard, a large roadway that divides the city to the North and South, is the city's "main street" and primary artery for steering visitors to public destinations. Adopting a district model allowed us to organize information and destinations by region, which in turn would improve our abilities to direct residents to the numerous public destinations that span the multiple communities within the city. We diagrammed district boundaries, public destinations, city gateways, vehicular circulation paths and decision points, and established a wayfinding strategy that laid the groundwork for the proposed new signage and graphics that would execute the plan.
PUTTING A FACE ON IT
At the City's request, we designed four distinct graphic styles for the proposed new signage program. Each style visually depicted a uniform system of vehicular and pedestrian sign types, and included written descriptions outlining the purpose and usage for each component of the program. We proposed three different sizes of gateway signs that could be appropriately located at major, secondary and tertiary entry points into the city. Neighborhood identity signs could be used to provide a unified method for marking residential areas. Major and minor vehicular directional signs identify the districts and provide consistent direction to public destinations. Pedestrian directional signs and kiosks provide local assistance and information. Uniform monument signs provide identity for public parks and facilities, and include options for incorporating digital messaging to advertise local programs and events. Historical markers present significant moments in the City's history, and contribute to establishing a sense of place. Our completed wayfinding design guidelines, in cooperation with other proposed streetscape improvements, gives Pembroke Pines and it's residents the solutions they need for creating unique, branded and uniform public spaces throughout the city.