When it comes to wayfinding, having the right signage can make all the difference.

You can have the best restaurants in the world in your downtown, but if no one knows where they are, does it matter how good the food is?

In that same vein, a city can have an ample amount of free parking, but if no one knows where to find it, does it matter how much is available?

These are some of the things that were brought up during a recent meeting of community stakeholders and members of the Michigan Municipal League on the subject of improving the connectivity between downtown Niles and Riverfront Park.

They determined that while Niles has a lot to offer, it suffers from a lack of wayfinding — the means of informing people in an unfamiliar environment about what is around them.

In an effort to see if adding signage could make a difference, the Michigan Municipal League underwrote the purchase of 12 plain white folding signs for the city.

Niles will use these signs to help people get from Riverfront Park to the shops and restaurants downtown during this weekend’s Niles Trails & Ales Festivus.

The signs will also be used to point out free parking and where the festival is taking place.

If the signs make a difference, community leaders could use that information to better inform future decisions related to wayfinding, such as placing permanent signage.

It’s also worth noting that about a dozen volunteers took time out of their busy schedules to paint the signs last week at the direction of a local signmaker John Lidecker.

These colorful signs will surely stand out this weekend as thousands of people enjoy all that Riverfront Park has to offer during the festival.

Hopefully the signs will make it easier for people to find their way around Niles and lead to more business for local shop owners.

After all, every community could use a little more color.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.