Lee’s students contribute to creation of wayfinding guide

A publication detailing how to create better wayfinding, or the process which people find their way from place to play in a city or small town, reflects contributions made by graduate students at Texas A&M’s College of Architecture.

Early in the project, spearheaded by the U.S. Center for Disease Control’s Healthy Aging Research Network, landscape architecture and urban planning students in a spring 2013 Design for Active Living class led by Chanam Lee, associate professor of landscape architecture, conducted literature searches and reviews and contributed to the project’s initial conceptualization.

Landscape architecture students also created conceptual renderings of the publication, “ [Pathways to Better Community Wayfinding] (http://www.prc-han.org/docs/pathways.pdf) ,” which HARN published with a number of partners, including Easter Seals Disability Services, America Walks and the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

The students’ involvement began when Lee, a consultant on the project, suggested to project leader Becky Hunter, head of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the University of North Carolina, that Lee’s students contribute to the publication.

Lee provided guidance to students reviewed their submissions for the publication’s early stages, and coordinated students efforts with Hunter’s team.

"The students brought enthusiasm, creativity and diverse perspectives to the project," said Hunter. "Wayfinding is a complicated topic and the final publication was greatly improved by the students' thoughtful input."