TMS 4 Abu Dhabi – Transit Mapping Symposium

TRANSIT MAPPING SYMPOSIUM

4th edition

Wayfinding, the art of influencing flows

Abu Dhabi 28-29 February 2024

New York University Abu Dhabi

This 5th edition of the Symposium will take place over 3 days in 2 cities:

2 days in ABU DHABI at the New York University Abu Dhabi (28-29 February 2024)

1 day in DUBAI at the MENA Transport Congress & Exhibition (UITP/RTA) (1 March 2024)

The symposium is kindly hosted by NYU Abu Dhabi.

SPEAKERS

Day 1

Part 1

Part 2

Day 2

CLOSING NOTES

This session of The Transit Mapping Symposium has gathered specialists coming from all over the world: professionals (mapmakers, designers and commissioners), academics, students, researchers, or even fans (yes, this exists, like trains fans or bus fans). This time, after Montreal, Paris and Madrid, Abu Dhabi was welcoming speakers who brought their wayfinding works or experiences in UAE, France, Japan, India, China, HK, Singapore, Russia, Belarus, Zambia, Egypt, Canada Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uganda. The symposium was hosted by the New York University of Abu Dhabi, which has a course focused on wayfinding, apparently an unique case in the world.

Numerous high quality maps were presented: they have shown how usage could be combined with image, how a map could give the keys to a network user or to a city visitor, how it can be an attractiveness tool for PT through easiness and beauty.

Many types of maps exist: Metro maps, Bus or trams maps, multimodal maps, lines maps, neighbourhood maps. They can be schematic, geographic or hybrid, depending of multiple factors as the density of the network, the shape of the city, the exhaustiveness or selectiveness of the modes to show. Even if there are specificities attached to some writings, some languages and some countries (India, China, Japan, Egypt, …) transversal design guidelines appear possible because a general universal language appears through all the examples shown and commented.

The participants have focused their discussion about how the maps should be true. It was about philosophy and ethics, because if one can interpret a text, one will believe in a map. Therefore a huge responsibility is carried by the designers when they choose what to represent and how (sizes, distances, degree of precision, etc.).

Participants have also noticed the domains where progresses remain necessary:

The case of very dense and multimodal networks (e.g. Tokyo, Paris, London, …), which introduces a difficult dilemma about exhaustiveness or selectiveness in the contents,
A general improvement to do for the maps about hubs and stations districts (vs. networks), where passengers’ painpoints are concentrated, and where the z dimension (verticality) interferes the most with the capacities of representations of the users,
Continuity of the signs throughout the different media where they are used (printed maps, signage, digital displays in apps, websites and screens, …). Furthermore, the signs on the maps should be coherent with signage (also in the public spaces outside the transport realms), architecture (for example with dissymmetrical spaces or visual perspectives in the stations, which facilitate localization and positioning), and even artworks, which can directly facilitate the identification of a place, of a station, by creating a specificity

The HK case has highlighted the role of artworks in giving a specific identity, making their stations more instinctively recognisable.

Most of the speakers have concluded by similar thinkings about the fact that maps should positively touch the people, to bring good emotion or pride, to facilitate the consideration of each customer: a good map is the proof that the transport operator is human and respects its customers.