Navigating the Cultural District: A Wayfinding & Placemaking Masterplan for New London

This project received the 2025 Honor Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Challenge

To spur economic development and plan for visitor access to future attractions, the City of New London looked to identify ways to reinforce the identity of the Cultural District as a significant destination for business, living, entertainment, dining, cultural, and recreational activities.

To improve the user experience within the district, the City asked SLR and Guide Studio, a branding and wayfinding firm, to develop a Wayfinding & Placemaking Masterplan to help inform, direct, and guide visitors and residents to their desired destination. The goal of the plan was to develop streetscape and wayfinding signage improvements that include historic and cultural asset identification to create a visual cohesion across the City’s Cultural District.

Solution

The design team launched an extensive public engagement process featuring Discovery Days that included journey mapping, walking tours, workshops, and collaborative sessions. Engaging activities such as the “engagement loop” and “if the cultural district was a person” were developed to facilitate creative and thought-provoking conversations.

From there, focused stakeholders were invited to a Wayfinding Workshop, where next to the design team, the community helped the design team understand what participants saw as the biggest challenges and greatest opportunities for the ideal experiences. Clear objectives were set to cultivate advocacy and highlight local character, ultimately inspiring the future concepts. As a group, the community identified six critical gateways along visitor vehicular routes into the district that were targeted as the foci of the masterplan.

The Development of the Masterplan

After listening and understanding the needs of the community, the design team began work on developing masterplan concepts that reflected the user experience upon entering the district and the opportunities and constraints that existed within the built environment.

The Placemaking Masterplan was developed with a “Complete Streets” approach, which encourages comfortable travel for all users of all ages and abilities, encouraging a positive user experience for cyclists, pedestrians, riders of public transportation and drivers.

The design included:

• Branded wayfinding signage
• Colored/textured crosswalks/intersections and handicap ramps
• Artistic bus shelters
• Dedicated bike lanes
• New gathering spaces and seating
• Abundant landscaped areas
• Decorative historic bollards and lighting
• Traffic calming measures
• Placemaking opportunities

Signage and District Identity Development

The design team started the development of the branding experience within the Cultural District by developing mood boards, expressing visuals which represented the historical past and uses of the district over time. Visuals representing nautical flags, sails, whales, wind, and currents were used as inspiration to develop concepts for the signage. The selected suite of signage includes pillared graphic components and sleek symbolism based upon these themes.

The final selected design (approved by the City) includes themes of wind and currents combined with a modern urban aesthetic of angular forms. Dye-cut panels represent the convergence of water and architectural details found throughout the Cultural District.

Impact

With the acceptance of the signage and branding of the district agreed upon, fabrication of the signage has moved forward. The City will be using the proposed placemaking guidelines in future grant applications.