Locating Embodied Forms of Urban Wayfinding: An Exploration

Noone, R. (2021) Locating Embodied Forms of Urban Wayfinding: An Exploration. In: iConference 2021, Beijing, China, 17-31 Mar 2021, pp. 635-644. ISBN 9783030712914 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-71292-1_49)

Abstract

The following short paper looks at the embodied information practice of urban wayfinding in the context of pervasive locative media and mobile mapping technology. The author asks: what informational cues are encoded in the urban landscape and activated through embodied practices of wayfinding? To explore this question of street-level wayfinding, the author utilizes the exploratory method of arts-based research, focusing on the act of giving directions, both spoken and drawn, and developing the research in four unique cities: Amsterdam, London, New York, and Toronto. Analysis of the data uses visual grounded theory and situational analysis. Based on the findings, the author classifies three types of urban forms that helped guide navigation during these wayfinding encounters: pathways, transmitters, and markings. In unpacking the variants within these registers of spatial sense-making, the author identifies informational elements of the city present in its material and built environment but also in its social and tacit forms. The paper offers a framework to look at the multiplicities of information, structured and embodied, that guide wayfinding, situated beyond (but co-existent with) mobile mapping tools.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Noone, Dr Rebecca
• Authors: Noone, R.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Information Studies
• Journal Name: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
• ISSN: 0302-9743
• ISBN: 9783030712914
• Published Online: 19 March 2021