New Map Offers a Different Way to SeeTallahassee
TALLAHASSEE, July 28, 2016—An inventive new map that offers a unique way to SeeTallahassee was unveiled this morning at the Tallahassee International Airport by the Knight Creative Communities Institute’s volunteer Community Catalyst SeeTallahassee team. The colorful, artisanal map is chock full of innovative, engaging images of the area’s beloved landmarks and hidden treasures—a far cry from the standard road map or GPS display.
The airport’s large-scale version of the map, to be permanently mounted in the main terminal concourse next to the Coastal Way Café and adjacent to the Visitor Information Center, is intended to draw the eyes and interest of the airport’s nearly 700,000 passengers and visitors a year.
The map will also be available in print and downloadable formats so that all residents and visitors will have access to it through an interactive website, SeeTallahassee.org, Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Seetallahassee/, or KCCI, http://kccitallahassee.com/project/encompass-tallahassee/
“Tallahassee is a capital city with so much more than a Capitol Building. This addition to our airport will allow visitors to our city to learn about great places to visit while in town,” said City Commissioner Scott Maddox, who serves as the city’s liaison to the airport.
The map is one element of KCCI’s SeeTallahassee community catalyst project, which kicked off in 2015. The 14-member all-volunteer team adopted the goal of supporting Tallahassee’s new wayfinding signage system, intended to direct citizens and visitors to key central locations and area placemaking districts.
“We are happy to be selected as one of the locations where the artisanal map will be displayed. It will be a great addition to the aesthetics of the airport terminal and provide a quick and colorful display of important landmarks located throughout the community,” said Tallahassee International Airport Director of Aviation Chris Curry.
The map, designed by former Tallahassee resident Max Pepper, presents “a stylized view of Tallahassee’s placemaking districts and landmarks, offering an artistic, engaging and nontraditional view of our community, giving residents, potential residents and visitors alike an innovative and appealing guide to Tallahassee that is highly shareable,” said SeeTallahassee team member Paige Carter-Smith.
The map is just one of the SeeTallahassee team’s efforts to help residents and visitors appreciate Tallahassee’s special placemaking districts. The team’s stated goal is “to provide residents with a sense of ownership, visitors with a sense of wonder, and young professionals and millennials with a sense of possibilities.”
In addition to its interactive website, the SeeTallahassee campaign also includes murals in several of the city’s placemaking districts. The first mural went up in Midtown, the second in SOMO on South Monroe, and the third in Market District. A Frenchtown mural is on the way. The team has also created a“mural-in-a-box” tool kit for others who wish to create community murals.
“By design, all KCCI projects are intended and designed to implement a sense of place to attract, retain and harness talent,” said KCCI Executive Director Betsy Couch. “The SeeTallahassee campaign is a perfect example of furthering KCCI’s objectives, with its innovative emphasis on placemaking in support of wayfinding in Tallahassee’s special interest districts and throughout our area.”
The Tallahassee Democrat is using the map as a major element of its Living Here annual publication, which will appear in the Sunday, September 4, newspaper. It will also be available to purchase separately.
The map, murals and website have been supported thanks to the generosity of the Knight Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation of North Florida as well as numerous mural sponsors (see list below).
KCCI was created in 2007 and has been annually selecting Tallahassee residents and training them on the concepts of economist Richard Florida’s book, The Rise of the Creative Class. These community catalysts volunteer their time to learn the concepts and implement a project that enhances Tallahassee’s sense of place as a community that would be able to attract and retain the creative class, young professionals and college graduates. KCCI has led a variety of successful programs that have helped create a sense of place throughout Tallahassee while engaging the creative class. KCCI is a program of The Village Square and is funded through private and public donations. For more information, visit www.kccitallahassee.com