Dropbox Paper

Footways offer

As I understand it, Footways aims to generate benefits at three levels:

Engagement - enabling connections with other walkers, development of maps, and involvement in neighbourhood improvement

Footways may be offering ideas, support or development packages for use by various interests - e.g.

The nature of the offer will affect what +Footways mapping platforms to use, and what +Footways data formats.

For example:

Replicating online the Footways routes on the paper map as navigation aids could easily be offered in Google maps, or in Maphub, with some some additional points of interest for exploration.

Guides and those developing walks could benefit from more details PoI content. App developers might use both the routes and content.

For deeper engagement it would be necessary to provide rich content - e.g. audio and video.

Levels of offer and examples

It would be useful to discuss what levels of offer and development Footways envisages, for example:

Centralised Footways system: an expanding system of routes with PoIs across London. Footways maintains and updates a dataset of PoIs. Additional routes may be added. The system is developed using Mapbox, which people access directly through the web. Footways works with app developers, and on local projects. Data may be exported and shared for use on other platforms.

Routes, examples and support: routes are offered as downloads so people can add to their own mapping system. Further inspiration examples are developed using Google maps, and/or Layers of London. People are invited to develop new content for local routes, and create their own maps using Google maps or Layers of London. Footways provides support on how to do that.

Digital placemaking. The focus is on Footways providing inspiration and a trigger for projects that use maps, apps and rich media to help people explore and engage with their neighbourhoods. Living Streets examples - From spaces to place and Mapping for Change including the Southwark Walk Elephant. Footways finds/develops more examples and creates a digital placemaking toolkit comparable with Walk to School. The toolkit would offer options on different platforms, decided after further research. For the big vision see the Digital Placemaking Guide by Calvium, who developed the City Visitor Trail.

What level and approach best fits Living Streets policy … e.g. focus mainly on routes and walking, or aim further for exploration and engagement?

What is most useful for walkers and other users - who are the priority? What devices/existingapps are they most likely to be using?