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Urban initiatives - 16.08.2016
Dance like a Swedish street sign: how to rejuvenate a town centre
Who said street signs were boring? In Haparanda, a town in northern Sweden, the council has launched a series of new fun street signs – where stickmen are pictured jumping, dancing, and even playing the guitar on pedestrian crossing signs.
This initiative is part of a larger scheme launched last year to rebrand and rejuvenate Haparanda town centre. The person running the project, Therese Ostling, says its most important impact has been to “make people smile”.
Another similar local initiative took place in Vienna last year, when the city decided to set up LGBT-themed traffic lights. The lights show two men or two women, hearts beating, holding hands and patiently waiting or crossing the road together. Although the lights were meant to be a temporary installation during Eurovision 2015, they have been kept in order to display the city’s LGBT-friendly nature.
This initiative is part of a larger scheme launched last year to rebrand and rejuvenate Haparanda town centre. The person running the project, Therese Ostling, says its most important impact has been to “make people smile”.
Another similar local initiative took place in Vienna last year, when the city decided to set up LGBT-themed traffic lights. The lights show two men or two women, hearts beating, holding hands and patiently waiting or crossing the road together. Although the lights were meant to be a temporary installation during Eurovision 2015, they have been kept in order to display the city’s LGBT-friendly nature.