What is Mapping?

Mapping is the process of identifying key areas of interest, circulation, opportunity, and diversity.  When KSA’s Interior Designers conduct mapping exercises we ask questions about how the end-users currently use the space.  These questions help us in the Placemaking process, and may include:

Mapping addresses the following questions:

Which entrances are used most often?
What are the popular destinations?
Where do students gather?
Where are the service points for interaction with staff or faculty?
Why are these areas unique?

The mapping process further explores how these locations become visually cluttered or create congestion, noise, conflict, or stress.  In the end, mapping ensures that the right activities are occurring in the right places, and that traffic patterns and destinations do not create areas of potential conflict.

Potential benefits of conducting mapping exercises include:

Identifying and clearly defining key destinations and service areas.
Establishing visual clues to identify these areas and relieve the stress of uncertainty.
Establishing diversity within the environment and allowing divergent activities to occur without conflict.