Natural wayfinding in Hackney Central

24 April 2025 (1pm BST)

In this talk, Riccardo Bobisse, Anna Saveleva and James Brown shared key insights from a recent collaboration between the AR Urbanism team, Air Design, Hackney Council, and its residents, as part of the development of a wayfinding strategy that plays a pivotal role in the wider Town Centre Strategy for Hackney. This initiative seeks to guide the regeneration of the area, acting as a direct expression of the priorities of local communities and contributing to a more connected and accessible urban environment. The team discovered several important insights about wayfinding (which go beyond traditional methods) which they believe to be crucial for the success of any urban wayfinding initiative, to create meaningful connections, improve accessibility, and foster community ownership. A holistic approach to wayfinding can create spaces that are not only functional but also vibrant, inclusive, and reflective of the local community’s values. 

About our speakers

ANNA SAVELEVA (AR Urbanism Urban Designer) has a BA Urban, Community and Regional Planning and PgDip Urban Design. Anna is an urban designer with a background in masterplanning, landscape architecture and urban studies. She has worked on small to medium-scale placemaking and large masterplanning projects. Her professional interest is complex town regeneration schemes with a particular focus on enhancing a sense of place and unlocking heritage assets through improvements to the public realm. She has been working on design guidance and preparing and participating in engagement events for recent projects. Currently pursuing an MSc in Urban Spatial Science at UCL, Anna is deepening her expertise in geospatial analytics to integrate data-driven methodologies into her urban design practice. She is proficient in scripting for geospatial analysis using Python, enabling her to streamline data collection, processing, and analysis for more informed and efficient decision-making.

RICCARDO BOBISSE (AR Urbanism Director) has a BSc Planning (IUAV, Venice), BSc Business Administration(Ca’ Foscari, Venice), MA Urban Design (Westminster University, London), MSc Urban Regeneration (UCL, London), Design Review Panel Member (Hertfordshire and Barking), Urban Design Group – Recognised Practitioner. Riccardo is an urbanist with a multi-disciplinary background in regeneration and design. He has worked on masterplanning, urban design, and mobility strategies in the UK and abroad for 20 years. Riccardo specialises in the project management of strategic projects and sits on several design review panels as a design expert. Riccardo has a strong understanding of the interface between the public realm and mobility and has worked on a number of international projects for various municipalities, agencies (the World Bank) and programmes (the Prosperity Fund). Riccardo has a strong interest in the role of new technologies on the shape and functions of the public realm and recently published a book on the implications of connected autonomous vehicles (2019 Automatic for the City – ISBN: 9781859468616). He has also published articles on academic papers on urban regeneration.

JAMES BROWN (Air Design Associate) is a Sign Design Society Member with an MA Design and Brand Strategy, BA(Hons) and Product Design Futures, Foundation Diploma. James is an experienced designer with a demonstrated history of working in the design industry, on projects across the UK and internationally to deliver creative solutions in both public and private sectors focusing on places, cultures, and experiences. He has worked with a wide range of clients including cities, transit operators and cultural institutions. From this he has gained a breadth of experience across different sectors working with clients to define their ambition and create long term innovation which leads to tangible outcomes. His project highlights include: Leading the development of a comprehensive wayfinding system for University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and its implementation in the new 3T’s 13 storey building in Brighton; developing a comprehensive set of design requirements for Passenger Assistance Intercoms across all Metrolinx built assets such as Subway, LRT, BRT, and Rail; highlighting Toronto’s Green and Open Spaces through the development of a wayfinding system; translating a cultural narrative for the Paddington Basin, core to the regeneration of a revisited district; and guiding the vision for the rejuvenation of Allen Gardens in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.