pedestrian downtown map

How many times have you been walking around downtown and forgotten how to get where you are going? Probably not many as Ann Arbor has a relatively small downtown and pedestrians are not burdened by oneway streets. However, if you are new to the area or are like me and constantly forget whether Liberty is north or south of washington or whether First is west of Ashley, the downtown pedestrian map from the DDA might help.

The map covers the DDA area and includes landmark buildings, AATA bus stops (including the Link), and indicates university, retail, and government buildings. The map also includes parking locations and oneway street markers for those temporary pedestrians headed back to their cars. The link above brings up a jpeg file that you can load on your PDA or mobile phone (assuming you have the right software to read it). You can also pick up a dead tree version at the Chamber of Commerce.

A lot of improvements could be made to the map to make it more pedestrian friendly. Benches, sidewalks, alleys and other short-cuts are not indicated. Bike racks and lockers would also be nice additions. The YMCA still shows up in its old location, as does any more recent change in land use. Still this is a nice step in the right direction. Hopefuly future editions will add more pedestrian specific fearures.