Hanging out in a park is a gleefully tech-free experience, and the High Park Map by Torontoist.com strives to keep it that way.
When relaxing in a grassy meadow, soaking up the sun and enjoying the surrounding greenery, the last thing park-goers want is to spend ages on their phones helping their friends find them. But friends are a welcome addition to parks, technology be damned. To solve the conundrum, the High Park Map divides the public space into a grid, allowing people to say "I'm at C4" rather than "I'm by that weird-looking tree."
The High Park Map was inspired by the Trinity Bellwoods Map created by Jason McDonough. While these systems are imperfect, they are a tongue-in-cheek response to a growing over-reliance on technological devices.
Low-Tech Park Maps
The High Park Map Uses a Grid System to Help Friends Find One Another
Trend Themes
1. Tech-free Park Experience - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing low-tech solutions that enhance park experiences without relying on technological devices.
2. Grid System Navigation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating grid-based navigation systems for public spaces to simplify location sharing and finding friends without using smartphones.
3. Tongue-in-cheek Maps - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Designing humorous and unconventional maps as a response to the over-reliance on technology for navigation.
Industry Implications
1. Outdoor Recreation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing innovative products or services that enhance the outdoor recreational experiences in parks and public spaces.
2. Travel and Tourism - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating novel navigation solutions for tourists visiting unfamiliar parks and leisure areas.
3. Cartography and Mapping - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Redefining traditional cartography by incorporating unconventional and playful elements in map designs for different environments.