Below First Street, it's easy to get lost.
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That's what the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council found in April 2010 when they surveyed 100 tourists trying to navigate their way through Little Italy and Chinatown. They discovered that most people trying to decode the streets were confused by the maps and informational guides they were given.
To remedy the issue, Two Bridges, Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation and Little Italy Merchants Association united to improve navigation guides and increase their visibility.
Ralph Tramontana, president of Little Italy Merchants Association, said one of the biggest issues is that many of the maps posted downtown face the wrong direction.
"They look at maps on kiosks and those maps point towards West Broadway because it is pointing upside down," Tramontana said. "This lures people away from Chinatown and Little Italy and more towards West Broadway."
Many improvements have been planned to help people navigate Chinatown and Little Italy. One of the first steps is to position maps in the same direction that people are standing. Signage will also be placed around the area to point people in the direction of their desired destinations.
"By improving directions, it would draw people that want to go to the area towards it instead of wandering around Canal Street trying to find Chinatown and Little Italy," Tramontana said.
Confusing cartography in Chinatown and Little Italy is one culprit behind the economic and social challenges the neighborhoods have faced over the past five years. Because people are having difficulty navigating, they may either get lost or give up on their venture. There are also plans pending to expand pedestrian walkways in Chinatown, especially on the oft-crowded Canal Street.
"You want to make it a pleasant and interesting experience for people coming for the first time," said Robert Weber, an urban planner of Two Bridges Neighborhood Council who worked on the survey. "We want to help further this exploration of these two communities because sometimes if people don't feel safe, rather than explore, they won't venture on beyond there."
Global Liberal Studies freshman Tanzila Ahad echoed the studies' findings.
"Chinatown is confusing because I don't know where it started or where it ended," she said. "I basically just went around in a circle trying to find a decent place to eat."
