Wild East Map

Interpreting green space for local children using local knowledge

The Wild East Project aims to connect local people with two of the City of London’s green spaces in east London; Wanstead Flats and West Ham Park. The challenge with the Wild East map was to translate Wanstead Flats - essentially a huge open space into a navigable and exciting prospect for local children.

We used local knowledge to do this. Talking to local interest groups and individuals who have used the space for years we discovered the many different nicknames that existing for the different parts of the space. Reconsidering the information levels in the current maps and breaking the larger space into smaller spaces, we were able to re-interpret the area for children.

I worked with Wild East Project Officer Sean Dillon and illustrator Andrea Saer to develop the maps which focusses on the plants and animals that children can discover in the spaces. Tested on the parks trickiest customers, they have proven extremely popular with children and have been reprinted multiple times.