Kingsport, Tennessee

Kingsport Greenbelt

The city of Kingsport prides itself on its hospitality and first-rate amenities. Its outdoor recreational assets and public parks make the city a regional draw. After the success of its city-wide vehicular and pedestrian wayfinding program, the city of Kingsport reengaged Corbin Design in 2017 to create a complementary trail wayfinding program to highlight one of the city’s most significant commodities: the Kingsport Greenbelt.

The Greenbelt is a historic, scenic 10-mile multi-use trail with access points located throughout the city. It winds its way along the Holston River and connects to meadows, historic sites, neighborhoods, and Downtown Kingsport.

Similar to the city program, the Greenbelt wayfinding design carries the brand of the city through the character of the signs. However, this system features more natural colors and finishes so that the signs feel like a natural extension of the trail. Subtle illustrative elements include vines and butterflies making the signs blend with the environment in an interesting way. The full signage standard includes new and retrofit identification signs, mile markers, trail directional signs, and urban pedestrian trailblazers to reconnect people back to the trail.

After the development of the Greenbelt design standards, Kingsport further expanded its wayfinding program to include park signage to help strengthen the city identity and improve the park experience for visitors.

A unique component of this system was the creation of a multi-functional trailhead map kiosk. The roofed sign features a large map on one side, but on the other is an interpretive panel with information about surrounding wildlife. In addition to being educational, there is also a built-in bench that is a great place to prepare for trail use or rest, while the map side and interpretive panel are still accessible to other users.