Mapping the Urban Image

What is your “image of the city”? Intangible model of the city Designed for practicality not precision Personal “Under construction” Made up of certain elements (Kevin Lynch 1960)

Paths Landmarks Nodes Districts Edges

What purposes does it serve?

Aids navigation Guides social interaction Prevents feeling lost Helps make the city feel like “home”

Alternative names Image (Kevin Lynch, 1960)

imageability path, edge, landmark, node, district some urban environments are more imageable than others

Mental maps Peter Gould (preference surfaces) Rodney White

Cognitive maps Roger Downs and David Stea Reg Golledge

Mental MapsGould and White 1986

Ignorance Surface from Pennsylvania

Preference Surface from Minnesota

What areas do you know: Well Moderately

well Not at all

What areas do you consider: Great Good OK Not so hot Really awful

Why does your image of the city matter?

Mental maps

Spatial behavior

Urban form

One example (Los Angeles)

Another example (Los Angeles)

Different Scale

Problems with methodology? Link between mental map and sketch map is

taken for granted, assumed rather than problematized

Several variables not examined: artistic ability (varies by education, age, etc.) practice drawing maps perception of task (e.g. level of probing by researcher) willingness to draw (e.g. amount of free time)

Strengths of methodology?

Reveals individual differences in experience

Builds rapport between researcher and subject

A fun way to initiate broader discussion about the urban environment

Why might mental maps differ from person to person?urban experiences differ from person to person

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

??? ??? ??? ???

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

age access to transportation leisure time fear/confidence

level

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

age access to transportation leisure time fear/confidence

level

???

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

age access to transportation

income

leisure time

profession

race

residentiallocation

fear/confidencelevel

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

age access to transportation

income

leisure time

profession

race

residentiallocation

fear/confidencelevel

???

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

age access to transportation

income

leisure time

profession

race

residentiallocation

income

profession

education

fear/confidencelevel

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

age access to transportation

income

leisure time

profession

race

residentiallocation

income

profession

education

fear/confidencelevel

???

Why might mental maps be different scales?

urban experience

age access to transportation

income

leisure time

profession

race

residentiallocation

income

profession

education

fear/confidencelevel

gender

physical build

age

attitude

crime victim?

Can you think of any other personal variables related to physical ability? How would each of these affect someone’s

image of the city? blind or visually impaired partially or completely deaf mobility impaired developmentally impaired mentally ill substance abusers homeless

How could the city be made more accessible for: children elderly women handicapped poor & unemployed those without cars