Image of the City

IMAGE OF THE CITY KEVIN LYNCH

Theory of K i L h

Lynch influenced the field of city planning through his work on the theory of city form, and studies relating to human perceptions of the city

Kevin Lynchy y , g p p y

on the perception of the city environment and its consequences for city design.

Lynch says "Looking at cities can give a special pleasure, however y y g g p p ,commonplace the sight may be. Like a piece of architecture, the city is a construction in space, but of a vast scale, . . . perceived only in the course of long spans of time . . . At every instant, there is more than the eye can see, more than the ear can hear, a setting or view waiting to be explored. , , g g pNothing is experienced by itself, but always in relation to its surroundings, the sequences of events leading up to it, the memory of past experiences . . . Every citizen has had long associations with some part of his city, and his image is soaked in memories and meanings . . . “g g


Book contentsImage of the city

1. The Image of the Environment1. The Image of the Environment2. Three cities3. The city Image and Its elements4. City Form5. A new Scale5. A new Scale

Appendices

1 Some references to orientation1. Some references to orientation2. The Use of the methodology3. Two examples of analysis


Structure of th b k

Methodology of working:

Make visual plan the bookMake visual planAnalyze the existing form and public image of the area.Understand the critical problems, opportunities and image elements

and use them in designing a city .

To explain that he takes three cities Boston, New jersey, Los Angeles as examples and tries to introduce a system in which one can derive design examples and tries to introduce a system in which one can derive design guidelines.


Making Visual Pl / P bli

The Image of the Environment

He says “Every citizen has had long associations with some part of the Plan/ Public Image

He says, Every citizen has had long associations with some part of the city, and his image is soaked in memories and meanings.” He also concerned with how we locate ourselves within the city, how we find our way around. To know where we are within the city, therefore, we have to build up a workable image of each part Each of these images will build up a workable image of each part. Each of these images will comprise;

our recognition of its “individuality or oneness” within the city as a wholewhole,

our recognition of its spatial or pattern relationships to other parts of the city,

its practical meaning for each of us (both practical and emotional)

Legibility

Definition: The ease with which type characters can be read.

By Lynch : Legibility is essentially the ease with which people understand the layout of a place


understand the layout of a place.

Elements of the it I

By making questionnaire surveys, Lynch defined a method of analyzing legibility based on five elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. He defined these as follows:

city ImagePaths

Familiar routes followed- “Are the channels along which the observer gcustomarily, occasionally, or potentially moves.” E.g.-streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads

The continuity depends on:y p

• Width• Gradient• activityy


Elements of the it Icity Image

Ocassionally



Customarily



Potentially



Edges

dividing lines between districts- "are the linear elements not used or city Image

gconsidered as paths by the observer. They are boundaries between two phases, linear breaks in continuity.”E.g.- shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls ...

as barrier



Breaks



Districts

areas with perceived internal homogeneity- "are medium-to-large sections city Image

p g y gof the city, conceived of as having two-dimensional extent, which the observer mentally enters ‘inside of,’ and which are recognizable as having some common identifying character"E.g.- center, midtown, its in-town residential areas, organized industrial g , , , gareas, trainyards, suburbs, college campuses etc.



Landmarks

point of reference- “Are another type of point-reference, but in this case city Image

p yp p ,the observer does not enter within them, they are external. They are usually a rather simply defined physical object which makes one orient oneself.E.g.-building, sign, store, or mountaing g, g , ,



Nodes

Center of attraction that you can enter- “Are points, the strategic spots in a city Image

y p , g pcity into which an observer can enter. The nodes may be simply concentrations, which gain their importance from being the condensation of some use or physical character, as a street-corner hangout or an enclosed square .”qE.g.-primary junctions, places of abreak in transportation, a crossing or convergence of paths, moments of shift from one structure to another.


Building the I

Creating Mental Map

A person's perception of the world is known as a mental map. A mental ImageA person s perception of the world is known as a mental map. A mental map is an individual's own map of their known world. Mental maps of individuals can be investigated .

by asking for directions to a landmark or other location.by asking for directions to a landmark or other location.

by asking someone to draw a sketch map of an area or describe that area

by asking a person to name as many places as possible in a short period of time.Image of the Environment.


Building the IThe quality of a physical object which gives an observer a strong vivid

Imagibility

ImageThe quality of a physical object, which gives an observer a strong, vivid image. He concluded that a highly imageable city would be well formed, would contain very distinct parts, and would be instantly recognizable to the common inhabitant.

The elements of legibility paths, edges, districts, landmarks, and nodes, when placed in good form, increase human ability to see and remember patterns, and it is these patterns that make it easier to learn.

Public Image

Each individual holds a unique image of his or her city a visual Each individual holds a unique image of his or her city, a visual representation that guides through daily life and maps out meaning. Researching a sample of these images can help planners discern a “public image” of their city.A person's perception of the world is known as a mental map A mental map is an individual's own map of their known a mental map. A mental map is an individual s own map of their known world. Mental maps of individuals can be investigated .

This can be evaluated in terms of identity, what makes this particular image unique among cities structure how the image is spatially formed


image unique among cities, structure, how the image is spatially formed,

Building the I

and meaning, what values are attached to the image through which one can locate himself.

ImageHe discusses these elements in detail with respect to three cities and extracts the structure and identity act of the city which would define the city

How to make a Public Image?

The public image of cities was created in two ways:

1. By interviewing several citizens of three cities • Verbal Interview• Making a quick sketch map

2. By Field study on foot by trained observer

So like these ways four different images were created.


Building the I

Image derived from Verbal Interviews

Image


Building the I

Image derived from sketch maps

Image


Building the I

Image derived from distinctive elements

Image


Building the I

The visual form as seen in the field

Image


Building the I

Problems of Boston Image

Image


Building the I

Comparing

Image


Crits of the th d l

Because of the sample examples were inordinately small: thirty people in Boston, and fifteen in Los Angeles and in Jersey city there was some indication that the composite image might still be a rough first

methodologyp g g g

approximation of the true public image.

So far, the study has definitely shown only the existence of a consistent image which is used to describe or recollect the city in the absence of the g yreal thing.

While the data on single elements was adequate , there was a lack of information on element interrelations, patterns, sequence., p , q


Method as basis f d i f th

If the mass interview for larger samples is done:

All the material would finally be synthesized in a series of maps and for design of the

y y preports which would give the basic public image of the area and the general visual problems and strengths, the critical elements and elements interrelations.

Such studies would produce a library of material on the effects of physical form. On which the designer of cities could draw.

The methods can be apply to different scale or function than cities: a pp ybuilding, landscape, a transportation system or a valley region.

The studies helps to create the potential structure of the city which would allow one gradually to construct a more complex picture.g y p p


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo5BAaiJQsM

Check out what Lynch has to say about the Image of the city


Date post:	29-Nov-2014
Category:	Documents
Upload:	minorin-lablee
View:	515 times
Download:	1 times

Image of the City

Documents