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THE CITY IMAGE AND ITS ELEMENTS A PUBLIC IMAGE OF ANY GIVEN CITY IS THE OVERLAP OF MANY INDIVIDUAL IMAGES. THE CONTENTS OF CITY IMAGES STUDIES, WHICH ARE REFERABLE TO PHYSICAL FORMS, ARE CLASSIFIED INTO FIVE TYPES OF ELEMENTS ; PATHS EDGES DISTRICTS NODES LANDMARKS KEVIN LYNCH EXAMINES THESE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF A CITY AS PERCIEVED BY THE INDIVIDUALS. PATHS ; PATHS ARE THE CHANNELS ALONG WHICH THE OBSERVER MOVE. THEY MAY BE STREETS, WALKWAYS, TRANSIT LINES, CANALS, ROADS.PEOPLE OBSERVE CITY WHILE MOVING THROUGH IT. FOR MANY PEOPLE, THESE ARE PREDOMINANT ELEMENTS INTHEIR IMAGE. THE OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS ARE ARRANGED AND RELATED. CONCENTRATION OF A SPECIAL USE OR ACTIVITY AONG A PATH MAY GIVE IT PROMINENCE IN THE MINDS OF OBSERVERS. SPECIAL FAÇADE CHARACTERISTICS ARE ALSO IMPORTANT FOR PATH IDENTITY. THE PATHS, ONCE IDENTIFIABLE, HAVE CONTINUITY AS WELL AS, IS AN OBVIOUS FUNCTIONAL NECESSITY. THE PATHS THAT HAVE A SATISFACTORY DEGREE OF TRAK CONTINUITY ARE OFTEN CONSIDERED TO BE DEPENDABLE. THEY CAN BE FOLLOWED BY A STRANGER, EVEN IF WITH DIFFICULTY. EDGES ; EDGES ARE THE DIVIDING LINES BETWEEN TWO PHASES, SUCH AS SEASHORES, RAILWAY LINES, ETC. EDGES PROVIDE THE BOUNDARIES THAT SEPARATE ONE REGION FROM ANOTHER, THE SEAMS THAT JOIN TWO REGIONS TOGETHER, OR THE BARRIERS THAT CLOSE ONE REGION FROM ANOTHER. THEY ARE LINEAR ELEMENTS, BUT ARE NOT THE PATHS ALONG WITH THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. THEY CAN BE PHYSICAL EDGES SUCH AS SHORELINES, WALLS, RAILROAD CUTS, OR EDGES OF DEVELOPMENT, OR THEY CAN BE LESS WELL-DEFINED EDGES THAT THE INDIVIDUAL PERCEIVES AS A BARRIER. DISTRICTS

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review of the book- IMAGE OF THE CITY

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THE CITY IMAGE AND ITS ELEMENTS

A PUBLIC IMAGE OF ANY GIVEN CITY IS THE OVERLAP OF MANY INDIVIDUAL IMAGES. THE CONTENTS OF CITY IMAGES STUDIES, WHICH ARE REFERABLE TO PHYSICAL FORMS, ARE CLASSIFIED INTO FIVE TYPES OF ELEMENTS ;

PATHS EDGES DISTRICTS NODES LANDMARKS

KEVIN LYNCH EXAMINES THESE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF A CITY AS PERCIEVED BY THE INDIVIDUALS.

PATHS ;PATHS ARE THE CHANNELS ALONG WHICH THE OBSERVER MOVE. THEY MAY BE STREETS, WALKWAYS, TRANSIT LINES, CANALS, ROADS.PEOPLE OBSERVE CITY WHILE MOVING THROUGH IT. FOR MANY PEOPLE, THESE ARE PREDOMINANT ELEMENTS INTHEIR IMAGE. THE OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS ARE ARRANGED AND RELATED.CONCENTRATION OF A SPECIAL USE OR ACTIVITY AONG A PATH MAY GIVE IT PROMINENCE IN THE MINDS OF OBSERVERS. SPECIAL FAÇADE CHARACTERISTICS ARE ALSO IMPORTANT FOR PATH IDENTITY. THE PATHS, ONCE IDENTIFIABLE, HAVE CONTINUITY AS WELL AS, IS AN OBVIOUS FUNCTIONAL NECESSITY. THE PATHS THAT HAVE A SATISFACTORY DEGREE OF TRAK CONTINUITY ARE OFTEN CONSIDERED TO BE DEPENDABLE. THEY CAN BE FOLLOWED BY A STRANGER, EVEN IF WITH DIFFICULTY.

EDGES ;EDGES ARE THE DIVIDING LINES BETWEEN TWO PHASES, SUCH AS SEASHORES, RAILWAY LINES, ETC.EDGES PROVIDE THE BOUNDARIES THAT SEPARATE ONE REGION FROM ANOTHER, THE SEAMS THAT JOIN TWO REGIONS TOGETHER, OR THE BARRIERS THAT CLOSE ONE REGION FROM ANOTHER. THEY ARE LINEAR ELEMENTS, BUT ARE NOT THE PATHS ALONG WITH THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. THEY CAN BE PHYSICAL EDGES SUCH AS SHORELINES, WALLS, RAILROAD CUTS, OR EDGES OF DEVELOPMENT, OR THEY CAN BE LESS WELL-DEFINED EDGES THAT THE INDIVIDUAL PERCEIVES AS A BARRIER.

DISTRICTSDISTRICTS ARE MEDIUM TO LARGE SECTIONS OF THE CITY, CHARACTERIZED BY A WEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD, SUCH AS SUBURBS, COLLEGE, ETC.THEY ARE THE MEDIUM TO LARGE PARTS OF THE CITY WHICH SHARE THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS; STYLE , SPATIAL FORM, TOPOGRAPHY, COLORS, TEXTURE, URBAN FABRIC. DISTRICTS MAY HAVE CLEAR EDGES, OR SOFT UNCERTAIN ONES GRADUALLY FADING AWAY INTO SURROUNDING AREAS.

NODESAREA OF STRATEGIC SPOTS WHERE EXTRA FOCUS IS GIVEN. (E.G: BUSY INTERSECTION, POPULAR CITY CENTER, ETC.)NODES ARE TO BE FOUND IN ALMOST EVERY CITY IMAGE/ DOMINANT FEATURE.

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LANDMARKSA PHYSICAL ELEMENT WITH UNIQUE AND SPECIAL VISUAL FEATURES THAT HAS A "POINT-SPECIFIC” LOCATION, AND CAN BE IDENTIFIED FROM THE DISTANCE SINGULARITY: “ONE IN THE CONTEXT” CLARITY OF GENERAL FORM ARE KNOWN AS LANDMARKS. IN OTHER WORS, LANDMARKS ARE A POINT OF REFERENCE WHICH MAKES ONE ORIENT ONESELF, SUCH AS SIGNS, BUILDINGS, STORE, ETC.

THE AUTHOR SAYS THAT NONE OF THE ELEMENT TYPES ISOLATED ABOVE EXIST IN ISOLATION INREAL CASE. DISTRICTS ARE STRUCTURED WITH NODES, DEFINED BY EDGES, PENETRATED BY PATHS AND SPRINKLED WITH LANDMARKS. ELEMENTS REGULARLY OVERLAP AND PIERCE ONE ANOTHER.

ELEMENTS INTERRELATIONS : THESE ELEMENTS ARE SIMPLY THE RAW MATERIAL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGE AT THE CITY SCALE. THEY MUST BE PATTERNED TOGETHER TO PROVIDE A SATISFYING FORM. NOW TE AUTHOR SUGGESTS CONSIDERING THE INTERACTION OF PAIRS OF UNLIKE ELEMENTS. SUCH PAIRS MAY REINFORCE ONE ANOTHER, RESONATE SO THAT THEY ENHANCE EACH OTHER’S POWER, OR THEY MAY CONFLICT AND DESTROY THEMSELVES.

THE SHIFTING IMAGE : RATHER THAN A SINGLE COMPREHENSIVE IMAGE OF THE ENTIRE ENVIRONMENT, THERE SEEMED TO BE SETS OF IMAGES, WHICH MORE OR LESS OVERLAPPED AND INTERRELATED. IMAGES MAY DIFFER NOT ONLY BY THE SCALE OF AREA INVOLVED, BUT BY VIEWPOINT,TIME OF DAY, OR SEASON.

IMAGE QUALITY :STUDY OF VARIOUS INDIVIDUAL IMAGGES REVEALED CERTAIN DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THEM. FOR EXAMPLE, IMAGES OF AN ELEMENT DIFFERED BETWEEN OBSERVERS IN TERMS OF THEIR RELATIVE DENSITY, I.E., THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY WERE PACKED WITH DETAIL.

CONCLUSION :FROM THIS, ONE MIGHT INFER THAT THE IMAGES OF GREATEST VALUE ARE THOSE WHICH MOST CLOSELY APPROACH A STRONG TOTAL FIELD : DENSE, RIGID AND VIVID, WHICH MAKE USE OF ALL ELEMENT TYPES AND FORM CHARACTERISTICS WITHOUT CONCENTRATION; AND WHICH CAN BE PUT TOGETHER EITHER HIERARCHIALLY OR CONTINUOUSLY, AS OCCASION DEMANDS.

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