THE IMAGE OF THE CITYby: KEVIN LYNCH

Presented by: Jhaybelle Paraiso

Introduction Image of the city is a book written by Kevin Andrew Lynch a well known

city planner and designer,

He graduated from MIT ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and a professor there after.

Lynch describes a five year study in his famous book “Image of the City‟, that reveals about, what elements in a built structure of a city are important in the perception of the city.

 He is known for his work on the perceptual form of urban environments and was an early proponent of mental mapping. His most influential books include The Image of the City (1960), a seminal work on the perceptual form of urban environments, and What Time is This Place? (1972), which theorizes how the physical environment captures and refigures temporal processes.

A student of architect Frank Lloyd Wright before training in city planning

Understanding Neighborhoods Through Mental Mapping

Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City (1960)Case studies in Boston, Los Angeles, and Jersey CityHow people perceive the spatial arrangement their city -

its “legibility” “Mental” maps with 5 elements

1. Paths

2. Edges

3. Districts

4. Nodes

5. Landmarks

Image of the City What does the city's form actually mean to the people who live there? What can the city planner do to make the city's image more vivid and memorable to the city dweller? To answer these questions, Mr. Lynch, supported by studies of Los Angeles, Boston, and Jersey City, formulates a new criterion-imageability--and shows its potential value as a guide for the building and rebuilding of cities. The wide scope of this study leads to an original and vital method for the evaluation of city form. The architect, the planner, and certainly the city dweller will all want to read this book

“There seems to be a public image of any given city which is the overlap of many individual images. Or perhaps there is a series of public images, each held by some significant number of citizens. Such group images are necessary if an individual is to operate successfully within his environment and to cooperate with his fellows. Each individual picture is unique. with some content that is rarely or never communicated, yet it approximates the public image, which, in different environments, is more or less compelling, more or less embracing.” Kevin A. Lynch The Image of the City, page 46.

In Lynch’s view, image can be explained as “a picture especially in the mind”, a sentimental combination between objective city image and subjective human thoughts.

LEGIBILITY

The apparent clarity or "Legibility" of the cityscape. It mean the ease with which its parts can be recognized and can be organized into a coherent pattern/Just as this printed page, if it is legible, can be visually grasped as a related pattern of recognizable symbols, so a legible city would be one whose districts or landmarks or pathways are easily identifiable and are easily grouped into an over-all pattern.

 It is said to be the ease with which people understand the layout of a place. To understand the layout of the city, people make a mental map, which contains mental images of the city constrains. 

Principles for effective wayfinding include:

• Create an identity at each location, different from all others.

• Use landmarks to provide orientation cues and memorable locations.

• Create well-structured paths.

• Create regions of differing visual character.

• Don't give the user too many choices in navigation.

• Use survey views (give navigators a vista or map).

• Provide signs at decision points to help wayfinding decisions.

• Use sight lines to show what's ahead.

Five types of elements

PATHS EDGES DISTRICTS NODES LANDMARKS

PATHS Paths are the channel along which the observer customarily,

occasionally, or potentially moves. They may be streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads.

These are the predominant elements in their image. People observe the city while moving through it.

EDGES Edges are the linear elements not used or considered as paths by

observer. They are the boundaries between two phases, linear breaks in continuity: shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls.

These edges elements, although probably not as dominant as paths, are for many people important organizing features particularly in the role of holding together generalized areas, as in the outline of a city by water or wall

DISTRICTS Districts are the medium-to-large sections of the city, conceived of as having

two-dimensional extent, which the observer mentally enters “inside of”, and which recognizable of having some common, identifying character.

Most people structure their city to some extent in this way, with individual differences as to whether paths or districts are the dominant elements.

NODES Nodes are points, the strategic spots in a city into which an observer

can enter, and which are the intensive foci to and from which he is traveling

They may be primarily junctions, places of break in transportation, a crossing or convergence of paths, moments of shift from one structure to another

LANDMARKS Landmarks are another type of point-reference, but in this case the observer

does not enter within them, they are external

They are usually a rather simply defined physical object: building, sign, store, or mountain. Their use involves the singling out of one element from host of possibilities

They may be within the city or at such distance that for all practical purposes they symbolize a constant direction. Such as isolated towers, golden domes, great hills

IMAGEABILITY

Physical qualities which relate to the attributes of identity and structure in the mental image. This leads to the definition of what might be called image ability; that quality in a physical object which gives it a high probability of evoking a strong image in any given observer. It is that shape, color, or arrangement which facilitates the making of vividly identified, powerfully structured, highly useful mental images of the environment.

CONCEPT OF IMAGEABILITY Another term introduced by Lynch, is the quality of physical object,

which gives a observer a strong vivid image.

High imageable city would be well formed, would contain distinct paths.

They should be instantly recognizable.

Well formed city is highly dependent upon the elements because, that would make the viewers their city imageable.

Remembering your city on images is meaningful.

E.g.: Well designed paths include special lighting, clarity of direction, etc. Similarly with nodes, landmarks, districts, edges.

These elements placed in good form, increase human ability to see and remember patterns and it is these patterns which make easier to learn.

CREATING A MENTAL MAP

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 world. • Mental maps of individuals can be investigated .

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.

MENTAL MAPS CAN BE EVALUATED BY:

This can be evaluated in terms of identity, what makes this particular image unique among cities, structure.

How the image is spatially formed and meaning. What values are attached to the image through

which one can locate himself.

PUBLIC IMAGE

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 describe a “public image” of their city.

HOW TO MAKE PUBLIC IMAGE? The public image of cities was created in two ways:

1. By interviewing several citizens of cities

• Verbal Interview • Making a quick sketch map

2. By Field study on foot by trained observer

REFERENCE

The image of the city by Kevin A. LynchSource:

http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/infoarch/publications/mfoltzthesis/node8.html

http://www.slideshare.net/rajapukai/image-of-the-city-kevin-lynch-case-study

Signs and Symbolisms in Urban Design

SAPUNGAN, LEONORALYNN N.

Definition of Terms

Signs: A notice that is publicly displayed giving information in a written or symbolic form.

Symbols: A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

Semiotics: Semiotics is a specialized field for the study of signs, or, more precisely, it is “the discipline that endeavors to understand the human quest for meaning”.

Purpose of Signs in Urban Life

Signs have been a vital part of urban life since ancient times.

In ancient Egyptian and Babylonian markets, they used representative objects to symbolize their functions.

Romans displayed symbols on a signboard.

Many European cities mandated the display of signs on all store fronts.

A city in Austria

Signs as Organization Tools

“…as systems evolve, they tend toward increasing complexity and that with this complexity comes increased organization, not unpredictability.”

- Charles Jencks

Two scales which signs are structured:

1. Individual Signs : should be clear and legible

2. Sign Systems

- used for way finding.

Wayfinding: individual’s ability to move about a space.

People’s perception towards signs

Imageability

According to Lynch, People organize cities using these common features:

1. Paths

2. Landmarks

3. Regions

4. Edges

5. Nodes

Purpose of Landmarks

1. Orientation Cue 2. Memorable

Location

Provide signs at Decision Points to help wayfinding decisions.

*Decision Points: Where the

navigator must make wayfinding

decisions.

Signs gives additional information, should help the navigator reach his eventual goal.

Questions to be asked at Decision Points:

1. Should a sign be placed here?

- The cost of making a wrong

choice is high.

- Insufficient information

available from decision

point’s view.

2. What destinations should be

included in the sign?

- Destination’s frequency

- Importance or Memorability

- Immediacy

- Utility

Reference:

The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch SIGNS SENSE: EXPLORING SIGNS IN URBAN PLACE

MAKING by Amy Elizabeth Pecquet Oxford Dictionary

Designing Open spaces

Lim al hennecy e.

Importance of Open Spaces

they account for about 80 per cent of public open space in urban areas.

they provide the setting for thousands of billions worth of property,

they are the routes for sewage, waste, electricity, communications, gas, and clean water

streets are where the private world ends and the community starts · streets are in essence a large portion of our lives.

Yet we overlook the street

Understanding Open Spaces

FACTORS

• Character (a place with its own identity)

• Continuity and enclosure (a place where public and private spaces are clearly distinguished)

• Quality of the public realm (a place with attractive and successful outdoor areas)

• Ease of movement (a place that is easy to get to and move through)

• Legibility (a place that has a clear image and is easy to understand)

• Adaptability (a place that can change easily). Diversity (a place with variety and choice).

1.1 Character

The lanes in Brighton

Victoria Street, Edinburgh

What’s special about this place?

• What we value highly of the places we like is some sense of uniqueness, of difference, of individual character.

• ‘The best places are memorable, with a character which people can appreciate easily’.

• the primary challenge facing transport practitioners is to minimize the negative impacts of the work they do.

Maeklong, 60km from Bangkok, Thailand

1.2 Continuity & Enclosure

Grey street, Newcastle

Are spaces well defined?

• we all value the clear definition of the private and public realm; we all like to know whether we’re supposed to be where we are; and

• By Design states that development either contributes to making the urban fabric coherent or undermines it. It also comments that too many places have been blighted by development that ignores local urban structure and creates bits of leftover space that contribute nothing to the town or city.

The matter of leftover bits of land is something with which highway designers, in particular, are familiar. They are the almost inevitable result of building new roads along corridors that have been reserved and necessarily defined on the basis of land ownership

Its continuous and encloses, but this wall in Ipswich makes lifeless and intimidating road

1.3 Quality of the Public Realm

Kensington Highstreet in London

Is this place welcoming and attractive?

• creating a high quality public realm concerns the visual attractiveness of a place.

• A high-quality public realm not only looks attractive but it also functions well.

• The public realm is commonly rendered uninspiring or worse by the paraphernalia associated with the provision of easy movement for vehicles, and the control of pedestrian and other movements.

success of the public realm depends on the arrangement of its paving, planting, lighting, orientation, shelter, signage, street furniture, and the way it is overlooked, as well as the routes which pass through it, and the uses in and next to it’.

By Design also comments that streets and junctions designed as public spaces (rather than just traffic facilities) are likely to be more attractive to, and convenient for, all users.

1.4 Ease of Movement

Market street, San Francisco Good Pedestrian Crossing, UK Highway Code

Can I get about conveniently by any mode?

Ease of movement is not solely a matter of balancing the needs of all modes, however. It also encompasses the importance of designing the fabric of towns and cities to promote good connections, and of deploying land uses to make the most of transport assets and to make improvement of these assets more likely

1.5 Legibility

Fullton street, Clinton Hill Brooklyn

Is it easy to work out where to go?

• Legibility is all about people finding their way. Places that are easy to understand as a result of their form, layout and signage are likely both to function well, and be pleasant to live in and visit.

• Signs, whether intended for drivers, cyclists or pedestrians to follow, are of course very useful for way-finding. However, a profusion of signs can be more confusing than helpful, and can lead to unnecessary visual and physical clutter.

1.6 Adaptability

• If, as By Design says, successful places prosper in changing circumstances and ‘avoid the destructive trauma of large-scale blight and dereliction’, we must judge as failures those towns and cities that are, and have been for many years, dominated by major highway infrastructure.

• It’s a cliché, but it is truer of dynamic urban areas than almost anywhere else: ‘constant change is here to stay’. Whenever we design or build anything, we should do so only after having paid some attention to the fact that contemporary demands, pressures, aspirations and techniques will have changed, perhaps significantly, in just five or ten years’ time.

How ‘future-proof’ is this scheme?

Church Street in Blackburn: a very expensive and highly inflexible pedestrianisation scheme Masshouse in Birmingham - showing what it

takes to ‘adapt’ major highway infrastructure

1.7 Diversity

Is there lots going on here?

• We’re becoming increasingly used to the phrase ‘mixed-use development’, perhaps to the extent that we risk thinking of it as a new land use class. Rather, it represents a challenge to ensure that towns and cities have lots to offer, at different times, and to avoid creating.

• Dynamic traffic management can help to encourage a greater range of activities at different times by enabling less rigid access controls.

• Another aspect of diversity concerns the encouragement that good access to public transport can give to high densities and hence intensive activity, places dominated by single uses or user groups

This multi-storey car park in Ipswich creates a setting that is only attractive to more parking

Abandoned Street at Lisbon Portugal

Sources

Designing Open Spaces for People (How Highways and Transports Professionals Can Help Make Better Places) by John Sorrell CBE Chair, CABE & Alistair Haydock President, IHT

SPACES IN URBAN DESIGN

ONG, CHRISTINE JOYCE P.

URBAN OPEN SPACE

areas for "parks", "green spaces", and other open areas. The landscape of urban open spaces can range from playing fields to highly maintained environments to relatively natural landscapes.

commonly open to public access, however, urban open spaces may be privately owned.

STREETS Streets are the

connections between spaces and places, as well as being spaces themselves.

defined by their physical dimension and character as well as the size, scale, and character of the buildings that line them.

PLAZA A plaza is an open urban public space, such as

a city square

All through Spanish America and the Spanish East Indies, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be incorporated in a wing of a governor's palace, and the audiencia or law court.

In modern usage, a plaza can be any gathering place on a street or between buildings, a street intersection with a statue, etc

A square or plaza is both an area framed by buildings and an area designed to exhibit its buildings to the greatest advantage.

Immagine da Genova - Piazza De Ferrari

PARKS area of natural, semi-natural, or

planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of grassy areas, rocks, soil, and trees, but may also contain buildings and other artifacts such as monuments, fountains or playground structures.

In North America, many parks have fields for playing sports such as soccer, baseball and football, and paved areas for games such as basketball.

Urban parks often have benches for sitting and they may contain picnic tables and barbecue grills.

PRECINT A precinct is a space enclosed

by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it.

RESIDENTIAL SPACES

A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.

Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residential, or mobile homes.

CONDOMINIUM

APARTMENT BLOCKS

RESIDENTIAL HOUSES

COMMERCIAL SPACES Commercial areas in a city can take up about 5% of a city’s land. It is used

for commercial activities. These activities include the buying and selling of goods and services in retail businesses, wholesale buying and selling, financial establishments, and wide variety of services that are broadly classified as "business".

SHOPPING CENTERSBANKS

RESTAURANTS

CINEMA/ THEATRE/ AUDITORIUM

SUPERMARKET / GROCERY STORES / MARKET PLACE

RECREATIONAL SPACES

New Meadowlands Stadium

New Meadowlands StadiumSTADIUMS / SPORTS ARENA

Guggenheim MuseumMUSEUM / ART GALLERIES

INDUSTRIAL SPACES property used for industrial purposes.

Industrial purposes include: heavy and light manufacturing buildings; research and development parks; factory-office multiuse property; factory-warehouse multiuse property; and industrial parks.

FACTORIESWAREHOUSE

TRANSPORTATION SPACES

AIRPORT

BUS TERMINAL

TRAIN STATIONS

REFERENCE

The image of the city by Kevin A. Lynch

Urban spaces no. 2 by John Morris Dixon,FAIA