IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

 Lynch influenced the field of city planning through his work on the
theoryy of cityy form,, and studies relating
g to human perceptions
p
p
of the cityy
on the perception of the city environment and its consequences for city
design.

Theory of
K i Lynch
Kevin
L h

Lynch
y
says
y "Looking
g at cities can give
g a special
p
pleasure,
p
, however
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
g or view waiting
g to be explored.
p
Nothing 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
g is soaked in memories and meanings
g ...

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Image of the city

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Image of the Environment

Three cities
The city Image and Its elements
City Form
A new Scale

Book contents

Appendices
1. Some references to orientation
1
2. The Use of the methodology
3. Two examples of analysis

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Methodology of working:
Structure of
th b
the
book
k

Make visual plan

Analyze 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
guidelines.

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

The Image of the Environment

He says,
says Every
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
part. Each of these images will
comprise;

Making Visual
Pl / P
Plan/
Public
bli
Image

our recognition of its individuality or oneness within the city as a

whole,
whole
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.
place

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

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:

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

Paths
Familiar routes followed- Are the channels along
g which the observer
customarily, occasionally, or potentially moves.
E.g.-streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads
The continuityy depends
p
on:
Width
Gradient
activityy

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

Ocassionally
IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

Customarily
IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

Potentially
IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Edges
dividing
g lines between districts- "are the linear elements not used or
considered as paths by the observer. They are boundaries between two
phases, linear breaks in continuity.
E.g.- shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls ...

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

as barrier

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

Breaks

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Districts
areas with p
perceived internal homogeneityg
y "are medium-to-large
g sections
of 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.g center,, midtown,, its in-town residential areas,, organized
g
industrial
areas, trainyards, suburbs, college campuses etc.

IMAGE OF THE CITY

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

KEVIN LYNCH

 Landmarks
p
point
of reference- Are another type
yp of point-reference,
p
, but in this case
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,
g
g, sign,
g , store,, or mountain

IMAGE OF THE CITY

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

KEVIN LYNCH

 Nodes
Center of attraction that yyou can enter- Are p
points,, the strategic
g spots
p
in a
city 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
q
.
E.g.-primary junctions, places of a
break in transportation, a crossing
or convergence of paths, moments of
shift from one structure to another.

IMAGE OF THE CITY

Elements of the
city
it Image
I

KEVIN LYNCH

Creating Mental Map

A person's
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 .

Building the
I
Image

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.

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Imagibility
The quality of a physical object,
object which gives an observer a strong,
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.

Building the
I
Image

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,
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.
map A mental map is an individual's
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,
cities structure,
structure how the image is spatially formed,
formed

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

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

Building the
I
Image

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.

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Image derived from Verbal Interviews

Building the
I
Image

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Image derived from sketch maps

Building the
I
Image

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Image derived from distinctive elements

Building the
I
Image

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

The visual form as seen in the field

Building the
I
Image

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Problems of Boston Image

Building the
I
Image

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

Comparing

Building the
I
Image

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

 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
p
image
g might
g still be a rough
g first
approximation of the true public image.

Crits of the
methodology
th d l

So far, the study has definitely shown only the existence of a consistent
image
g which is used to describe or recollect the cityy in the absence of the
real thing.
While the data on single elements was adequate , there was a lack of
information on element interrelations,, patterns,
p
, sequence.
q

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

If the mass interview for larger samples is done:

All the material would finallyy be synthesized
y
in a series of maps
p and
reports which would give the basic public image of the area and the
general visual problems and strengths, the critical elements and elements
interrelations.

Method as basis
f design
for
d i off the
th

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
pp y to different scale or function than cities: a
building, landscape, a transportation system or a valley region.
The studies helps to create the potential structure of the city which
would allow one g
graduallyy to construct a more complex
p picture.
p

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo5BAaiJQsM
Check out what Lynch has to say about the Image of the city

IMAGE OF THE CITY

KEVIN LYNCH