ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN V | ARC17R382

REPORT:

THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

BOOK BY KEVIN LYNCH
PRESENTATION BY SHERYL SHEKINAH | 9919014020
 KEVIN LYNCH REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY
" A PIONEER OF TOWN PLANNING "

Kevin Andrew Lynch was born on 7th Jan 1918 &

died on 25th April 1984.
•He was an American urban planner & author.
•He is best known for his work on mental
mapping & on perceptual form of urban
About environments.
the Author •His famous book The Image of the City was
published in 1960.
•He was a disciple of FL Wright before he studied
city planning, & spent his academic career at the
Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology.
•He famously practiced site planning and urban
design
THE IMAGE OF THE CITY REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

“This book is about the look of cities, and whether this look is of any
importance, and whether it can be changed”.
Urban theorist Kevin Lynch's five - year study on Boston,
Jersey City and Los Angeles fruititioned into the now well
recognised book, The Image of The City , in the year 1960.
The Image of the City, sets out to show how people in urban
settings orient themselves by the use of “mental maps.”
Lynch's conclusion was that people formed mental maps of their
surroundings consisting of five basic elements.
New concepts of legibility and Imageability are presented to lay
the theoretical foundation of the entire book.
Followed by that, Lynch introduced three American cities as
examples to reveal his outcomes of field reconnaissance, and
then made comparisons between each other.
 REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

MIND MAPPING
The mental maps that are shared of streets and
landmarks.
These are analyzed in terms of
identity (its recognition as a separable
entity),
structure (the spatial or pattern
relation of the object to the observer
and other objects) and
meaning (for the observer, whether
practical or emotional)
 IMAGEABILITY REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY
imageability: 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.

A highly imageable (apparent, legible, or visible) city in this peculiar sense would
seem well formed, distinct, remarkable; it would invite the eye and the ear to
greater attention and participation. The sensuous grasp upon such surroundings
would not merely be simplified, but also extended and deepened. Such a city
would be one that could be apprehended over time as a pattern of high continuity
with many distinctive parts clearly interconnected. The perceptive and familiar
observer could absorb new sensuous impacts without disruption in his basic
image, and each new impact would touch upon many previous elements. He would
be well oriented, and he could move easily. He would be highly aware of his
environment.
The city of Venice might be an example of such a highly imageable environment.
 IN THE IMAGE OF THE CITY, LYNCH’S
FOCUS IS PRIMARILY LOOKING AT WHAT
HE CALLS THE ‘LEGIBILITY’ OF THE
CITYSCAPE — HOW WE READ CITIES AND
HOW UNDERSTANDING THAT CAN HELP
US (RE)BUILD BETTER CITIES.
 LEGIBILITY REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

In addition to the concept of “imageability”, another integral and

critical aspect of the urban structure is “legibility” of the city.
By this he means “the ease with which its parts can be recognised”
and assembled into a logical and systematic setup.
He suggests that this structured arrangement is one of the
requisite components of the city’s landscape, especially in specific
cases where environments are of immeasurable scale, not only in
terms of area, but also in terms of “time and complexity”.
LYNCHIAN REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

THEORY
 ELEMENTS OF A CITY REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

“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
 REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

Getting A Cognitive Map

Analyses of interviews reveal a
considerable overlap between
different people's images of a
given environment, enabling a
shared image to be mapped.
Maps are analysed according to
frequency of elements; after
that, the results are compared.
Legible layout is that people
are able to form clear
and accurate images of it.
BOSTON
REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY
JERSEY CITY
REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY
 REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

LOS ANGELES
 PATHS REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

Paths are the channels which the observer moves. They can be streets, walkways,
transit lines, canals and railroads. Other than the definition of paths, he introduced
some different features of the paths such as:

Particular paths may become important features in a number of ways such as

customary travel.
Concentration of special use or activity along a street may give it prominence for
the observers.
Specific spatial qualities were able to strengthen the image of particular paths.
Special facade characteristics are important for path identity.
Proximity to special of the city could also endow a path with
increased importance.
Paths with clear and well-known
origins and destinations had stronger
identities.
 EDGES REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

Edges are the boundaries between two phases, linear breaks in

continuity. For instance shores, railroad cuts, edges of development
and walls. There are different types of edges such as:

Fragmentary Edges: In the abstract continuous but only visualized

edges in discrete points.

Overhead Edges: Elevated railways of Jersey City and Boston.

Visible Edge: Lake Michigan in Chicago.

 DISTRICTS REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

Districts are large city areas which observer can mentally go

inside of.

"The physical characteristics that determine districts are:

texture, space, form, detail, symbol, building type, use,
activity, inhabitants, degree of maintenance, topography."

Districts have different kinds of boundaries such as hard,

definite and precise.
Edges may augment the tendency of districts
to fragment the city in a disorganizing way.
Some districts are single, standing along their
zone and others are connected to each other.
 REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

NODES
Nodes are the strategic foci into which the observer
can enter either junctions of paths or concentrations
of some characteristic.
The strategic junction nodes can be the subway
stations, strung along their invisible path systems
and major railroad stations.
Also, the nodes can be introverted or extroverted.
The example was an Italian node which is the Piazza
San Marco.
It was highly differentiated, rich, and intricate;
sharply contrast to the general character of the city.
 REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

LANDMARKS
Landmarks are the point references which are
external to the observer and simple physical elements
vary in scale. Figure background contrast relationship
is the principal factor. Subjects may single out
landmarks for their cleanliness in a dirt city or
newness in an old city. Location at a junction involving
path decisions strengthens a landmark.

An example of a distant landmark is the

Duomo of Florence because it is visible from near and far,
by day or night, it is dominant by size and contour and lastly
it is relate to city’s tradition. Spatial prominence can
establish landmarks
in two ways:
Making element visible from many locations.
Setting up local contrast with nearby elements.
ELEMENTS INTERRELATTIONS
REPORT : THE IMAGE OF THE CITY

None of these elements are isolated from each other in the real case.
Districts are structured with nodes, defined by edges, penetrated by
paths and sprinkled with landmarks.
These elements are the raw material of the environmental image at the city scale.
The must be patterned together to provide satisfying form.
Such pairs may reinforce, resonate or enhance others power; or they may conflict
and destroy themselves.