Critical Analysis

Kevin Lynch's study was a result of studies conducted in America. Boston, Jersey City, and Los Angeles.
However, there is a huge difference between the cities of the west and Asian cities. Asian regions are very
distinctive in their characteristics, morphology, and Urbanity thus the context changes due to the location.
Since the Urban setting of Delhi is very different from Boston, the Kevin lynch theory is not be
completely applicable here. However there are few features of Kevin lynch theory that should be
considered while planning city as due to continuous development the region is loosing its essence.
Incorporating these principles will enhance the Imageability of the city.

Lynch theory was further analysed by studyng Lutyen delhi and Hauz khas. Lutyens Delhi has the perfect
context for the Mental mapping concept due to its rich history in planning. This area has a strong link to
the history and minds of people. Lutyen Delhi was named after the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens,
who designed buildings during the period of the British Raj.On the other hand Hauz khas provided a
perfect context for a discussion on the co-existence and integration of urban built heritage and modern
urbanization. Hauz Khas is a neighborhood in South Delhi, with the ancient Hauz Khas Complex at its
center. The settlement was well renowned in medieval times. There are flecks of urban culture
interspersed with relics of Islamic architecture.

Imageability of an urban environment is a dominant concept of planning and urban design. It is the point
of contact between people and their environment. Both Lutyen Delhi and Hauz Khas are regions that have
gone through multiple transformations over the decade. Although both of these regions are functional,
they don't represent the essence of the place. Through continuous transformation, these regions have
forgotten their historical roots. Incase of Lutyen Delhi, the continuity in path creates confusion
amongst the visitors. Paths are channels along which people observe the city while moving through it. But
if the user cannot differentiate between the streets, it will not be possible to form a mental map of that
area.
People understand the region through recognizable elements that provide the Legibility and emotional
security of being in familiar territory. But if through continuous transformation it becomes unrecognizable
to its users, then the region loses its imageability. Images are formed by a user in his mind about the
architectural and urban components of the city and their places so he can direct his motion through the
city after that. In making the area recognizable landmarks also play a huge role. Landmarks aid in the
creation of such mental representations of places and connect them with people's minds. A city always
evolves by reimagining its spatial layout as well as the infrastructures that live within it. For instance, the
case of Hauz Khas Chor Minar is completely disregarded while planning, making the place lose its
character and historical prominence. However, India gate has been given great prominence in Lutyen.
This makes it easier for the user in forming a mental map of the place.

The study of Lynch via mental pictures of legibility is a method of understanding place formation as the
result of discourse between observers and the environment. The mental representations also demonstrate
people's emotional attachment to the area. The photos provide place-based significance since they inform
us who it belongs to and who it does not. Also, how people have changed and how they are altering their
surroundings. Since Lynch, the mental map approach has been utilized as a tool for recognizing urban
spaces.
Moreover, Lynch's research was aimed at a communication system that conveys memories, history, and
identity through the mental image, or what later became known as urban architecture mapping. He was
successful in integrating the urban components as a whole, understanding his ways of mapping inside a
city environment. The integration and connection are envisioned through the structure or network pattern
of the setting. As a result, Lynch's research might be classified as a study of urban features that include
actual, imagined, and symbolic elements, as it pertains to practical and emotional factors, as well as an
agreement on creating a public image.
Criticism of the Theory

Although Lynch's study and technique are still regarded as the foundation of current research on the urban
image of cities, there are some critiques of Lynch's work. These criticisms have mostly targeted the
aspects of his work. These include the fact that the research sample was limited, that the group picked was
from a certain class, and that he concentrated on the structure and identity of the physical aspects
while ignoring meaning, despite the importance of meaning in people's perceptions. Lynch said that,
in addition to this, the image continues to play a significant function, either emotionally or socially.

The study was also criticized for focusing just on the physical form and ignoring the social significance,
purpose, and history of the region. It was also centered on visual features rather than other sense factors
like sound. The social component is vital and significant to people. Nonetheless, Lynch's technique has
been utilized and applied to many other cities throughout the world, and it has shown to be beneficial in
assessing and analyzing the image of the city, whether in a modern or historical setting.

Conclusion

Lynch asserted that the five aspects are interrelated and that their holistic synergies may produce a vivid
and coherent image of a city. As a result, the overemphasis on one feature "landmarks" at the expense of
others "edges and nodes" may be detrimental to the overall imageability of the city. People prefer to recall
the components with which they have 'experience.' People's perceptions of the significance of landmarks,
for example, are likely to be influenced if they had some memorable experiences in a certain location.
Thus, a better city image may be realized by encouraging more experiences in less memorable parts, such
as edges and nodes, so that they become more important in people's perceptions of the city's image.

This may be a significant step in improving the overall 'experience' of a place and promoting the
poetic and symbolic connotations that Lynch mentioned so that people identify various parts with
their overall picture of the city. Even though Lynch's model is primarily intended to analyze and
improve the visual forms of cities, architects, urban designers, and city planners must incorporate these
findings into future designs so that people can easily perceive and navigate their urban landscapes,
resulting in a more harmonious, legible, and imageable built environment.

The imageability of an urban environment, a dominant concept of planning and urban design, is the point
of contact between people and their environment. An examination of the present planning processes
indicates that the master plan, in conjunction with land-use zoning and development laws, regulates the
avoidance of formless sprawl from swallowing the countryside as a result of urbanization. One of the
primary purposes of planning is to improve the region's aesthetics through effective urban design
rules. There is a need to construct the master plan with a fresh perspective, and development laws that
will improve the city's imageability by adding imageability factors into the planning model. Based on
current city planning and governing principles, it is clear that to improve the city's image, we must have a
better urban design strategy that is established with a three-dimensional visual picture of the city with a
focus on the constructed form, in context.