Image of the City

By Kevin Lynch
 Presentation by
• Nsubuga Davis 20/U/ARD/12691/GV
Introduction
• The image of the city is a five
year study of three cities;
Boston, Jersey City and Los
Angeles; on how observers take
in information of the city and
use it to make mental maps
• A mental map is an individual’s
cognitive representation of the
urban environment , which is
shaped by their experiences,
memories and perceptions of
the city.
• People make these maps based
on five elements that constitute
the urban environment i.e.
paths, edges, districts , nodes
and landmarks.
Elements of the Urban Environment
 Paths
• Refer to routes people take
as they move through the
city, whether they be
streets, side walks, trails,
canals, railroads and other
forms of transportation.
• They arrange space and
movement between space
 Edges
• These are linear elements
that form boundaries
between areas or linear
breaks in continuity for
example shore, railway
cuts, wall, river
• They can be physical or
visual, and they play a role
in shaping the character of
the city
 Districts
• These are large parts of
the city which share the
same characteristic style
such as spatial form,
topography colors, texture,
urban fabric (commercial,
residential).
• They may have clear edges
or soft uncertain ones
gradually fading away into
the surrounding areas.
 Nodes
• These are strategic spots in
a city into which an
observer can enter and
which are intensive foci to
and from which a person is
travelling.
• They offer the person in
them multiple perceptions
of the other elements
• They may be primarily
junctions or connections
 Landmarks
• These are physical
elements with unique and
special visual features that
have a “point specific”
location and can be
identified from a distance.
• They are points of
reference in the city.
• In this case, the observer
doesn’t enter within the,
they are external
 Duality
Node and landmark Edge and landmark
Pathway and edge District and landmark