Kevin Lynch: Image of the City (1960)
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"Tent for many functions"; "Made by art, for human purposes"; "Shifting organization"
Concept of legibility and imageability : What does a city mean to the people who live there?
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Lynch's objective is to assess the idea of "imageability" (defined as the quality held by a physical object) to find out what forms are triggered by images in people's minds. The image of cities is a dynamic and ever-changing concept, that may differ not only by scale, but also by viewpoint, time and season. Moreover, the users can add, remove and rearrange elements to organize their own city image either. Therefore, this concept is more like an open and ever-developing image rather than a generic or monotonous result to describe a city.
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| Imageability Photo credit: Google.com |
In addition to the concept of “imageability”, another aspect of the urban structure is “legibility” (defined as the ease with which its parts can be recognized) of the city. By this, he means how certain elements of the city are assembled into a logical and systematic setup. He suggests that this organized arrangement is one of the important elements of the city’s landscape, especially where environments are of immeasurable scale, not only in terms of area, but also in terms of population and complexity.
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| Illegible (anxiety provoking) Photo credit: https://www.ribbonfarm.com |
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| Legible (calming) Photo credit: https://www.ribbonfarm.com |
According to his study of five elements of the city, these elements are what creates a sense of identity and structure to the city so that the observer can effortlessly move through the environment. He wants us to comprehend these elements not as disconnected parts but as components that build the face of the city; that create a unified and complete habitat.
Reference: http://architectureandurbanism.blogspot.com/2011/01/kevin-lynch-image-of-city-1960.html
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