Image of the City
Kevin Lynch
p.4
But let the mishap of disorientation once occur, and the sense
of anxiety and even error that accompanies it reveals to us how
closely it is linked to our sense of balance and well-being.
And other paragraphs. . .
p.5
Indeed, a distinctive and legible environment not only differs
security but also heightens the potential depth and intensity of
human experience.
And other paragraphs. . . .
p.6
The confusions must be small regions in a visible whole.
Environmental images are the result of a two-way process between
the observer and the environment.
The image of a given reality may vary significantly between
different observers.
p.7
Presumably, this probability can be stated with greater and
greater precision as the observers are grouped in more and more
homogeneous classes of age, sex, culture and occupation,
temperament, or familiarity.
p.8
Three components: Identity, structure and meaning.
And other paragraphs
p.9
The image should be open-ended, adaptable to change, allowing
the individual to continue to investigate and organize reality:
there should be blank spaces where he can extend the drawing for
himself.
p. 16
Undoubtedly, the common concentrations of travel paths or of
work place tended to produce this consistency of the group image by
presenting the same elements to the view of many individuals.
P.18
A substantial fraction added other characteristics about Boston:
that it lacks open or recreational space; that it is an individual,
small, or medium-sized city; that it has large areas of mixed use;
or that it is marked by bay windows, iron fences, or brownstone
fronts.
The favorite views were actually the distant panoramas with the
sense of water and space.
p.49
For most people interviewed, paths were the predominant city
elements, although their importance varied according to the degree
of familiarity with the city. People with least knowledge of Boston
tended to think of the city in terms of topography, large regions,
generalized characteristics, and broad directional
relationships.
p.50
Concentration of special use of activity along a street may give
it prominence in the mind of the observers.
p. 51
Things to note: Proximity to special features of the city,
special activities, facades, pavements, and tree plantings could
give emphasis on a given street.
p. 54
Path may not only be identifiable and continuous, but have
directional quality as well: on direction along the line can easily
be distinguished from the reverse. This can be done by a gradient,
a regular change in some quality which is cumulative in one
direction.
Paths with clear and well known origins and destination had
stronger identities, help tie the city together, and gave the
observer a sense of his bearings whenever he crossed them.
p. 56
At the same time more abrupt directional shifts may enhance
visual clarity by limiting the patial corridor, and by providing
prominent sites for distinctive structures.
p. 57
The simple perpendicular relationship seemed easiest to handle,
especially if the shape of the intersection was reinforced by other
features.
p. 81
Location at a junction involving path decisions strengthens a
landmark.
