The City Image and Its Elements: Paths

THE CITY IMAGE AND ITS ELEMENTS
A PUBLIC IMAGE OF ANY GIVEN CITY IS THE OVERLAP OF MANY INDIVIDUAL IMAGES. THE
CONTENTS OF CITY IMAGES STUDIES, WHICH ARE REFERABLE TO PHYSICAL FORMS, ARE
CLASSIFIED INTO FIVE TYPES OF ELEMENTS ;
PATHS
EDGES
DISTRICTS
NODES
LANDMARKS
KEVIN LYNCH EXAMINES THESE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF A CITY AS PERCIEVED BY THE

INDIVIDUALS.
PATHS ;
PATHS ARE THE CHANNELS ALONG WHICH THE OBSERVER MOVE. THEY MAY BE
STREETS, WALKWAYS, TRANSIT LINES, CANALS, ROADS.PEOPLE OBSERVE CITY WHILE
MOVING THROUGH IT.
FOR MANY PEOPLE, THESE ARE PREDOMINANT ELEMENTS INTHEIR IMAGE. THE
OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS ARE ARRANGED AND RELATED.
CONCENTRATION OF A SPECIAL USE OR ACTIVITY AONG A PATH MAY GIVE IT
PROMINENCE IN THE MINDS OF OBSERVERS. SPECIAL FAADE CHARACTERISTICS ARE
ALSO IMPORTANT FOR PATH IDENTITY. THE PATHS, ONCE IDENTIFIABLE, HAVE
CONTINUITY AS WELL AS, IS AN OBVIOUS FUNCTIONAL NECESSITY. THE PATHS THAT
HAVE A SATISFACTORY DEGREE OF TRAK CONTINUITY ARE OFTEN CONSIDERED TO BE
DEPENDABLE. THEY CAN BE FOLLOWED BY A STRANGER, EVEN IF WITH DIFFICULTY.
EDGES ;
EDGES ARE THE DIVIDING LINES BETWEEN TWO PHASES, SUCH AS SEASHORES,
RAILWAY LINES, ETC.
EDGES PROVIDE THE BOUNDARIES THAT SEPARATE ONE REGION FROM ANOTHER,
THE SEAMS THAT JOIN TWO REGIONS TOGETHER, OR THE BARRIERS THAT CLOSE
ONE REGION FROM ANOTHER. THEY ARE LINEAR ELEMENTS, BUT ARE NOT THE PATHS
ALONG WITH THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. THEY CAN BE
PHYSICAL EDGES SUCH AS SHORELINES, WALLS, RAILROAD CUTS, OR EDGES OF
DEVELOPMENT, OR THEY CAN BE LESS WELL-DEFINED EDGES THAT THE INDIVIDUAL
PERCEIVES AS A BARRIER.
DISTRICTS
DISTRICTS ARE MEDIUM TO LARGE SECTIONS OF THE CITY, CHARACTERIZED BY A
WEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD, SUCH AS SUBURBS, COLLEGE, ETC.
THEY ARE THE MEDIUM TO LARGE PARTS OF THE CITY WHICH SHARE THE SAME
CHARACTERISTICS; STYLE , SPATIAL FORM, TOPOGRAPHY, COLORS, TEXTURE, URBAN
FABRIC.
DISTRICTS MAY HAVE CLEAR EDGES, OR SOFT UNCERTAIN ONES GRADUALLY FADING
AWAY INTO SURROUNDING AREAS.
NODES
AREA OF STRATEGIC SPOTS WHERE EXTRA FOCUS IS GIVEN. (E.G: BUSY

INTERSECTION, POPULAR CITY CENTER, ETC.)
NODES ARE TO BE FOUND IN ALMOST EVERY CITY IMAGE/ DOMINANT FEATURE.
LANDMARKS
A PHYSICAL ELEMENT WITH UNIQUE AND SPECIAL VISUAL FEATURES THAT HAS A
"POINT-SPECIFIC LOCATION, AND CAN BE IDENTIFIED FROM THE DISTANCE
SINGULARITY: ONE IN THE CONTEXT CLARITY OF GENERAL FORM ARE KNOWN AS
LANDMARKS. IN OTHER WORS, LANDMARKS ARE A POINT OF REFERENCE WHICH
MAKES ONE ORIENT ONESELF, SUCH AS SIGNS, BUILDINGS, STORE, ETC.
THE AUTHOR SAYS THAT NONE OF THE ELEMENT TYPES ISOLATED ABOVE EXIST IN
ISOLATION INREAL CASE. DISTRICTS ARE STRUCTURED WITH NODES, DEFINED BY EDGES,
PENETRATED BY PATHS AND SPRINKLED WITH LANDMARKS. ELEMENTS REGULARLY OVERLAP
AND PIERCE ONE ANOTHER.
ELEMENTS INTERRELATIONS :
THESE ELEMENTS ARE SIMPLY THE RAW MATERIAL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGE AT THE
CITY SCALE. THEY MUST BE PATTERNED TOGETHER TO PROVIDE A SATISFYING FORM. NOW
TE AUTHOR SUGGESTS CONSIDERING THE INTERACTION OF PAIRS OF UNLIKE ELEMENTS.
SUCH PAIRS MAY REINFORCE ONE ANOTHER, RESONATE SO THAT THEY ENHANCE EACH
OTHERS POWER, OR THEY MAY CONFLICT AND DESTROY THEMSELVES.
THE SHIFTING IMAGE :
RATHER THAN A SINGLE COMPREHENSIVE IMAGE OF THE ENTIRE ENVIRONMENT, THERE
SEEMED TO BE SETS OF IMAGES, WHICH MORE OR LESS OVERLAPPED AND INTERRELATED.
IMAGES MAY DIFFER NOT ONLY BY THE SCALE OF AREA INVOLVED, BUT BY VIEWPOINT,TIME
OF DAY, OR SEASON.
IMAGE QUALITY :
STUDY OF VARIOUS INDIVIDUAL IMAGGES REVEALED CERTAIN DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN
THEM. FOR EXAMPLE, IMAGES OF AN ELEMENT DIFFERED BETWEEN OBSERVERS IN TERMS
OF THEIR RELATIVE DENSITY, I.E., THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY WERE PACKED WITH DETAIL.
CONCLUSION :
FROM THIS, ONE MIGHT INFER THAT THE IMAGES OF GREATEST VALUE ARE THOSE WHICH
MOST CLOSELY APPROACH A STRONG TOTAL FIELD : DENSE, RIGID AND VIVID, WHICH MAKE
USE OF ALL ELEMENT TYPES AND FORM CHARACTERISTICS WITHOUT CONCENTRATION; AND
WHICH CAN BE PUT TOGETHER EITHER HIERARCHIALLY OR CONTINUOUSLY, AS OCCASION
DEMANDS.

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THE CITY IMAGE AND ITS ELEMENTS

KEVIN LYNCH EXAMINES THESE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF A CITY AS PERCIEVED BY THE

AREA OF STRATEGIC SPOTS WHERE EXTRA FOCUS IS GIVEN. (E.G: BUSY

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