THE IMAGE OF THE CITY
By Kevin Andrew Lynch, published in 1960
All
quotations: Lynch 1960
INTRODUCTION
The book
itself shows a very useful way to study and analyze Boston, Los Angeles and
Jersey City and their dynamics. There is
an anthropomorphism of the point of view. Whereas in older trends we can find
the urban space analysis from the building, the square, the textures and the
space itself, in “The Image of The City” the analysis is from the human perception
of the it.
“We’re not simply observers of this spectacle,
but are ourselves a part of it, on the stage with the other participants. Most
often, our perception of the city is not sustained, but rather partial,
fragmentary, mixed with other concerns. Nearly every sense is in operation, and
the image is the composite of them al” (2)
Kevin Lynch
understood the city as an ever changing phenomenon
without a final result but a continuous succession of phases.
He suggested
a method, a tool to study a city, it is neither a strict list of rules nor a
rigid conclusion
“This book (…) will try to show how this
concept might be used today in rebuilding our cities. (…) this study is a
preliminary exploration, a first word
not a last word, and attempt to capture ideas and to suggest how they might be
developed and tested. Its tone will be speculative and perhaps a little
irresponsible”(3)
He creates
a conceptual frame in which he develops the analysis of Boston, Los Angeles and
Jersey City. Thus, some general reflections emerge. Only after this study Lynch
finish the method to study the cities.
Legibility;
building the image; structure and identity; imageability are the features of
the first Chapter which define the “conceptual frame” to start the analysis of
a city.
LEGIBILITY
Visual quality
or apparent clarity of the cityscape: “its
parts can be recognized and can be organized into a coherent pattern. (2, 3)
“To understand this, we must consider not just
the city as a thing in itself, but the city being perceived by its inhabitants”
(3)
“We are supported by the presence of others and
by special way-finding devices: maps, streets numbers, route signs, bus
placards” (4)
“A good environmental image gives it possessor
an important sense of emotional security. He can establish an harmonious
relationship between himself and the outside world” (4)
“The city is in itself a powerful symbol of a
complex society” (5)
BULDING THE IMAGE
“(…) the image of a given reality may vary
significantly between different observers” (6)
“Each individual creates and bears his own
image, but there seems to be substantial agreement among members of a group. It
is this group of images, exhibiting consensus among significant numbers that
interest city planners who aspire to model an environment that will be used by
many people” (7)
STRUCTURE AND IDENTITY
3
components of analysis:
1- Identity
2- Structure
3- Meaning
- “A workable image requires first the
identification of an object, which implies its distinction from other things”
- “The image must include the spatial or
pattern relation of the object to the observer and to other objects”
- “The object must have some meaning for the
observer”
“If it is our purpose to build cities which
will also be adaptable to future purposes –we may even be wise to concentrate
on the physical clarity of the image and to allow meaning to develop without
our direct guidance” (2)
IMAGEABILITY
“(…) quality in a physical object which gives
it a high probability of evoking a strong image in any given observer (…) it
also is called legibility, or perhaps visibility” (9)
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THREE CITIES (Boston-Jersey City-Los Angeles)
“As in any small pilot study, the purpose was
to develop ideas and methods, rather than to prove facts in a final and
determinate way” (14)
Kevin Lynch
uses the analysis of Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles to develop his theory
and introduce some important concepts. The cities previously mentioned are radically
different from each other. However, in those differences Lynch uncovers common
elements of structuring. In these analyses Lynch links macro-medium and human
scale generating a direct relationship to the consequences of taking action in
any urban elements. Furthermore, it shows how they affect the human perception
and the way of living within the city.
Images:
Top: Boston
Middle: Jersey City
Bottom: L.A.
CITY IMAGE AND ITS ELEMENTS
Through the
referred analysis, Lynch establishes 5 common elements in which these three
cities are commonly structured. In the analysis, orientation, perception and
the “city experience” are studied rather than other urban pathologies (like
density, pollution or sustainability) which are the main issues today.
“There seems to be a public image of any given
city which is the overlap of many individual images. (…) Each individual
picture is unique, (…) yet it approximates the public image (…)” (46)
The 5 elements:
Paths
-Channels along which the observers move.
- People observe the city while moving through it.
-Other environmental elements are arranged and related.
Edges
-Linear elements, not used or considered paths by the observer.
-Boundaries between 2 phases.
-Barriers more or less penetrable relate and join or separate 2 regions.
-Not as dominant as paths.
Districts
-Medium-to-large sections of the city.
-Two dimensional extents (the observer is mentally “inside-of”).
-Common identifying character (within a district).
-Identifiable from inside. Used for exterior reference if visible from
outside
-With path, districts are the dominant element for people to structure
their cities
Nodes
-Strategic spots, points of reference
-An observer can enter/ pass through it
-Could be simply concentrations
-Condensation of some use or physical character
-District/node: epitome of a
district/ core/ symbol
-Path/Nodes: convergence of paths/events on the journey
-Are to be found in almost every city image/ dominant feature
Landmarks
-Point of reference
-Observer does not enter within them
-Are external
-Usually a physical object
-Their use involves the singling out of 1 element from other
-Could be distant (seen from many angles and distances)
Districts are
structured with nodes, defined by edges, penetrated by paths, and sprinkled
with landmarks-Elements regularly Overlap and pierce one another
Elements interrelation
“These elements are the raw material of the
environmental image at the city scale. They must be patterned together to
provide a satisfying form” (83)
A great Landmark
may dwarf and throw out of scale a small region at its base” (84)
“Districts in particular, which tend to be of larger size than the other elements, contain within themselves (…), are
thus related to, various paths, nodes,
and landmarks. These other elements not only structure the region internally, they also intensify the identity of the whole by enriching and deepening its character” (84)
“Paths, which are dominant in many individual
images, and which may be a principal resource in organization at the
metropolitan scale, have intimate interrelations with other element types(…). The
paths are given identity and tempo
not only by their own form, or by the nodal junctions, but by the regions they pass through, the edges they move along, and the
landmarks distributed along their lengt” (84)
The passages
above give a clear overview about Lynch´s method in action. They are a
conclusion and a proposal at the same time. One of the most appealing
characteristic of this method is its flexibility despite the fact that it uses
very accurate and identifiable city elements. The same can be said about the
element´s relations.
After introducing
the 5 elements, Lynch developed some examples of how the image changes not only
from one observer to another but also in one observer´s circuit.
CITY FORM
“A city is a multi-porpouse, shifting
organization, a tent form many functions, raised by many hands and with
relative speed. Complete specialization, final meshing noncommittal, plastic to
the purposes and perceptions of its citizens” (91)
“If the environment is visibly organized and
sharply identified, then the citizen can inform it with his own meaning and
connections. Then will become true place, remarkable and unmistakable” (92)
After showing
us the five elements and how they interact, Lynch added the “meaning” to this net of interrelated
concepts. This addition changes everything since the observer´s perception is
the core of the analysis or the proposal. Thus, he illustrated the elements to manage
the public image it can uncover (in the analysis) or created (in the proposal).
- there
is a public image of any given city which is the overlap of many individual
images-
For Kevin
Lynch, when a city has a clear public image which materializes through the
elements and their meanings, it is a successful city. Moreover, those meanings
are built only by the inhabitants of that specific city.
He also affirms
that this city´s image is very important for its development and functionality
as long as it is positive. Therefore, a visitor or a tourist can understand
from the beginning how to “use” that city.
In that
line, designing paths (for example) is explained by using the developed concept
to create a meaningful city image. Direction, motion, rhythm are common
features in this process.
The aim of
the process is to reach form quality. He defined ten features to reach it:
1. SINGULARITY: Figure-background clarity.
The contrast may be to the immediate visible surroundings
2. FORM SIMPLICITY: Clarity and
simplicity of visible form in the geometrical sense. Forms of this nature are much more easily incorporated in the image.
When an element is not simultaneously visible as a whole (…) yet be quite
understandable
3. CONTINUITY: Continuance of edge surface, nearness of parts, repetitions of
rhythmic intervals, etc. These are the
qualities that facilitate the perception of a complex physical reality as one
or as interrelated.
4. DOMINANCE: Dominance of 1 part over others by means of size, intensity, or
interest, resulting in the reading of
the whole as a principal feature with an associated cluster.
5. CLARITY OF JOINT: Clear relation and interconnection. These joints are the strategic moments of structure and should be
highly perceptible.
6. DIRECTIONAL DIFFERENTIATION: These qualities are heavily used in structuring on the larger scale
7. VISUAL SCOPE: Facilitate the grasping of a vast and complex whole by increasing, as
it were, the efficiency of vision
8. MOTION AWARNESS: make sensible the observer, both visual and kinesthetic sences. These
qualities reinforce and develop what an observer can do to interpret direction
or distance.
9. TIME SERIES: Sensed over time, where 1 element is knitted on the 2 before and behind
it. Series that are truly structured in time and this melodic in nature.
10. NAMES AND MEANINGS: non-physical characteristics which may
enhance the imageability of an element. They strongly reinforce such
suggestions toward identity or structure as may be latent in the physical form
itself. (105, 106)
The
perception is, once again, the main aim of the proposal. Whereas straight
roads, octagonal grids, roof gardens, blocks or other specific features, were
common in other urban proposals, Lynch proponed a much more anthropomorphic and
perceptual way of approaching and designing the city. He understands the urban space as a platform for the “substantial
variation in the way different people organize their city”
A clear city image will allow perceiving it as
a whole.
HERE FINISH THE BOOK REVIEW.
Below this point: Personal opinion and reflection of the owner of this Blog.
Is a
preliminary exploration, a first word not a last word, an attempt to capture
ideas and suggest how they might be developed and tested. Its tone will be
speculative and perhaps a little irresponsible. (Lynch, 1960)
CONTEXT OF THIS BOOK : 1960 and surroundings:
Kevin Lynch lived in the United States of America and at the time he wrote The Image of The City he was a he was an university professor. He was in constant contact with students, university life and contemporary trends. This probably suggests that he had some awareness of what was happening at that time. He was not an isolated “genius” studying the city from his panoptic.
The 60`s were
a decade in which the world seemed to change its approach from a rational to an
anthropomorphic one. The perception of what was happening was more important
than the particular fact itself. The meaning of whatever was happening became important.
The TV appearance and the world famous debate between Nixon and Kennedy (Whose listen by radio liked Nixon, whereas whose watched on TV liked Kennedy).
In addition, at that time, USA was in a deep social crisis. The Vietnam War, sexual revolution and drug trips (use and abuse).
The importance of the colors, the psychedelia (derived from the Greek
words psihi - psyche, "soul") and dilosi (
"manifest"), translating to "soul-manifesting"-Wikipedia
definition).
Social landmarks like Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan among others (most of them with a tragic end) were representative of that time. Through their lyrics we can learn much of the feeling of that time.
Every
“expression” seemed to be a mental exploration rather than a clear explanation of the reality or the truth of what was really happening. The importance of the observer and
its point of view were more important rather than the “object” itself. In this
line the “meaning” became the center.
Andy Warhol* is a remarkable example of this. He
created Pop Art by giving a meaning to any ordinary and popular object. That meaning was
usually far from the original meaning of the object.
*You can find some extra material about Warhol further on in this blog
Hunter
Stockton Thompson, a remarkable journalist at that time (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), gives to us a clear picture of the feeling at
that time in ”The wave speech”**. He created the Gonzo Journalism which clearly
reflected the essence of the sixties:
**You can find "The Wave Speech" further on in this blog
Gonzo journalism tends to favor style over fact to achieve accuracy—if accuracy is in
fact meant to be achieved at all—and often uses personal experiences and
emotions to provide context for the topic or event being covered. It disregards
the "polished", edited product favored by newspaper media and strives
for a more gritty, personable approach—the personality of a piece is just as
important as the event the piece is on. Use of quotations, sarcasm, humor, exaggeration, and profanity is common (Wikipedia definition).
The
importance of the images and the perception of the society as a whole thing
were predominant in Warhol, Thompson and Lynch. These key three figures
(Thompson, Lynch, Warhol) epitomize the concept of the importance of the meaning.
For Thompson, the perception of how he lived the "news" was important, the point of view, the "trip" trough the experience and the final description of it.
For Warhol, the ordinary object is only a recipe of social meanings. By manipulating them, Warhol achieve new point of view of the everyday objects.
Kevin Lynch
is the Urban Space in this entire phenomenon. He is one of the first Urbanists that study the city from an anthropomorphic point of view. In fact, this is the most important element in Lynch´s research. That mental perception of the environment and how the city is perceived is the core of the Lynch book since he finished building his theory getting elements by interviewing inhabitants of each of the three cities. In addition, Lynch give us the tools to manipulate that context in order to achieve some point of view, public images, place´s meanings, among others.
Pablo A.Estefanell
When it has been talked about nature and ecology, it has always been made reference to runaway from the city, look for green masive areas, away from noise, to find clear views, landscapes, resuming, go away from the contamination and the stress of the urban environment.
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