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.