The Image of the City

Page 1

Shiho Asada

The Image of the City

ma Information Design

Kevin Lynch, 1960

University of Reading Overview First written in October 2014

The Image of the City is a book about urban information

and revised in October 2015

design, written by Kevin Lynch, 1960. This book is known as the first literature which defines the modern usage of wayfinding. According to Lynch, wayfinding is a ‘consistent use and organisation of definite sensory cues from the external environment’. This definition has affected many city planners and wayfinding designers until today. The Image of the City is a result of Lynch’s five-year research on how people perceive a city. Mental maps, simple sketches of maps drawn from memory of urban areas had been used for his research (Fig. 1). He collected mental maps from citizens for revealing the geographical and social problems of the cities that people faced. Lynch mentions that The Image of the City explains ‘the look of cities, and whether this look is of any importance, and whether it can be changed’. Also, Lynch highlights ‘giving visual form to the city is a special kind of design problem’. The research was conducted in three different cities in the usa (Boston, Los Angels and Jersey City) for examining this new

Figure 1. Lynch's mental map of Boston based on field work and interviews Lynch, The Image of the City

1


problem, suggesting a method to form the visual image of the city and offering the principles of city design. According to Lynch, there are five elements (Fig. 7 – 8) that help people to form mental maps and make users understood their surroundings in consistent and predictable ways. The five elements are: paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. He suggests that urban designers should analyse these elements and built wayfinding which navigates people smoothly and helps people to create images of the city. What is ‘image of the city’? An image of the city is a mental image of an environment which is held by the citizens. Constructing the image of the city takes long spans of time because it is vast, and varies on different occasions and with different people. Also, it is seen in all the conditions of lights and weathers. In addition to the environmental conditions, the citizens themselves and their activities play important roles in the image of the city as well as the stationary physical parts of the city, such as buildings and roads. Each citizen observes the city and surroundings including him/herself and other participants. Thus, it can be said that the image of the city is the composite of everyone’s observations and sense. How people build mental image of the city? The image of the city is an outcome of interaction between an observer and his/her environment (Fig. 2). There are three situations of making coherent images: when a mental picture of an object has developed identity and organisation through

Figure 2. Interacting process between an observer and an environment

Giving distinctions and relations

Selecting and organising information Getting familiarity with the environment Adapting to the environment

2


long familiarity; when a new object is identified because of a correspondence with a stereotype already constructed by the observer; when a new object has strong structure or identity such as remarkable physical features and suggests their patterns. Those coherent images tend to be similar in the same groups observers who are in homogeneous classes of age, sex, culture, occupation, temperament, or familiarity. Therefore, city planners should study about the groups of citizens and the images they might have. What are the essential qualities of the city image? •• Legibility A legible city can be recognised visually with symbols. Its districts or landmarks or pathways should be identified and grouped into one pattern easily. The legibility of cityscape is the most important property in urban city planning because nobody has any mystic ‘instinct’ of wayfinding. Instead of it, people can use lots kinds of cues such as the visual sensations of colour, shape, motion or polarization of light; and other senses such as smell, sound, touch, kinesthesia or sense of gravity. In order to navigate people, wayfinding devices should be offered to pedestrians: maps, street numbers, route signs and bus placards (Fig. 3). Those wayfinding devices can produce a vivid, integrated and sharp image of the city. Good environmental image may keep people’s emotion stable and enhance the potential depth and intensity of people’s experience.

Figure 3. Legible London, the pedestrian wayfinding system of London has totems and maps. The symbols are coherent, and built everywhere in London from street to underground stations. Applied Information Group, Yellow Book: A Prototype Wayfinding System for London.

3


EST END

Square

CITY

Museum

Titchfield Cavendish

St Christopher Portman

Carnaby

Grosvenor

Argyle

Regent Street

Bond Street

Savile

Holford Berwick

Piccadilly

Haymarket Trafalgar Exmouth Square

Jermyn

Tavistock

St James

Corams FieldsPalace

Whitehall Clerkenwell

Mall

Fitzroy

Buckingham Palace

Hoxton

Tate Modern

Borough Market

Southbank Centre Waterloo East

Waterloo Station

High Street Nelson Square

Golden Lane The

London Bridge

Little Dorrit

Bunhill Fields

Cut

Farringdon

Lower Marsh Market

Parliament

Grays Inn

Bloomsbury

Cleveland

City Hall

Guys

Little Italy

BuckinghamFields Petty Gate France

Shoreditch Leather Market

Webber

St. Thomas’s

Tabard Broadgate

St. George’s

(Fig. 4), structure (Fig. 5) and meaning (Fig. 6). Identity is a strong Portland

Tottenham Court Road

Bedford Square

Museum

Westminster Abbey

Victoria Street

High Holborn

Rathbone

Lambeth PalaceLittle

Smith Holborn Square Circus

Horseferry

Barbican Lambeth North

Smithfield

South Bank University

Kennington Road

Britain

London Wall

West Square

Abbey Street

Newington Gardens

Finsbury CircusNew Kent

Elephant & Castle

Bricklayers Arms

Road

feature that can be identified easily because of its distinction from Titchfield

Cavendish

St Christopher

Lincolns Inn

St Giles

Oxford Street

Oxford Circus

Portman

Drury

Soho Charing Square Cross Road

North Soho

Vincent

Lambeth Walk

Millbank

Kingsway

Bishopsgate

Guildhall

Old Black BaileyPrince

Chancery Lane

Newington Butts

Kennington Park

Petticoat Lane

others. Structure is a spatial or pattern relationship between the Oxford Street

Carnaby

Marble Arch

Regent Street

South Molton

Cheapside

Tate Britain

Seven Dials

Berwick Compton Market Shaftesbury Ave Golden Chinatown Square

Hanover

Neal Street

Temple

Aldwych

Aldgate

Cornhill

St. Paul’s

Spring Gardens

object and the observer. Meaning is a kind of emotional influence

Grosvenor

Bond Street

Savile

Cannon Street

Somerset House

Piazza

Eastcheap

Strand

St. Martin’s

on the observer from the object. If those three features of the Berkeley

Park Lane

Blackfriars

Long Acre

Leicester Square

Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly

Holford

Northumberland

image of the city are distinctive, the visibility of the city can be St James Palace

Mall

more understandable. Buckingham Palace

Guiding principles A L D E R S G AT E The role of named places

HOLBORN

M AY F A I R

Abbey

Smith Square

Horseferry

Vincent

Bond Street

Millbank

Savile

Berkeley

Park Lane

ST JAMES’S

Piccadilly Black Prince

Kingsway

St James Palace

Mall

Victoria Street

Horseferry

VA U X H A L L

University

F I N S B U RY

Structure South Park

Figure 5. Applied Wayfinding have figured out the structure of London with the common B LO O M S B U RY CLERKENWELL names of areas of London. Those familiar FITZRO V I A can help pedestrians A L D Equickly R S G ATconnect E OORG AT Enames HOLBORN LEBONE M O O R G AT E one place to another and build the knowledge S T PA U L’ S for mental mapping.

Chenies

Harley Portland

Tottenham Court Road

NCHURCH

COVENT GARDEN

ST JAMES’S G R E E N PA R K

Marble Arch

South Molton

North Soho

Grosvenor

Baker

Edgware Road

Marylebone Village

Savile

Cavendish

St Christopher

Bedford Square

Oxford Street

Carnaby

Hanover

Seven Dials

Regent Street

Bond Street

Golden Square

Savile

Long Acre

Chinatown

Leicester Square

Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly

Haymarket Jermyn

St. Martin’s St James Palace

Hyde Park Corner

KENNINGTON

Borough Market

Waterloo East

High Street

F I N S B U RY

St. Thomas’s

Lambeth Palace

Smith Square

Tabard

St. George’s

South Bank University

Lambeth North

Kennington Road

Figure 6. People can find their own meaning and interesting points from the features of how we got here the city. or’s vision ST JAMES’S

G R E E N PA R K

VICTORIA

PIMILICO

Centre

Elephant & Castle

Black Prince

Kennington Park

Downing

Meaning

Holford

Petty France

Argyle

Kings Square

St. John

Baker Bryanston

Portland

Edgware Road

Grays Inn Fields

Bloomsbury

Tottenham Court Road

Bedford Square

Museum

High Holborn

Oxford Circus

Portman

Oxford Street

North Soho Carnaby

Hanover Marble Arch

South Molton Grosvenor

Regent Street

Smith Square

Bond Street

Savile

Soho Charing Square Cross Road

Lambeth Palace

St. Martin’s

Jermyn

Mall

Southbank Centre

Downing Street

Lower Marsh Market

Black Prince

St. Thomas’s

Victoria Street

Smith Square

Horseferry Vincent

Lambeth Palace

Marble Arch

High Holborn

North Soho Carnaby

Bond Street

St Giles

Savile

New Kent Road

Drury

Soho Charing Square Cross Road

St James Palace

Jermyn

West Square

Newington Gardens

Elephant & Castle

New Kent Road

Bricklayers Arms

Newington Butts

Downing Street

Victoria Street

Smith Square

Horseferry Vincent

Kennington Park

Eastcheap

Tate Modern Southbank Centre

High Street Nelson Square

Waterloo Station

Little Dorrit

Lower Marsh Market

Tabard St. George’s South Bank University

Lambeth North Lambeth Palace

Kennington Road

West Square

Elephant & Castle

New Kent Road

Lambeth Walk

Millbank Black Prince

Kennington Park

Newington Butts

Spring Gardens

CLERKENWELL A L D E R S G AT E

M AY F A I R

ST JAMES’S G R E E N PA R K

M O O R G AT E FENCHURCH

F I N S B U RY

SOUTHBANK BANKSIDE

BOROUGH WAT E R L O O S O U T H WA R K

VICTORIA

LAMBETH

NEWINGTON KENNINGTON

UXHALL VA U X H A L L out a clear vision for London based on three complementary B L O O M S BV AU RY CLERKENWELL d diverse economic growth; social inclusivity; and fundamental environmental management and use of resources. Change FITZROVIA lready evident, with iconic contemporary landmarks like 30 A L D E R S G AT E ‘The Gherkin’) and Tate Modern on the South Bank breathing heritage. Many London town centres are growing and M A R Y L E B O N E HOLBORN M O O R G AT E R G AT E outer 4 There is innovative development and building work going on pital, creating a real buzz and sense of expectation. S T PA U L’ S

ENCHURCH

d all that

PIMILICO

SOHO 32

Where to next?

COVENT GARDEN

Abbey Street

Newington Gardens

F I N S B U RY

COVENT GARDEN

City Hall

Leather Market

Webber

S T PA U L’ S SOHO

London Bridge

Guys

The Cut

Newington Butts Tate Britain

Borough Market

Coin Street Waterloo East

County Hall

Westminster Abbey

Petty France

Aldgate

Cannon Street

The Tower

Parliament Buckingham Gate

Petticoat Lane Cornhill

St. Paul’s

St. Thomas’s Abbey Street

Kennington Park

Old Bailey

Blackfriars Somerset House

Whitehall

St James’s Park

Bishopsgate

Strand

Northumberland

Mall

Green Park

Buckingham Palace

Finsbury Circus

Temple

Aldwych

St. Martin’s

Trafalgar Square

Shepherd Market

Belgravia

London Wall

Guildhall

Chancery Lane

Kingsway

Piazza

Bricklayers Arms

Leicester Square

Haymarket

Shoreditch Broadgate

Little Britain

Holborn Circus

Neal Street

Long Acre

Chinatown

Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly

Hoxton

Bunhill Fields

Cheapside Seven Dials

Berwick Compton Market Shaftesbury Ave

Golden Square

Berkeley

Tabard South Bank University

HOLBORN

M A RY L E BO N E

Museum

Lincolns Inn

Regent Street

South Molton Grosvenor

Park Lane

Hyde Park Corner

St. George’s

Kennington Road

Black Prince

FITZROVIA

KENNINGTON

Oxford Circus

Portman

Oxford Street

Elephant & Castle

City Hall

Leather Market

Spring Gardens

B LO O M S B U RY

M O O R G AT E

London Bridge

Guys

Lambeth Walk

Spring Gardens

10 to 20 minute-walk

Little Dorrit

Webber

Lambeth North

Millbank

Tate Britain

High Street

Nelson Square

Waterloo Station

The Cut

Westminster Abbey

Petty France

Borough Market

Coin Street

Waterloo East County Hall

Parliament

Tate Britain

Lambeth Walk

Whitehall

St James’s Park

Buckingham Palace

Belgravia

Buckingham Gate

West Square

Bedford Square

Oxford Street

Hanover

Eastcheap

Golden Lane

Barbican

Smithfield

Tottenham Court Road

Cavendish

Old Street

St. Luke’s

Great Sutton Street

Farringdon

Little Italy

Rathbone

Aldgate

Cannon Street

Tate Modern

Northumberland

St James Palace

Edgware Road

Petticoat Lane Cornhill

Kennington Road

Grays Inn Fields

Bloomsbury

Titchfield

St Christopher

St. Paul’s Blackfriars

Somerset House

Piazza Strand

Trafalgar Square

Portland

Bryanston

Bishopsgate

Old Bailey

Temple

Aldwych

Leicester Square

Haymarket

Green Park

Millbank

Hyde Park Corner

Baker

Finsbury Circus

The Tower

Piccadilly

Shepherd Market

Vincent

London Wall

Chenies

Cleveland

Marylebone Village

Clerkenwell Green

Clerkenwell Road

Russell

Harley

Lisson Green

Guildhall

Chancery Lane

Kingsway

Neal Street

Long Acre

Chinatown

Berkeley

Park Lane

Little Britain

Cheapside Seven Dials

Berwick Compton Market Shaftesbury Ave

Golden Square

Piccadilly Circus

Horseferry

Drury

Marylebone Road

Barbican

Lincolns Inn

St Giles

Mount Pleasant

Corams Fields

Fitzroy

Shoreditch

Broadgate

Holborn Circus

Rathbone

Oxford Street

St. John

St Andrew

Tavistock

South Park

Bunhill Fields

Little Italy

Kings Square

Northampton Square

Exmouth

Hoxton

University

Golden Lane

Granville

Calthorpe

Cartwright

Old Street

St. Luke’s

Great Sutton Street

Farringdon

Smithfield

Titchfield

Cavendish

St Christopher

Victoria Street

Chenies

Cleveland

Marylebone Village

Clerkenwell Green

Clerkenwell Road

Russell

Harley

Lisson Green

Goswell

Myddelton

Northampton Square

Exmouth

Mount Pleasant

Fitzroy

essure on London’s transport infrastructure, and this is set S T PA U L’ S SOHO COVENT GARDEN FENCHURCH the next 20 years, it’s estimated that London’s population M AY F A I R st 800,000.1 In many ways this is a great opportunity. The SOUTHBANK BANKSIDE ST JAMES’S G R E E N PA R K se and the economic potential that goes with it needs to be BOROUGH WAT E R L O O S O U T H WA R K e London a truly sustainable city. LAMBETH NEWINGTON VICTORIA PIMILICO

Hall

Guys

Goswell

Granville

Calthorpe

Corams Fields

University

South Park

Marylebone Road

VA U X H A L L

HOLBORN

Dorrit

Nelson Square

Waterloo Station

Argyle

Cartwright

SOUTHBANK BANKSIDE BOROUGH S O U T H WA R K LAMBETH NEWINGTON KENNINGTON

London Bridge

BOROUGH W AT E R L O O High U T H WA R K City Street S OLittle

Waterloo East

County Hall

Borough Market

Coin Street

Newington Butts

L A MThe B Elegacy T H of the massive investment The 2012,Streetof course, is Tjust spur. Cut NEWINGTON VIC O Rthe I Aimmediate Leather Lower in facilities and infrastructure will be felt for decades toIcome. is why Parliament K EWebber NN N G T Which O N Market Marsh Market Tabard P I M I L I C O St. Thomas’s money needs to be spent wisely on schemes St. George’s that will make a real difference to the Westminster V A U X H A L L South Bank Lambeth Abbey Abbey University everyday lives of Londoners. North Newington Street Gardens Tavistock

WAT E R L O O

Bricklayers Arms

New Kent Road

West Square

Lambeth Walk

Millbank

Tate Britain

Myddelton

Belgravia

London is seen as one of the world’s greatest cities – and so it here’s more to it than that. People who regularly travel around 20 toYellow 40 minute-walk Applied Information Group, Book: A F I N S B U RY there will always be plenty to do to regenerate and improve B LO O M S B U RY Prototype Wayfinding System for London. CLERKENWELL nment. FITZROVIA A L D E R S G AT E M A RY L E BO N E

Abbey Street

Newington Gardens

Holford

CLERKENWELL

Buckingham les of this system can stand up toVA theUextreme X H A L Lpressures of the F I T Z R O V I A Gate A L D E R S G AT E M O O R G AT E HOLBORN M A RY L E BO N E usiest time GTO Nof year, that bodes well for the roll out of a similar S T PA U L’ S capital as part of a wider programme to improve the legibility S O H O C O V E N T G A R D E N FENCHURCH M AY F A I R s and public spaces.

S Tate O Modern UTHBANK BANKSIDE

Leather Market

S TSouthbank JAMES’S Webber

St Andrew

B LO O M S B U RY

The Tower

City Hall

Guys

The Cut

Green Park St James’s Park

London Bridge

Little Dorrit

Nelson Square

Waterloo Station

Lower Marsh Market

Westminster Abbey

Horseferry

Tate Modern

Coin Street Southbank Centre

County Hall

Parliament

Vincent

Buckingham Palace

Eastcheap

Eastcheap

Spring Gardens

Hyde Park Corner

FENCHURCH

Cannon Street

Aldgate

Cornhill

Cannon Street

Northumberland

Downing Street

Whitehall

Cheapside

Aldgate

The Tower

G R E E N PA R K

Mall

Bishopsgate

Petticoat Lane

Blackfriars

Whitehall

St James’s Park

Victoria Street

St James Palace

Lane

S T P A U L ’Cornhill S

St. Paul’s

Finsbury Circus

C O V E NBlackfriars T GARDEN

Guildhall

Old Bailey

St. Paul’s

Northumberland

Shepherd Market

Bishopsgate

M O OPetticoat R G AT E

Cheapside

Shoreditch Broadgate

Strand

Mall

Buckingham Palace

Belgravia

Petty France

Bunhill Fields

Temple London Wall

Guildhall

Trafalgar Square

Green Park

Trafalgar Square

Haymarket Jermyn

Golden Lane

Barbican

Little Britain

Somerset House

Somerset House

Finsbury Circus

London

A L D E R SWallG AT E

Temple

Aldwych

Piazza

Strand

St. Martin’s

Berkeley

Shepherd Market

Piccadilly

Great Sutton Street

SOHO

Neal Street

M AY F APiazza IR

South Molton

Shoreditch

CLERKENWELL

Farringdon

Holborn Circus

Chancery Lane

Kingsway

Bunhill Fields

Barbican

OldL B O R N HO Bailey

Hoxton

Little Italy

Aldwych

Drury

Soho Charing Square Cross Road

Berwick Compton Market Shaftesbury Ave

Long Acre Grosvenor

Leicester Square

Old Street

Lincolns Inn

North Soho

Buckingham Gate

BOROUGH W AT E R L O O S O U T H WA R K

many attractions time and time again.

High Holborn

Hoxton

Broadgate

Little Britain

Chancery Lane

St. Luke’s

Smithfield

Museum

St Giles

Oxford Street

Oxford Circus

Portman

Piccadilly Circus

Tottenham Court Road

Rathbone

Berkeley

SOUTH OF THE RIVER

Grays Inn Fields

Bloomsbury

Neal Street Titchfield

Park Lane

Park Lane

F I N S BGolden U RY Lane

Kings Square

St. John

Clerkenwell Green

Clerkenwell Road

Russell Chenies Cleveland

Portland

Marble Arch

Bond Street

Corams Fields

Fitzroy

Seven Dials

Harley Lisson Green

Old Street

St. Luke’s

Goswell

Exmouth

University South Park

Marylebone Road

Berwick Compton Market Shaftesbury Ave Golden Chinatown Square Bryanston

Regent Street

Kings Square

B L O O M SSmithfield B U RY

St Andrew

Mount Pleasant

Newington Butts

Little Italy

Northampton

Granville

Calthorpe

Cartwright

Tavistock

New Kent Road

Farringdon

Argyle

St Giles

Bricklayers Arms

Great Sutton Street

F I T Z R O V I AHolborn Circus

M A R Y L EDrury B O NKingsway E

Soho Charing Square Cross Road

Abbey Street

Newington Gardens

Elephant & Castle

West Square

Kennington Park

Lincolns Inn

Carnaby Hanover

W E S TF E E NHDU R C H NC CITY

DE LAMBETH aVreal WINGTON IG C Tchallenge. Ry was OU HO R I A But one that will encourage themNtoE come PIMILICO

Oxford Street

Kennington Road

Holford

Oxford Street

Oxford Circus

Clerkenwell Green

High Holborn

Myddelton

Cavendish

Portman

Applied Information Group, Yellow Book: A Prototype Wayfinding System for TLondon. SOUTH BANK NIKNSS ITDE ER W EBS A M

Museum

Titchfield

St Christopher

SOHO

Bedford Square

Rathbone

Bryanston

Edgware Road

Grays Inn Fields

Bloomsbury

Cleveland

Marylebone Village

Baker

Russell

Tabard South Bank University

Lambeth Walk

St. John

Clerkenwell Road

Fitzroy

Marylebone Road

Lisson Green

Mount Pleasant

Corams Fields

Leather Market

Webber St. George’s

Black Prince

St Andrew

L

Lower Marsh Market Lambeth North

Northampton Square Exmouth

Tavistock

City Hall

Guys

Spring Gardens

Granville

Calthorpe

Cartwright

London Bridge

Little Dorrit

The Cut

Millbank

Tate Britain

High Street Nelson Square

Lambeth Palace

Smith Square

Vincent

Borough Market

Coin Street

Waterloo Station

St. Thomas’s

such as the West End and the City.

Eastcheap

Westminster Abbey

Petty France

Cannon Street

Waterloo East County Hall

Parliament

Buckingham Gate

Blackfriars

The Tower

Downing Street

Belgravia

Aldgate

Cornhill

Tate Modern

Villages Areas, in turn, are made up of several ‘villages’. The West End, for example, contains Soho, Mayfair and Covent Garden. Again, these are familiar, commonly used names, which can help pedestrians quickly relate one place to another, Holford and build Goswell the knowledge needed to assist inMyddelton mental mapping.Argyle St James’s Park

Petticoat Lane

Bricklayers St. Paul’s Arms

New Kent Road

Temple

Whitehall

Buckingham Palace

Bishopsgate

Street

Old Bailey

Cheapside

Southbank Centre

Spring Green Park Gardens

Hyde Park Corner

Broadgate

Finsbury Circus London Abbey Wall

Guildhall

Newington

Butts Northumberland

Kennington Park

Shepherd Market

Tate Britain

SOUTHBANK BANKSIDE G R E E N P A Rhttp://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/ K W A T E R L OAreas O BOROUGH describe archive/03051/london_2423609b_3051158a. S These OUTH W A R K London in the broadest terms, dividing it into large LAMBETH NEWINGTON jpg VICTOR IA but easily distinguished chunks KENNINGTON

Shoreditch

Leather Market

Barbican

Little Britain

Holborn Circus

Newington Gardens Chancery Lane

Elephant & Castle

Trafalgar Square

Jermyn

Bunhill Fields

Farringdon

Little Italy Webber

High Holborn George’s South Bank Lincolns Inn University

Drury

Hoxton

City Hall

Golden Lane

Tabard

MuseumSt.

St Giles

Haymarket

Old Street

Guys

Street

Smithfield

Soho Charing Square Cross Road

North Soho

Grays Inn Fields

Seven Kennington Dials Neal Street Berwick Compton Market Road West Aldwych Shaftesbury Ave Square Golden Long Acre Chinatown Square Somerset Piazza House Lambeth Leicester Walk Square Piccadilly Circus Strand St. Martin’s

Regent Street

South Molton

Grosvenor

can be recognised by people around the world.

PIMILICO

Oxford Circus

London Bridge

St. Luke’s

information that gradually and logically sub-divides areas into smaller and smaller chunks. These chunks represent historical, understandable and identifiable neighbourhoods. Initial definitions of the villages and nighbourhoods of the West End have

Bloomsbury

Lambeth North

Oxford Street

LambethCarnaby Palace Hanover

Oxford Street

Marble Arch

Rathbone

Titchfield

Cavendish

Portman

Victoria Street

Tottenham Market Bedford Court Road Square

St. Thomas’s

Westminster Bryanston

Petty France

Green

Clerkenwell Road

Russell

Chenies

Lower Marsh

Cleveland

Portland

St Christopher

Identity

The Cut

Fitzroy

Harley

Village

Baker

Buckingham Gate

S O HFigure O a Estrong identity which C 4. O VLondon E N T Ghas ARD N FENCHURCH

Nelson Corams Fields

Kings Square

St. John

Little DorritGreat Sutton Clerkenwell

Pleasant

Square

Marylebone Road

Parliament Marylebone

Edgware Road

S T PA U L’ S

Tavistock

Waterloo University Station

South Park

Exmouth

High MountStreet

St Andrew

As we know from school, the best way of processing huge swathes of information is to divide them into less-intimidating manageable chunks. Similarly, successfully understanding the layout of London is a matter of creating a hierarchy of Lisson Green

M O O R G AT E

County Hall

Downing Street

St James’s Park

Belgravia

FITZROVIA

LEBONE

Hyde Park Corner

Borough Northampton Market Square

Granville

Calthorpe

Cartwright

Waterloo East

Green Park

CLERKENWELL

Argyle

Southbank Centre

Whitehall

Goswell

Tate ModernMyddelton

Coin Street

Shepherd Market

F I N S B U RY B LO O M S B U RY

The Tower

Trafalgar Square

Haymarket

Jermyn

AY F A I R

The Tower

Old Street Coin Street

County Hall

Downing Clerkenwell St James’s Park Street Road

Belgravia

Chenies

Harley

Bryanston

R

Aldgate

Cannon Street Eastcheap

Great Sutton Street

Green

Green Park

Hyde Park Corner

Russell

Marylebone Village

Baker

Y

Blackfriars

The city image may be analysed into three components: identity South Park

Marylebone Road

Petticoat Lane Cornhill

St. Paul’s Temple

St. Luke’s

•• Structure, identity and meaning (Visibility)

Lisson Green

Edgware Road

St. John

Northumberland

Mount Pleasant

Shepherd Market

University

Bishopsgate

Cheapside

St Andrew

SOUTH OF THE RIVER

Circus

Square

Calthorpe

Berkeley

London Wall Guildhall

Old Bailey

Chancery Lane

Kingsway

Seven Compton Dials Neal Street Market GoswellAldwych Ave Shaftesbury Myddelton Golden Long Acre Chinatown Square Somerset Piazza House Leicester Kings Square Northampton Granville Piccadilly Circus Strand St. Martin’s

Hanover South Molton

Drury

Soho Charing Square Cross Road

North Soho

Oxford Street Marble Arch

Little Britain

Holborn Circus

Lincolns Inn St Giles

Oxford Street

Oxford Circus

Park Lane Cartwright

TMINSTER

High Holborn

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Legible London One of the Mayor’s ambitions for London is to transform it into one of the most

Bricklayers Arms


•• Imageability

Legibility + Visibility=Imageability (Public Image) Imageability is a concept of a combination of legibility and visibility. It is a physical feature that relate to the attributes of identity and structure in the mental image. In an imaginable city, there may be a clear structure which people can understand easily. For improving the imageability of the city, the city planners should enhance the legibility of its image by using symbolic devices, for instance, a map with symbolic diagrams or a set of written instructions. To improve the imageability of the city means strengthening the public image of the city. The elements of the city Paths: The channels which the people pass by E.g. Streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads Edges: The liner elements which are not used or considered as paths E.g. Shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls Districts: The medium-to-large sections of the city E.g. Housing/market/building/shopping area Nodes: The points, the strategic spots in a city which people can enter E.g. Stations, parks, plazas, shopping malls Landmarks The point references which can be recognised from long distance E.g. Towers, halls, libraries, churches

Figure 7. Illustrations of the city elements Lynch, The Image of the City

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Figure 8. Lynch had analysed the elements of the cities of the usa, and this figure is an analysed map of Los Angels. He allocated symbols and colours for each element. Lynch, The Image of the City

How should information designers deal with city design? In conclusion, the designers who deal with urban planning should study the people’s perception and the structure of the city, and improve the legibility and imageability of the city. In terms of information design, the designers should design clear and sufficient wayfinding for navigating people smoothly. It can make flows of the traffic and the pedestrians better and improve the public image of the city. As Lynch insists, if urban design and the citizens interact each other well, the city will bring more enjoyable daily lives to everyone.

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Bibliography Lynch, Kevin. 1960. The Image of the City. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

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