The Image of the City Summary

The Image of the City is a five-year study performed by urban planner Kevin Lynch who studied Los Angeles, Boston and Jersey City to better understand what it takes to build or rebuild cities. Lynch coined both phrases of “imageability” and “wayfinding” which both translate to helping find your way around some place (in this case a city) by means of physical forms including paths, edges, districts, nodes & landmarks. These five types of imagery are meant to assist users (commuters/pedestrians/passersby) in understanding their surroundings in a consistent manner that in turn will create a mental map.

            The five elements Lynch lists include:

·       Paths - streets, sidewalks, trails, and other channels in which people travel;

·       Edges - perceived boundaries such as walls, buildings, and shorelines;

·       Districts - relatively large sections of the city distinguished by some identity or character

·       Nodes - focal points or intersections

·       Landmarks - readily identifiable objects that serve as external reference points

Lynch goes on to reiterate that these five forms are what gives locations an identity that makes maneuvering around a city or place in general, much easier. However, one cannot place these any of these five elements just anywhere, you must strategically place them to gain maximum usage.