Critical Analysis Of Kevin Lynch's The Image Of The City

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Kevin Lynch has written an in-depth study and subsequent analysis on “the image of the city” as perceived by him in 1960. The overall purpose of his book was to study “the look of cities, and [determine if the image] is of any importance, and [if] it can be changed” (Lynch, 1960, p. V). Lynch used an on the ground approach of study where he and his team conducted systematic field reconnaissance and lengthy interviews with a small sample of residents within the study area (Boston, Jersey, and Los Angeles) (Lynch, 1960, p. 15).
The way in which Lynch organizes the book aids the reader in understanding the overall purpose of this particular study and the outcomes associated with it. Each Chapter has its own part to play in the overall composition …show more content…

It ties together all the concepts explained in the previous four chapters in a way that reiterates the important points and states the importance of education for both planners and citizens …show more content…

Lynch describes the concepts so everyone can understand, he provides interview samples (personal opinion of citizens) to support his purpose or to bring light to issues in the current city image, gives the reader ideas as to how to use these concepts discussed, and ties it all together in a nice and tidy conclusion. Although dated, Lynch’s study is still an integral part of Community Design. The five key elements found within the study are still intertwined into the design of cities today. The proper use of these elements has made or enhanced some of the most iconic cities such as New York City, New York and Paris, France. A landmark will always be used in wayfinding, but a landmark near a node, in a district, next to distinct paths and edges will help to build a person’s overall mental image (map) of the city. When I was a child, we had to do a mental map experiment at school, where we had to draw the town in which I lived. Looking back knowing about Lynch’s study, I now realized I naturally used all 5 of these concepts to build my map. I knew distinct paths (trails and roads) that I used, nodes that held importance (mainly my friend’s houses), edges which were the hard edges separating land from ocean, districts such as “the point” or “main road”, and landmarks such as “man o war hill” and “pigs nose rock”. If this is a concept that comes naturally to a child, then I believe that this study and book will always be

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