Meera Satheesh

For Project 1, we were required to present an in-depth and analytical research study on the chosen area, which in this case is USJ 21, Subang Jaya, based on the exploration of 'The Image of the City (1960)' by the famous Kevin Lynch. The project consisted of 2 parts; the first is to identify Lynch’s 5 elements; path, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks within a selected city and the second part is to produce an essay with a cognitive map of the city.

 

Through this project, we'll get to ;

1.Analyse architecture and urban forms in relation to relevant architectural theories

2.Analyse and critique the relationship between architecture and its social, cultural and intellectual context

3.Produce, orally and in writing, a critical interpretation of architecture and urbanism in relation to relevant theories within the contemporary discourse of architecture

 

Lynch's most famous work, The Image of the City (1960), is the result of a five-year study on how observers take in information of the city. Using three disparate American cities as examples (Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles), Lynch reported that users understood their surroundings in consistent and predictable ways, forming mental maps with five elements: 

1. paths, the streets, sidewalks, trails, and other channels in which people travel; 

2. edges, perceived boundaries such as walls, buildings, and shorelines; 

3. districts, relatively large sections of the city distinguished by some identity or character; 

4. nodes, focal points, intersections or loci; 

5. landmarks, readily identifiable objects which serve as external reference points