Drawing widely on material from psychology and the humanities, Lynch sought to
understand how people perceive urban environments and how design professionals can
respond to the deepest human needs.
Lynch argues that people perceive cities as consisting of underlying city form elements:
“paths”(along which people and goods flow), “edges” (which differentiate one part of the
urban fabric from another), “landmarks” (which stand out and help orient people), “districts”
(perceived as physically or culturally distinct even if their boundaries are fuzzy), and “nodes”
where activities - and often paths - meet.
If urban designers understand how people perceive these elements and design cities to
make them more imageable, Lynch argues, urban environments will be more psychologically
satisfying.
understand how people perceive urban environments and how design professionals can
respond to the deepest human needs.
Lynch argues that people perceive cities as consisting of underlying city form elements:
“paths”(along which people and goods flow), “edges” (which differentiate one part of the
urban fabric from another), “landmarks” (which stand out and help orient people), “districts”
(perceived as physically or culturally distinct even if their boundaries are fuzzy), and “nodes”
where activities - and often paths - meet.
If urban designers understand how people perceive these elements and design cities to
make them more imageable, Lynch argues, urban environments will be more psychologically
satisfying.
