Legibility of city by Devaraj. referred by the book "Image of the City" written by Kevin Lynch.

1. LEGIBILITY OF CITY
PRINCIPLE OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENT
22.04.2021
—
SANJAY BABU P - 181110015
DEVARAJ NAIK K - 181110016
—
DR. CHARUMITRA KAPSHE

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ABSTRACT
To make a city more legible there should be continuity between salient
elements of the city; between main integrators and visible fields of the
landmarks, to form a coherent structure. Alternatively, these elements
should overlap to emphasize each other to make the city more legible.
The relationship of these two elements in the city structure depends on
the degree of irregularity of the layout and the presence of the rules
of Gestalt of "good configuration”. To make a legible city, there should
be a coincidence between the maps of main integrators to the
landmark setting to emphasize the main structure of the city in regular
settings (organized and semi-organized structures). In irregular
layouts, there should be continuity between the pattern of visible fields
of landmarks and the main integrators of the city to form a coherent
whole. The hierarchy of the urban axes in global and local level- most
integrated and least integrated axes- will be followed by the
hierarchy of the visual clues in global and local levels, which defines
the nature of systems of reference in the structure of the city.
INTRODUCTION
Some studies have focused on analyzing the legibility of the interior of
buildings to find out which elements are important in making those
patterns readable and easy to navigate through. Siring and Choir
(1990), Weisman (1981) and O'Neil (1991), Lynch (1960), Carr
(1969) and Cullen (1961) have also analyzed legibility of parts of

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urban layouts. Their analysis has been subjective and has led to certain
guidelines.
The research states about the urban layouts with different rates of
regularity of pathway configuration and pattern of spatial elements.
The inner area of Sheffield Ring road (semi-regular), Saltire village
(regular) and Runcorn Newtown (irregular). It was assumed that the
legibility of these urban forms would show differences.
“Legibility means the extent to which the cityscape can be ‘read’.
People who move through the city engage in way-finding. They need
to be able to recognize and organize urban elements into a coherent
pattern.”
The term “legibility” was first used by urban designer Kevin Lynch in
his analysis of North American cityscapes in the post-war period. He
argued on the importance ‘to see the hidden forms in the vast sprawl
of our cities’ (Lynch 1960), which meant giving attention to the legibility
of the cityscape. Urban legibility relates closely to the question of
orientation.
METHODS AND EXPERIMENTS
Imageability: The quality in a physical object which gives it a high
probability of evoking a strong image in any given observer. It is that
shape, color, or arrangement which facilitates the making of vividly

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identified, powerfully structured, highly useful mental images of the
environment. It might also be called legibility.
Kevin lynch in his book “The Image of The City (1960)” mentioned
the elements that make a city legible importantly are; paths, edges,
districts, nodes, and landmarks.
Paths.
Path s are the channels along which the observer customarily,
occasionally, or potentially moves. They may be streets,
walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads. For many people, these
are the predominant elements in their image. People observe the
city while moving through it, and along these paths the other
environmental element s are arrange d and related.
Edges.
Edges are the linear elements not used or considered as paths
by the observer. They are the boundaries between two phases,
linear breaks in continuity: shores, railroad cuts, edges of

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development, walls. They are lateral references rather than
coordinate axes. Such edges may be barriers, more or less
penetrable, which close one region off from another; or the y
may be seams, lines along which two regions are relate d and
joined together. These edge elements, although probably not as
dominant as paths, are for many people important organizing
features, particularly in the role of holding together generalized
areas, as in the outline of a city by water or wall.
Districts.
Districts are the medium to Large sections of the city, conceived
of as having two-dimensional extent, which the observer mentally
enters "inside of, " and which are recognizable as having some
common, identifying character. Always identifiable from the
inside, they are also used for exterior reference if visible from
the outside. Most people structure their city to some extent in this
way, with individual differences as to whether paths or districts
are the dominant elements. It seems to depend not only upon the
individual but also upon the given city.
Nodes.
Node s are points, the strategic spots in a city into which an
observer can enter, and which are the intensive foci to and from
which he is traveling. They may be primarily junctions, places o f
a break in transportation, a crossing or convergence of paths,
moments of shift from one structure to another. Or the nodes may

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be simply concentrations, which gain their importance from being
the condensation of some use or physical character, as a street
corner hangout or an enclosed square. Some of these
concentration nodes are the focus and epitome of a district, over
which their influence radiates and of which they stand as a
symbol. They may be called cores. Many nodes, of course,
partake of the nature of both junctions and concentrations. The
concept of node is related to the concept of path, since junctions
are typically the convergence of paths, events on the journey. It
is similarly related to the concept of district, since cores are
typically the intensive foci of districts, their polarizing center. In
any event, some nodal points are to be found in almost every
image, and in certain cases they may be the dominant feature.
Landmarks.
Landmarks are another type of point reference, but in this case
the observer does not enter within them, they are external. They
are usually a rather simply defined physical object: building,
sign, store or mountain. Their use involves the singling out of one
element from a host of possibility. Some landmarks are distant
ones, typically seen from many angles and distances, over the
tops of smaller elements, and used as radial references. They
may be within the city or at such a distance that for all practical
purposes they symbolize a constant direction. Such are isolated
towers, golden domes, great hills. Even a mobile point, like the
sun, whose motion is sufficiently slow and regular, may be

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employed. Other landmarks are primarily local, being visible
only in restricted localities and from certain approaches. These
are the innumerable signs, store fronts, trees, doorknobs and
other urban derail, which fill in the image of most observers. They
are frequently used clues of identity and even of structure, and
seem to be increasingly relied upon as a journey becomes more
and more familiar.
Some other elements that are played important role in making a
city legible are the landscape, climatic conditions, culture and
religion. Cities having riverfronts, coastal cities, mountain slope
cities, cities with moderate temperatures and the temple cities.
Pathways
Athens city
Athens city is the city in Greece. Classical Athens was a
powerful city-state. A center for the arts, learning and
philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, it is
widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and
the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and
political impact on the European continent, and in particular the
Romans. In modern times, Athens is a large
cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial,
industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece.

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Athens city in which pathways played predominant role in making the
city legible. The designing of pathways done in the manner where the
transportation is easy with good connectivity.

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Edges
Paris
Paris had become the political, economic, religious, and cultural
capital of France. The Palais de la Cité, the royal residence, was
located at the western end of the Île de la Cité. In 1163, during
the reign of Louis VII, Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris, undertook
the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral at its eastern
extremity.
In Paris city plan the water body creates a strong edge where it
can divide the lands and thus the bridges were constructed to make
the city legible.

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Districts
Jaipur
The city of Jaipur was founded by King of Amer, Maharaja Sawai
Jai Singh II on 18 November 1727, who ruled from 1699 to 1743.
He planned to shift his capital from Amer, 11 kilometers (7 mi) to
Jaipur to accommodate the growing population and increasing
scarcity of water.[10] Jai Singh consulted several books on
architecture and architects while planning the layout of Jaipur.
Under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya,
Jaipur was planned based on the principles of Vaastu
Shastra and Shilpa Shastra.
Each part of Jaipur is different from other cities. You can tell pretty
much that you are in Jaipur. This acts as the element district is justified
in making Jaipur legible.

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Landmarks
Rome
Rome's history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates
the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited
for much longer, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied
cities in Europe. The city's early population originated from a mix
of Latins, Etruscans, and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively
became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and
the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first ever Imperial
city and metropolis. It was first called The Eternal City
As you can see in the map there are so many landmarks in the Rome
city and they are more important too. Like the Colosseum, St. Peter's
Basilica, Castel Sant'Angelo, Ponte Sant'Angelo, Trevi Fountain and
the Pantheon.

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Nodes (foci)
Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan
Erbil has been inhabited, over the millennia, by the Persians,
Greeks, Romans, Mongols and Ottoman Turks. At the center of the
city, rests the Erbil Citadel, also known as Hawler Castle which is
an ancient structure that dates back to 2,000 B.C. The Erbil
Citadel, is an artificial mound and the historical city center of Erbil.
Erbil is known for its modern malls, ancient sites, and is a UNESCO
World Heritage site.
The citadel of the Erbil is the focal point where all street lines tend
to point. And the city developed making the citadel as the focal
point in its development.

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Varanasi, India
Varanasi is the oldest city in India and also the birthplace of the oldest
religion – Hinduism. Also known as Benares, Banaras or Kashi this city is
located on the banks of the river Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of
North India and dates back to the 11th century B.C. This city draws
Hindu pilgrims and tourists from all across the world. These pilgrims
bathe in the river Ganges and also perform the funeral rites. There are
some 2,000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath, the Golden Temple,
dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva along the city’s winding streets.
As explained above how religious and waterfront makes the city
legible, here Varanasi is a city where both the religion and waterbody
connected with each other as the water of river Ganges serves a holy
spirit in making the city more religious. Thus, the city transformed over
the years.

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Continuity of Salient Elements:
Another aspect that has impact on the recall of urban axes is
continuity of salient elements. Salient elements were defined as high-
integrated axes, the axes with important spatial beside them and
important nodes or clusters of landmarks that act as focal points in
memory. Continuity of salient elements is described as follows:
 Successive order of high-integrated axes.
 Successive order of high-integrated axes and the axes with
significant spatial element beside them.
 Proximity of nodes and cluster of significant spatial elements.
Words of thanks:
Kevin Lynch
 He was an American urban
planner & author.
 He is best known for his work
on mental mapping & on
perceptual form of urban
environments.
 His famous book “The Image
of the City” which he
published in 1960 is very
famous among his works.

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The Image of the City
 “This book is about the look of cities, and whether this look
is of any importance, and whether it can be changed”.
 The book looks at three American cities: Boston, Jersey City,
and Los Angeles.
 In Lynch’s view, image can be explained as “a picture
especially in the mind”, a sentimental combination between
objective city image and subjective human thoughts.
 Lynch's conclusion was that people formed mental maps of
their surroundings consisting of five basic elements as
mentioned above.

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References
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23286055?seq=1
https://www.spacesyntax.net/symposia-
archive/SSS4/fullpapers/71Shokouhipaper.pdf
https://www.slideshare.net/ayaz60/kevin-lynch-93521577
https://www.corp.at/archive/CORP2009_101.pdf
https://www.educationworld.in/10-oldest-cities-in-the-world/
https://www.miguelangelmartinez.net/IMG/pdf/1960_Kevin_Lynch_The_Image_of
_The_City_book.pdf
THANK YOU