Urban Dwellers, Their Mental Images of the City, and an Understanding of Professor Kevin Lynch's "The Image of the City" Theory! - V.N.Giritharan

After completing my architecture degree at the University of Moratuwa, during my time working with the United Nations Development Programme and the Urban Development Authority, I was involved in several landscape and town planning projects concerning cities like Colombo and the New Parliament. One significant project that comes to mind was a study on the image of Colombo city, undertaken with town planning expert Dickson, architecture/town planning expert Sivabalan (who later passed away while working in Singapore), and architect Vairamuthu Arutchelvan, based on Professor Lynch's theory of the city image. I recall it receiving much appreciation. This article briefly describes Professor Lynch's theory of the city image.

The mental images that urban dwellers have of their city are not the same for everyone. Just as a text is determined by various factors such as a reader's knowledge, experience, and comprehension, so too are the mental images of a city by its inhabitants determined by various factors. The psychological impressions that urban dwellers have of their city arise from their experiences within that city, the memories formed as a result, the buildings in that city, important places, other people living there, the various activities taking place, symbols that serve as important landmarks of the city, and many other such factors. When urban planners reconstruct cities or build new ones, having sufficient knowledge about the mental images or impressions of the people living there is not only crucial but also beneficial for their work. Professor Kevin Lynch was the one who, in the early 20th century, attempted to understand a city by focusing on these mental images that urban dwellers have of the city they live in.

Through numerous interviews with many urban dwellers, he conducted a study on what kinds of mental images these city inhabitants absorb from the physical reality of a city. Based on the results, he published an engaging and thought-provoking research book titled 'The Image of the City'. His aforementioned study forms the basis for many important modern concepts regarding the psychological impressions urban dwellers have of their city. Furthermore, it is not an overstatement to say that it has significantly contributed to understanding the form of a city and how the built environment or architecture within it influences the image that the city's inhabitants have of it.

Through his research, Professor Kevin Lynch identified five key elements that determine these mental images that a city creates in the minds of its inhabitants. They are:

1. Pathways: Various routes that aid the movement of people in the city.

2. Districts: Areas or neighborhoods that reflect different characteristics of the city.

3. Edges: Boundaries that divide different parts of the city.

4. Landmarks: Iconic structures like buildings that serve as important identification marks of the city.

5. Nodes: Areas in the city that serve as central points for various activities.

Professor Lynch's study, 'The Image of the City', reveals that the five aforementioned elements are the main fundamental parts that constitute an urban dweller's mental images of that city. Now, let's look at these five fundamental elements in a little more detail.

1. Pathways
In a city, various pathways aid the movement of its inhabitants, ranging from major expressways, railway lines, and canals down to narrow alleyways. According to Professor Lynch's research, pathways play a crucial role in shaping the mental images that urban dwellers have of their city. Urban dwellers and visitors to the city travel through these pathways for various reasons. The experience of traveling along these pathways creates various impressions and emotional responses in these travelers and urban dwellers. All these collectively form their mental images of that city.

(I recall at this time, when studying at Jaffna Hindu College, cycling home in the evenings through the main road that cuts across the Kallunddai plains. It was the main road starting from Ottu Madam and extending towards Karainagar. After crossing Bommaiveli, a Muslim residential area, one would encounter the coastal area of Kakkaitheevu. It was an important Neithal (coastal) region of Jaffna town with a fish market. On one side, Anaicottai, and on the other, the Kakkaitheevu coast. Beyond this, stretched the Marutham (agricultural) region of Navaly with its famous sand dunes. To the west, a Kakkaitheevu coastal area with grasslands and the sea slightly receded. A marvel where Marutham and Neithal merge. Beyond that, the Kallunddai plains and salt pans. The path further extends, dividing into North Araly and South Araly, rejoining at Vaddukoddai, with one leading towards Karainagar and the other towards Sithankeni. Before the path divides into North Araly/South Araly, one can see a small bridge built where Jaffna's famous Valukkiaaru river merges with the Araly sea. I also remember how the travelogue series 'Nadanthaai Vaazhi Valukkiaaru' about the Valukkiaaru by the famous Sri Lankan Tamil writer Sengai Aazhiyan, published in Sirithiran magazine, struck me as a good, belly-laugh-inducing travel series during that period. 

This pathway is one of those deeply intertwined with my early youth. While my childhood was spent in the Vanni region, my teenage years were spent in and around Jaffna. At that age, the path stretching towards Karainagar through the Kallunddai plains left countless impressions and images in my mind. Traveling along it at dusk was a sweet experience. The experiences of that journey varied with the different seasons of the year. In the early mornings, laborers would flock towards the town on bicycles, returning to their respective villages as dusk fell. In the early mornings, fishermen would be catching prawns under the bridge where the Valukkiaaru river met the sea. In some seasons, along the edges of the path between Kakkaitheevu and the Kallunddai salt pans, fishermen would be boiling and drying Sea Leeches. The entire region would be filled with the scent of boiling and drying Sea Leeches. The contribution of the fishermen in that area to the export of Sea Leeches to foreign countries is significant. In the mornings, the fish market on the Kakkaitheevu beach would be bustling. It would be filled with seabirds. In the fading light of dusk, fishermen would have begun their journey in catamarans to fish in the sea. In the distance, the sky, still red from the recently set sun, would glow even deeper red. In this way, if the impressions and images created by that path remain as indelible patterns in the depths of my mind even today, readers can understand how pathways contribute to forming the mental images of urban dwellers.)

2. Districts
A city encompasses neighborhoods or districts with various characteristics. For example, one can find distinct areas or neighborhoods reflecting various features such as downtown, uptown, its central core, commercial centers, industrial areas, university campuses, and in multicultural cities like 'Toronto', areas where specific ethnic groups predominantly reside or conduct business. Sometimes these districts possess unique identities (like 'Toronto's financial downtown core). In other cases, they may lack distinct special characteristics, instead exhibiting a blend of features (like Manhattan's midtown). All these are said to make important contributions to an urban dweller's mental images of that city.

3. Edges
Edges can be described as boundaries separating the districts of a city. Although not as crucial as pathways, they play a significant role in shaping an urban dweller's mental images of the city. For metropolises like 'Toronto' that encompass a large lake, the lakefront serves as an edge, separating the city from the water. Similarly, long walls built to separate expressways from residential areas for safety and noise reduction can also be described as edges (one might recall the Great Wall of China here). In the first instance, the edge separates water and land but does not prevent human movement from land to water or vice-versa. However, in the second example, the wall acts as a boundary preventing people from traversing through it. In some cases, an edge can be difficult to identify. For instance, the Chinatown district located in the east of 'Toronto' gradually merges and blends with the nearby 'Little India' district, much like two parts of a garment joining.

4. Landmarks

Professor Kevin Lynch

Landmarks also play an important role in creating images of the city among urban dwellers. Such landmarks can be towering structures that individually stand tall and represent the city from afar, like New York's 'Empire State' building or the twin towers of the 'World Trade Center' that were destroyed on 9/11. They can also be towers like 'Toronto's famous 'C.N. Tower'. Buildings like Thanjavur's renowned Thanjai Periya Koil, Paris's leaning tower, and the Qutub Minar can also be cited. Alternatively, they could be buildings within a park, or a fountain, or even a statue, visible only within specific areas. The Anna Samadhi, M.G.R. Samadhi, famous palaces, temples, and stupas can be given as examples.

5. Nodes
While these also resemble the aforementioned landmarks, these focal points differ and gain importance based on the activities that occur at them. Major squares in the city, and intersections where pathways meet, can be cited as examples. New York's 'Times' Square, 'Toronto's new City Hall and its 'Nathan Philip' Square, and the recently constructed 'Dundas' Square, all serve as important central points of the city due to the activities that take place there, while also functioning as significant landmarks. Furthermore, we already observed how 'Times' Square, due to its distinct character, serves as one of the important districts of that city.

Thus, Professor Kevin Lynch's theory of urban planning, which examines how these five fundamental elements create the mental images of a city among urban dwellers, stands as one of the most important theories in the field of urban planning. Its utility in city reconstruction projects or development plans is indeed crucial.

Bibliography
1. The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch  MIT Press, 1960
2. Kevin A . Lynch  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_A._Lynch

   [* Digital  Art (Google AI Studio) help: VNG.]