Shiho Asada
ma Information Design
University of Reading
First written in October 2014
and revised in October 2015
Figure 1. Lynch's mental map of Boston based
on field work and interviews
Lynch, The Image of the City
The Image of the City
Kevin Lynch, 1960
Overview
The Image of the City is a book about urban information
design, written by Kevin Lynch, 1960. This book is known
as the first literature which defines the modern usage of
wayfinding. According to Lynch, wayfinding is a ‘consistent use
and organisation of definite sensory cues from the external
environment’. This definition has affected many city planners and
wayfinding designers until today.
The Image of the City is a result of Lynch’s five-year research on
how people perceive a city. Mental maps, simple sketches of maps
drawn from memory of urban areas had been used for his research
(Fig. 1). He collected mental maps from citizens for revealing the
geographical and social problems of the cities that people faced.
Lynch mentions that The Image of the City explains ‘the look of
cities, and whether this look is of any importance, and whether it
can be changed’. Also, Lynch highlights ‘giving visual form to the
city is a special kind of design problem’.
The research was conducted in three different cities in the usa
(Boston, Los Angels and Jersey City) for examining this new
1
 problem, suggesting a method to form the visual image of the city
and offering the principles of city design. According to Lynch,
there are five elements (Fig. 7 – 8) that help people to form
mental maps and make users understood their surroundings in
consistent and predictable ways. The five elements are: paths,
edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. He suggests that urban
designers should analyse these elements and built wayfinding
which navigates people smoothly and helps people to create
images of the city.

What is ‘image of the city’?

An image of the city is a mental image of an environment which is
held by the citizens. Constructing the image of the city takes long
spans of time because it is vast, and varies on different occasions
and with different people. Also, it is seen in all the conditions of
lights and weathers. In addition to the environmental conditions,
the citizens themselves and their activities play important roles
in the image of the city as well as the stationary physical parts of
the city, such as buildings and roads. Each citizen observes the city
and surroundings including him/herself and other participants.
Thus, it can be said that the image of the city is the composite of
everyone’s observations and sense.

How people build mental image of the city?

The image of the city is an outcome of interaction between an
observer and his/her environment (Fig. 2). There are three
situations of making coherent images: when a mental picture
of an object has developed identity and organisation through

Figure 2. Interacting process between an Giving distinctions and relations

observer and an environment

Selecting and organising information

Getting familiarity with the environment
Adapting to the environment

2
 long familiarity; when a new object is identified because of a
correspondence with a stereotype already constructed by the
observer; when a new object has strong structure or identity such
as remarkable physical features and suggests their patterns.

Those coherent images tend to be similar in the same groups

observers who are in homogeneous classes of age, sex, culture,
occupation, temperament, or familiarity. Therefore, city planners
should study about the groups of citizens and the images they
might have.

What are the essential qualities of the city image?

•• Legibility
A legible city can be recognised visually with symbols. Its districts
or landmarks or pathways should be identified and grouped into
one pattern easily. The legibility of cityscape is the most important
property in urban city planning because nobody has any mystic
‘instinct’ of wayfinding. Instead of it, people can use lots kinds
of cues such as the visual sensations of colour, shape, motion
or polarization of light; and other senses such as smell, sound,
touch, kinesthesia or sense of gravity. In order to navigate people,
wayfinding devices should be offered to pedestrians: maps, street
numbers, route signs and bus placards (Fig. 3). Those wayfinding
devices can produce a vivid, integrated and sharp image of the city.
Good environmental image may keep people’s emotion stable and
enhance the potential depth and intensity of people’s experience.

Figure 3. Legible London, the pedestrian

wayfinding system of London has totems
and maps. The symbols are coherent, and
built everywhere in London from street to
underground stations.

Applied Information Group, Yellow Book: A

Prototype Wayfinding System for London.

3
EST END
Square Museum High Holborn Little Circus
Holborn Britain London
Bryanston Rathbone Circus Wall Bishopsgate
Titchfield
Lincolns Inn

CITY
Cavendish St Giles Guildhall
St Christopher Oxford Street Drury Chancery Lane Old
Edgware Road Oxford Soho Charing Kingsway Petticoat
Portman North Bailey
Circus Square Cross Lane
Soho Cheapside
Oxford Street Road Aldgate
Carnaby Seven Cornhill
Hanover Holford
Berwick Compton Dials Neal Street
St. Paul’s
Market Temple
Marble Arch South
Molton
Regent
Street Myddelton
Shaftesbury Ave GoswellAldwych Blackfriars Cannon Street
Golden Long Acre
Grosvenor Square Chinatown Piazza Somerset
Argyle Bond Savile House Eastcheap
Street Leicester
Granville Square Northampton Kings
Piccadilly Circus St. Martin’s Strand
Berkeley Calthorpe Square
The Tower
Cartwright
Park Lane Piccadilly Haymarket Trafalgar
Jermyn Exmouth
Square St. John Old Street
St Andrew Northumberland St. Luke’s Hoxton
Tate Modern

•• Structure, identity and meaning (Visibility)

Coin Street
Shepherd Market Mount Southbank Borough
Tavistock St James Pleasant Centre Market
London

SOUTH OF
Corams FieldsPalace Mall Clerkenwell
Whitehall Great Sutton Waterloo Bridge
University Green Street East High
Green Park Street Little City
County Waterloo Nelson Dorrit Hall
Hall Station Golden Square Bunhill
Guys

The city image may be analysed into three components: identity

Hyde Park ClerkenwellDowning
South Park Fitzroy St James’s Park Lane
The Shoreditch

THE RIVER
Corner Street
Buckingham Road Cut Fields

TMINSTER
Russell Palace
Marylebone Road Farringdon Lower Leather
Belgravia Webber Market
Chenies Parliament Marsh
Harley Grays Inn Little Italy Market Tabard
Broadgate
Cleveland Bloomsbury
BuckinghamFields St. Thomas’s St. George’s

(Fig. 4), structure (Fig. 5) and meaning (Fig. 6). Identity is a strong
Lisson Green Westminster Barbican Abbey
Marylebone Gate Petty
Abbey Smithfield Lambeth South Bank
Street
France North University
Village Portland Tottenham Newington
Gardens
Baker Court Road Bedford
Square Elephant
Finsbury
Museum High Holborn Victoria Street Lambeth CircusNew Kent Bricklayers
Smith PalaceLittle Kennington & Castle
Arms
Holborn Britain Road West London Road
Bryanston Rathbone Circus
Square
Horseferry Square Wall

feature that can be identified easily because of its distinction from

Bishopsgate
Titchfield Lambeth
Lincolns Inn

Y
Vincent Walk
Cavendish St Giles Millbank Guildhall
St Christopher Oxford Street Drury Chancery Lane Old Black Newington
Edgware Road Oxford Soho Charing Kingsway Petticoat
Portman North BaileyPrince Butts
Circus Square Cross Kennington Lane

others. Structure is a spatial or pattern relationship between the

Soho Tate Park
Cheapside
Oxford Street Road Britain Aldgate
Carnaby Seven Cornhill
St. Paul’s
Berwick Compton
Spring
Hanover Dials Neal Street Gardens
Market Temple
Marble Arch South Regent Aldwych
Molton Street Shaftesbury Ave

object and the observer. Meaning is a kind of emotional influence

Blackfriars Cannon Street
Golden Long Acre
Grosvenor Square Chinatown Piazza Somerset
Bond Savile House Eastcheap
Street Leicester
Piccadilly Circus Square St. Martin’s Strand

on the observer from the object. If those three features of the

Berkeley
The Tower
Park Lane Piccadilly Trafalgar
Haymarket
Jermyn Square
Holford
Northumberland

image of the city are distinctive, the visibility of the city can be
Tate ModernMyddelton Goswell

Shepherd Market Coin Street

F I N S B U RY St James Southbank
Centre
Argyle

Calthorpe
Granville
Borough
Market
Northampton
Square
Kings
Square
London
Palace Mall Whitehall
Waterloo
Cartwright
Exmouth St. John
Bridge
Old Street

more understandable.
East St Andrew High St. Luke’s Hoxton
Green Park MountStreet Little City
Tavistock Pleasant Hall
County Nelson DorritGreat Sutton
B LO O M S B U RY Waterloo Corams Fields Clerkenwell
Hall Green Guys
CLERKENWELL
University Square Street
Hyde Park Downing Station
St James’s Park South Park
The Golden

R
Corner Street Fitzroy Clerkenwell Lane
Bunhill
Shoreditch
Fields
Buckingham Cut Road

As we know from school, the best information that gradually and logically
Marylebone Road

Guiding principles
Russell Farringdon
Palace
Harley Lower
Chenies
Grays Inn Little Italy
Leather Broadgate
Belgravia Webber
FITZROVIA
Lisson Green Cleveland Bloomsbury Fields Market
Parliament
Marylebone Marsh Barbican

A L D E R S G AT E way of processing huge swathes of sub-divides areas into smaller and

Smithfield

The role of named places

Village Portland Tottenham
Baker Market
Court Road Bedford Tabard
Square Finsbury
MuseumSt. George’s
High Holborn Little Circus
Buckingham Westminster St. Thomas’s Rathbone
Holborn Britain London
Petty Abbey

information is to divide them into smaller chunks. These chunks represent

South Bank Circus
M O O R G AT E
Bryanston Lambeth
HOLBORN
Wall
LEBONE Gate Bishopsgate
France Abbey Titchfield
University Street
North Lincolns Inn
Newington Guildhall
St Christopher Cavendish St Giles
Oxford Street Drury Gardens
Chancery Lane Old
Edgware Road Oxford Soho Charing Kingsway Petticoat

less-intimidating manageable chunks. historical, understandable and

Bailey

S T PA U L’ S
Portman Circus North Lane
Soho Square Cross
Road Elephant Cheapside

Identity
Victoria Street Oxford Street LambethCarnaby Bricklayers Aldgate

S O HFigure
O
Seven Cornhill
Kennington & Castle

C 4.
New Kent

O VLondon
E N T Ghas a Estrong identity which
St. Paul’s
Smith Palace
Hanover Berwick Compton Dials Neal Street
Temple
Arms
Road
Similarly, successfully identifiable neighbourhoods. Initial
Marble Arch Square Market West Road
ARD N South Regent Aldwych

FENCHURCH
Shaftesbury Ave
Horseferry Molton Street Square Blackfriars Cannon Street
Golden Long Acre
Grosvenor Square Chinatown Piazza Somerset

can be recognised by people around the

Bond Eastcheap

understanding the layout of London definitions of the villages and

Savile Lambeth House

M AY F A I R
Street Leicester
Vincent Walk
Piccadilly Circus Square St. Martin’s Strand
Millbank Berkeley
The Tower

world. is a matter of creating a hierarchy of nighbourhoods of the West End have

Park Lane Piccadilly Trafalgar
Black Haymarket
Square Newington
Jermyn
Prince Butts
Northumberland
Tate Modern
Southbank
Kennington Centre Borough
London
Shepherd Market Park Coin Street Market

ST JAMES’S Tate Bridge

SOUTHBANK
St James
Britain Palace Mall Whitehall
Waterloo

BANKSIDE
East High
Spring
Green Park County
Street Little City

G R E E N P A Rhttp://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/
Gardens Hall Waterloo Nelson Dorrit Hall

K
Guys

W A T E R L OAreas Villages
Station Square

O Hyde Park Downing

BOROUGH
St James’s Park Street The
Corner
Buckingham Cut
Palace

S These describe
W A R K London in the
archive/03051/london_2423609b_3051158a. Areas, in turn, are made up of several Lower Leather
Belgravia Webber Market
Parliament Marsh

OUTH St. Thomas’s

Market
St. George’s
Tabard

broadest terms, dividing it into large ‘villages’. The West End, for example, Buckingham
Gate Petty Westminster
Lambeth South Bank

jpg LAMBETH
Abbey

NEWINGTON
France North University Newington Abbey

VICTOR IA but easily distinguished chunks contains Soho, Mayfair and Covent Garden. Victoria Street Lambeth
Gardens Street

KENNINGTON Smith Palace Kennington Elephant

Road & Castle

such as the West End and the City. Again, these are familiar, commonly used
Square West Bricklayers
Horseferry Square New Kent Arms
Road
Lambeth

names, which can help pedestrians quickly

Walk

PIMILICO
Vincent
Millbank

VA U X H A L L
Black
Prince

relate one place to another, Holford

and build Kennington Newington
Park Butts
Tate
Britain

the knowledge needed to assist inMyddelton

Spring
Gardens
Goswell

mental mapping.Argyle
Granville Northampton Kings
Calthorpe Square Square
Cartwright
Exmouth St. John Old Street
St Andrew St. Luke’s Hoxton
Mount
Tavistock Pleasant
Corams Fields Clerkenwell Great Sutton
Green
L
University
F I N S B U RY
Street
F I N S BGolden
U RY
Structure
South Park
Figure 5. Applied Wayfinding have figured Clerkenwell Bunhill
Fitzroy Lane Fields Shoreditch
Road
Marylebone Road Russell Farringdon

out the structure of London with the common

Chenies
Harley Grays Inn Little Italy Broadgate

B LO O M S B U RY
Lisson Green Cleveland Bloomsbury Fields
B L O O M SSmithfield
B U RY CLERKENWELL
Barbican
CLERKENWELL Marylebone
Village Portland Tottenham

names of areas of London. Those familiar Baker Court Road Bedford

Square Museum High Holborn Little
Finsbury
Circus

FITZRO V I A can help pedestrians

Rathbone F I T Z R O V I AHolborn Britain
A L D E R SWallG AT E
London

OORG AT Enames A L D Equickly

R S G ATconnect
E Bryanston
Titchfield
Circus
Lincolns Inn
Holford
Myddelton Goswell
Bishopsgate

LEBONE HOLBORN Cavendish Guildhall

Argyle

St Giles
M A R Y L EDrury
B O NKingsway
E HOOldL B O R N M O OPetticoat
R G AT E
Kings

St Christopher
M O O R G AT E
Granville Northampton

Oxford Street Calthorpe Square

one place to another and build the knowledge

Cartwright

Edgware Road
Exmouth St. John
Chancery Lane
Old Street

Oxford St Andrew St. Luke’s Hoxton

Portman North Soho Charing Tavistock

Mount
Pleasant
Bailey
Circus Square Cross University
Corams Fields Clerkenwell
Green
Great Sutton
Street
Lane
Soho Golden Bunhill
Cheapside
S T PA U L’ S S T P A U L ’Cornhill
S
South Park Clerkenwell

Road
Lane

Aldgate
Fitzroy Shoreditch

Oxford Street
Road Fields
Marylebone Road Russell Farringdon

Carnaby
for mental mapping.
Seven
Harley
Chenies
Grays Inn Little Italy Broadgate

St. Paul’s
Cleveland Bloomsbury Fields

Berwick Compton
Lisson Green Marylebone Barbican

Dials
Smithfield

Hanover
Portland

Neal Street
Village Tottenham

W E S TF E E NHDU R C H
Baker Court Road Bedford
Square Finsbury

Temple
Museum High Holborn Little Circus

SOHO SOHO
Holborn London

Market
Rathbone Britain
Bryanston Circus Wall

Marble Arch
Bishopsgate

COVENT GARDEN C O V E NBlackfriars

T GARDEN
Titchfield

South Regent Aldwych

FENCHURCH
Lincolns Inn

NC CITY
Cavendish Guildhall

NCHURCH
St Christopher Oxford Street St Giles

Shaftesbury Ave
Drury Chancery Lane Old
Edgware Road Oxford Kingsway Petticoat

Street
Soho Charing

Molton
Portman North Bailey
Circus Square Cross Lane

Cannon Street
Soho Cheapside
Oxford Street Road Aldgate
Carnaby Seven

Golden St. Paul’s Cornhill

Berwick Compton
Long Acre
Hanover Dials Neal Street
Temple

Chinatown Marble Arch Market

M AY F APiazza
IR
South Regent Aldwych

Square Somerset
AY F A I R Grosvenor Molton Street Shaftesbury Ave
Blackfriars Cannon Street
Golden

Eastcheap
Long Acre

Bond Grosvenor Square Chinatown Piazza Somerset

Eastcheap

Savile
Bond

House
Savile House
Street Leicester

Applied Information Group, Yellow Book: A

Street
Piccadilly Circus Square St. Martin’s Strand

Leicester Park Lane

Berkeley

Piccadilly Haymarket Trafalgar

The Tower

Piccadilly Circus Square St. Martin’s

Jermyn Square

Strand Northumberland
Tate Modern
Shepherd Market Coin Street

Berkeley St James Southbank

Centre
Borough
Market
London

The Tower
SOUTH OF
Palace Mall Whitehall
Waterloo Bridge

Prototype Wayfinding System for TLondon.

East High
Green Park Street Little City

Park Lane
County Waterloo Nelson Dorrit Hall

Piccadilly Haymarket Trafalgar Hyde Park Downing

Hall Station Square Guys

SOUTH BANK W EBS A NIKNSS ITDE ER S Tate

O Modern
UTHBANK BANKSIDE
St James’s Park The

THE RIVER
Corner Street
Buckingham Cut

M Square
Palace
Leather

Jermyn
S TSouthbank
JAMES’S
Belgravia Lower Webber
Parliament Marsh Market

ST JAMES’S
Market Tabard
St. George’s

Northumberland
Buckingham Westminster St. Thomas’s
Petty Lambeth South Bank Abbey
Gate Abbey Street
France North University Newington
Gardens

Victoria Street Lambeth

Kennington
Centre
Elephant
& Castle Bricklayers Borough
London
Smith Palace New Kent Arms

G R E E N PA R K Market
Road Road

Shepherd Market Coin Street

Square West

G R E E N PA R K
Horseferry Square

Bridge
BOROUGH BOROUGH
Lambeth
Walk

St James
W AT E R L O O W AT E R L O O
Vincent
Millbank
Black Newington

Palace Mall Whitehall Tate

Prince
Kennington
Park
Butts

Waterloo
Britain

S O U T H WA R K Street S OLittle
U T H WA R K
Spring

DE
Gardens

East High
Green Park City
County Hall
Hall Waterloo Nelson Dorrit
Guys
LAMBETH Downing
L A MThe B Elegacy
T H of the massive investment Station Square

Ry was aVreal
C Tchallenge.
HO R I A But one that will encourage themNtoE come 2012,Streetof course, is TjustO Rthe I Aimmediate spur.
Hyde Park

OU IG
St James’s Park
WINGTON Corner
Buckingham
Palace
VIC
The
Cut NEWINGTON Holford Holford

many attractions time and time again.

Goswell Goswell

in facilities and infrastructure will be felt for decades toIcome.

N G T Which is why
Myddelton Myddelton

F I N S B U RY Leather Argyle Argyle

KENNINGTON Lower
K EWebber
NN O N Market
Kings Kings

Belgravia
Granville Northampton Granville Northampton
Square Square

PIMILICO
Calthorpe Square Calthorpe Square

Parliament
Cartwright Cartwright

Marsh Exmouth St. John Old Street Exmouth St. John Old Street

P I M I L I C O
St Andrew St. Luke’s Hoxton St Andrew St. Luke’s Hoxton

money needs to be spent wisely on schemes

Market
St. George’s that will make a real difference to the
Mount Mount

B LO O M S B U RY Tabard
Tavistock
Corams Fields
Pleasant
Clerkenwell Great Sutton
Tavistock
Corams Fields
Pleasant
Clerkenwell Great Sutton

CLERKENWELL St. Thomas’s University Green Street University Green Street

les of this system can stand up toVA

theUextreme
X H A L Lpressures of the F I T Z R O V I A
South Park Golden South Park Golden

V A U X H A L L
Clerkenwell Bunhill Clerkenwell Bunhill
Fitzroy Lane Fields Shoreditch Fitzroy Lane Fields Shoreditch
Road Road

Buckingham Marylebone Road

Westminster
Russell Farringdon Marylebone Road Russell Farringdon

everyday lives of Londoners. North

Chenies Chenies

Gate Petty Lisson Green

Harley
Lambeth South
Cleveland
Bank Bloomsbury
Grays Inn
Fields
Little Italy Broadgate
Lisson Green
Harley
Cleveland Bloomsbury
Grays Inn
Fields
Little Italy Broadgate

Abbey Barbican Barbican

GTO Nof year, that bodes well for the roll out of a similar
Marylebone Marylebone

A L D E R S G AT E
Smithfield Smithfield

France University Abbey

Village Portland Tottenham Village Portland Tottenham

usiest time
Newington
Baker Court Road Bedford Baker Court Road Bedford
Square Finsbury Square Finsbury
Museum High Holborn Little Circus Museum High Holborn Little Circus

Street
Holborn Britain London Holborn Britain London
Rathbone Rathbone

M O O R G AT E Gardens
Bryanston Circus Wall Bryanston Circus Wall
M A RY L E BO N E HOLBORN
Bishopsgate Bishopsgate
Titchfield Titchfield
Lincolns Inn Lincolns Inn
Cavendish St Giles Guildhall Cavendish St Giles Guildhall
St Christopher Oxford Street St Christopher Oxford Street
Drury Chancery Lane Old Drury Chancery Lane Old
Edgware Road Oxford Soho Charing Kingsway Petticoat Edgware Road Oxford Soho Charing Kingsway Petticoat
Bailey Bailey

S T PA U L’ S
Portman North Portman North

capital as part of a wider programme to improve the legibility S O H O C O V E N T G A R D E N

Circus Square Cross Lane Circus Square Cross Lane
Soho Cheapside Soho Cheapside
Oxford Street Road Aldgate Oxford Street Road Aldgate
Carnaby Seven Cornhill Carnaby Seven Cornhill

Victoria Street Marble Arch

Hanover Berwick Compton
Market
Dials Neal Street
Lambeth Temple
St. Paul’s

Marble Arch
Hanover Berwick Compton
Market
Dials Neal Street
Temple
St. Paul’s

Kennington Elephant
South Regent Aldwych South Regent Aldwych

FENCHURCH Palace
Shaftesbury Ave Shaftesbury Ave

Smith
Molton Street Blackfriars Cannon Street Molton Street Blackfriars Cannon Street
Golden Long Acre Golden Long Acre
Grosvenor Square Chinatown Piazza Somerset Square Chinatown Somerset

& Castle
Grosvenor Piazza
Bond Savile House
Road Eastcheap

West
Bond Savile House Eastcheap

s and public spaces.

M AY F A I R Square
Street
Piccadilly Circus
Leicester
Square St. Martin’s Strand
Street
Piccadilly Circus Bricklayers
Leicester
Square St. Martin’s Strand

Horseferry Park Lane

Berkeley

Piccadilly Haymarket Trafalgar Square

The Tower
Park Lane
New KentBerkeley

Piccadilly Haymarket Arms

Trafalgar
The Tower

Jermyn Square
Northumberland
Tate Modern Road Jermyn Square
Northumberland
Tate Modern

Meaning
Southbank Southbank
Centre Borough Centre Borough

Lambeth
Shepherd Market Coin Street Market London Shepherd Market Coin Street Market London

Figure 6. People can find their own meaning

ST JAMES’S
Bridge Bridge

SOUTHBANK
St James St James
Palace Mall Whitehall Palace Mall Whitehall

BANKSIDE Vincent Green Park County

Waterloo
East Walk High
Street Little City
Hall
Green Park County
Waterloo
East High
Street Little City
Hall

Millbank Hall Waterloo Nelson Dorrit Hall Waterloo Nelson Dorrit

G R E E N PA R K Station Square Guys Station Square Guys

WAT E R L O O Hyde Park Downing Hyde Park Downing

BOROUGH
St James’s Park Street The St James’s Park Street The
Corner Corner
Buckingham Cut Buckingham Cut
Palace Palace
Lower Leather Lower Leather
Belgravia Belgravia

Black
Webber Market Webber Market
Parliament Parliament

and interesting points from the features of

Marsh Marsh

S O U T H WA R K St. Thomas’s
Market
St. George’s
Tabard
St. Thomas’s
Market
St. George’s
Tabard

LAMBETH
Buckingham
Gate Petty Westminster
Abbey Prince Lambeth South Bank
Newington
Buckingham
Gate Petty Westminster
Abbey Lambeth South Bank

NEWINGTON
France North University Newington Abbey France North University Newington Abbey

VICTORIA Kennington
how we got here
Gardens Street Gardens Street

Victoria Street Lambeth

Park Butts Victoria Street Lambeth

KENNINGTON Smith Palace Kennington Elephant Smith Palace Kennington Elephant

Square Road West & Castle Bricklayers Square Road West & Castle Bricklayers

Tate Horseferry Square New Kent

Road
Arms Horseferry Square New Kent
Road
Arms

the city.
Lambeth Lambeth

Britain Walk Walk

or’s vision PIMILICO

Vincent Vincent
Millbank Millbank

VA U X H A L L Spring Black
Prince Newington
Black
Prince Newington

Gardens
Kennington Kennington
Park Butts Park Butts
Tate Tate
Britain Britain
Spring Spring
Gardens Gardens

London is seen as one of the world’s greatest cities – and so it

here’s more to it than that. People
Applied who regularly
Information Group,travel
20 around
toYellow
40 Book: A
minute-walk F I N S B U RY 10 to 20 minute-walk F I N S B U RY

there will always be plenty to do to regenerate and improve

nment.
Prototype Wayfinding System for London. B LO O M S B U RY CLERKENWELL
B LO O M S B U RY CLERKENWELL

FITZROVIA FITZROVIA A L D E R S G AT E
A L D E R S G AT E
M A RY L E BO N E HOLBORN M O O R G AT E M A RY L E BO N E HOLBORN M O O R G AT E
essure on London’s transport infrastructure, and this is set S T PA U L’ S S T PA U L’ S
SOHO COVENT GARDEN SOHO
the next 20 years, it’s estimated that London’s population FENCHURCH COVENT GARDEN FENCHURCH
M AY F A I R M AY F A I R

st 800,000.1 In many ways this is a great opportunity. The

ST JAMES’S
SOUTHBANK BANKSIDE
ST JAMES’S SOUTHBANK BANKSIDE
F I N S B U RY
se and the economic potential that goes with it needs to beG R E E N PA R K
WAT E R L O O BOROUGH G R E E N PA R K
WAT E R L O O BOROUGH
S O U T H WA R K
e London a truly sustainable city.
S O U T H WA R K
LAMBETH LAMBETH
VICTORIA NEWINGTON VICTORIA NEWINGTON
PIMILICO KENNINGTON KENNINGTON

out a clear vision for London based on three complementary B L O O M S BV AU RY

PIMILICO
VA U X H A L L UXHALL

d diverse economic growth; social inclusivity; and fundamental CLERKENWELL

environmental management and use of resources. Change
lready evident, with iconic contemporary landmarks like 30 FITZROVIA A L D E R S G AT E
‘The Gherkin’) and Tate Modern on the South Bank breathing
heritage.
R G AT ManyE outer
4
London town centres are growing and M A R Y L E B O N E HOLBORN M O O R G AT E
There is innovative development and building work going on
pital, creating a real buzz and sense of expectation. S T PA U L’ S
ENCHURCH SOHO COVENT GARDEN FENCHURCH
d all that 32 Where to next? Legible
One of the Mayor’s London
ambitions for London is to transform it into one of the most
 •• Imageability

Legibility + Visibility=Imageability (Public Image)

Imageability is a concept of a combination of legibility and
visibility. It is a physical feature that relate to the attributes of
identity and structure in the mental image. In an imaginable
city, there may be a clear structure which people can understand
easily. For improving the imageability of the city, the city planners
should enhance the legibility of its image by using symbolic
devices, for instance, a map with symbolic diagrams or a set of
written instructions. To improve the imageability of the city means
strengthening the public image of the city.

The elements of the city

Paths:
The channels which the people pass by
E.g. Streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads

Edges:
The liner elements which are not used or considered as paths
E.g. Shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls

Districts:
The medium-to-large sections of the city
E.g. Housing/market/building/shopping area

Nodes:
The points, the strategic spots in a city which people can enter
E.g. Stations, parks, plazas, shopping malls

Landmarks
The point references which can be recognised from long distance
E.g. Towers, halls, libraries, churches

Figure 7. Illustrations of the city elements

Lynch, The Image of the City

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Figure 8. Lynch had analysed the elements
of the cities of the usa, and this figure is an
analysed map of Los Angels. He allocated
symbols and colours for each element.

Lynch, The Image of the City

How should information designers deal with city design?

In conclusion, the designers who deal with urban planning
should study the people’s perception and the structure of the city,
and improve the legibility and imageability of the city. In terms
of information design, the designers should design clear and
sufficient wayfinding for navigating people smoothly. It can make
flows of the traffic and the pedestrians better and improve the
public image of the city. As Lynch insists, if urban design and the
citizens interact each other well, the city will bring more enjoyable
daily lives to everyone.

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Bibliography

Lynch, Kevin. 1960. The Image of the City. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT
Press.