city image / mental mapping
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Mapping the Urban Image
What is your “image of the city”? Intangible model of the city Designed for practicality not precision Personal “Under construction” Made up of certain elements (Kevin Lynch 1960)
Paths Landmarks Nodes Districts Edges
What purposes does it serve?
Aids navigation Guides social interaction Prevents feeling lost Helps make the city feel like “home”
Alternative names Image (Kevin Lynch, 1960)
imageability path, edge, landmark, node, district some urban environments are more imageable than others
Mental maps Peter Gould (preference surfaces) Rodney White
Cognitive maps Roger Downs and David Stea Reg Golledge
Mental MapsGould and White 1986
Ignorance Surface from Pennsylvania
Preference Surface from Minnesota
What areas do you know: Well Moderately
well Not at all
What areas do you consider: Great Good OK Not so hot Really awful
Why does your image of the city matter?
Mental maps
Spatial behavior
Urban form
One example (Los Angeles)
Another example (Los Angeles)
Different Scale
Problems with methodology? Link between mental map and sketch map is
taken for granted, assumed rather than problematized
Several variables not examined: artistic ability (varies by education, age, etc.) practice drawing maps perception of task (e.g. level of probing by researcher) willingness to draw (e.g. amount of free time)
Strengths of methodology?
Reveals individual differences in experience
Builds rapport between researcher and subject
A fun way to initiate broader discussion about the urban environment
Why might mental maps differ from person to person?urban experiences differ from person to person
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
??? ??? ??? ???
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
age access to transportation leisure time fear/confidence
level
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
age access to transportation leisure time fear/confidence
level
???
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
age access to transportation
income
leisure time
profession
race
residentiallocation
fear/confidencelevel
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
age access to transportation
income
leisure time
profession
race
residentiallocation
fear/confidencelevel
???
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
age access to transportation
income
leisure time
profession
race
residentiallocation
income
profession
education
fear/confidencelevel
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
age access to transportation
income
leisure time
profession
race
residentiallocation
income
profession
education
fear/confidencelevel
???
Why might mental maps be different scales?
urban experience
age access to transportation
income
leisure time
profession
race
residentiallocation
income
profession
education
fear/confidencelevel
gender
physical build
age
attitude
crime victim?
Can you think of any other personal variables related to physical ability? How would each of these affect someone’s
image of the city? blind or visually impaired partially or completely deaf mobility impaired developmentally impaired mentally ill substance abusers homeless
How could the city be made more accessible for: children elderly women handicapped poor & unemployed those without cars