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From the Planners’ Bookshelf…
The Image of the City. Summary
YouTube
Kevin Lynch, The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, 194 pages, 1960. Published Reviews

Summary
Kevin Lynch is one of the all-time best
contributors to the art and science of city
design. The Image of The City, published in
1960, contains many terms and ideas that are
now clichés. He develops theory and language
based on his study of three towns:
Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles.

The book is short, only some 120 pages of

discussion followed by 70+ pages of case
studies. Summarizing such a rich and compact
presentation is not necessary since the work
itself is so readily available; however, there are
several ideas to highlight. First, Mr. Lynch
presents the city as an emotional experience
that exists in different weathers and lights, at
different times of day and season and at
Everything does not have to be done now, or
different points in history. We can never see
done all at once. Time is an asset not well used.
the entire city, we only see and experience
pieces. The city always changes; one never finds
In Chapter III, Mr. Lynch gives us his list of the
the city the same from day to day.
elements of the city along with a concise
definition of each. The list includes:
The second notion is his observation that “We
1. Paths,
are not simple observers of this spectacle, but
2. Edges,
are ourselves a part of it, on the stage with the 3. Districts,
other participants.” 4. Nodes, and
5. Landmarks.
There is no end state. The city goes on and on.
“There is no final result, only a continuous The elements offer an organizing framework
succession of phases.” This is an often still useful in the post-urbanist world. He relates
overlooked facet of cities when considering these to three towns he studied which provides
improvements and budgets. While safety a useful demonstration of his thought process
considerations demand priority, most projects and offers a nostalgic look at the three towns
can be scheduled over some extended time for those familiar with them now or in their
frame. heyday of the 1950s.

The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch 1

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From the Planners’ Bookshelf…
One could get the sense that over the past half This chapter goes on to discuss the holistic
century, we have not progressed in creating nature of the city and to remind the reader that
livable cities. the list is for the convenience of analysis and
study; “they will act as building blocks for the
Chapter IV is where the action starts. Mr. Lynch designer.” Their combinations, context and
starts his journey for “forming our new city sequences are the stuff of city planning and
world into an imageable landscape: visible, design. Painting the entire picture is the
coherent and clear.” He previously used the purpose.
term urban design, not a common term in his
day. He observes that objects, like a tree, while
beautiful are single purpose. “A city is a multi-
purpose, shifting organization.” City planning
and design needs to respond to this temporally.
Chapter V continues his innovative thoughts
with discussions about:
• “a large city can have a sensuous form”,
• A metropolis will have a “complicated
pattern, continuous and whole, yet
intricate and mobile”, Born Kevin Andrew Lynch
• “sense of place”, January 7, 1918
Chicago, Illinois
• “By the intensity of life itself and the
close packing of its disparate people,
Died April 25, 1984 (aged 66)
the great city is a romantic place, rich in Aquinnah, Martha's
symbolic detail.” Vineyard, Massachusetts

Institutions Massachusetts Institute

He concludes by saying the visual and sensual of Technology (1949–1978)
aspects of the present and future city should
become a normal and integral part of the Alma mater Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
comprehensive plan.
Main Urban
interests planning; environmental
As discussed in The City Sociable [Chapter 16 in psychology; urban form
Character Towns, Positioning Small Cities and
Principal Mental
Towns for the New Economy], social mapping; wayfinding;
ideas
infrastructure and program are necessary parts imageability
of the city’s General Plan. Cities and towns are Major works The Image of the City
emotional experiences; the best cities use their What Time is This Place?
economic and physical assets to create a sense A Theory of Good Urban
of well-being, curiosity, fulfillment and joy. Form

Notable Rexford G. Tugwell

awards Award (1984)

The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch 2

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From the Planners’ Bookshelf…
YouTube: In addition to the reviews cited below, check out:
Obraz Miasta "The Image of the City" Kevin Lynch ARCHIVOLTA

Kanał użytkownika WydARCHIVOLTA

Mr. Lynch discusses his five types of elements of the city in the context of Los Angeles: edges,
nodes, districts, landmarks and paths.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHwbRLu0ymo

Published Reviews
• Review: Kevin Lynch – The Image of the City
by Michiel de Lange on May 8, 2009

As part of a new effort of The Mobile City to compile an ever-expanding overview of

literature relevant to our themes, I will review this oldie-goldie published in 1960. I
particularly assess its enduring relevance for understanding the current relation between
mobile & locative media and the city.
http://themobilecity.nl/2009/05/08/review-kevin-lynch-the-image-of-the-city/

• The Image of the City

by Kevin Lynch
4.0 of 5 s tars 4.00 · rating details · 1,623 ratings · 65 reviews
What does the city's form actually mean to the people who live there? What can the city planner do to
make the city's image more vivid and memorable to the city dweller? To answer these questions, Mr.
Lynch, supported by studies of Los Angeles, Boston, and Jersey City, formulates a new criterion--
imageability--and shows its potential value as a guide for the building and r ...more
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/647351.The_Image_of_the_City

Wednesday, May 28

Book: The Image of the City

topic: Reading List
Kevin Lynch’s The Image of the City, published in 1960, is well-established as a classic text of urban
design and planning. The primary insight developed in this small book is that the structure of a city exists
not only in physical reality but also in the minds of its inhabitants. This thesis of “imageability” launched
another angle from which city planning could be researched and organized around. True to his era,
Lynch emphasized such traits as efficiency and tended toward abstract principles, but I think there are
still valuable lessons that can be gleaned from his approach.
Source: http://discoveringurbanism.blogspot.com/2008/05/book-image-of-city.html

The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch 3