Imageability

Imageability is a measure of how easily a physical object, word or environment will evoke a clear mental image in the mind of any person observing it.[1][2]

History and components

Kevin A. Lynch first introduced the term, "imageability" in his 1960 book, The Image of the City.[1][3] In it, Lynch argues cities contain a key set of physical elements that people use to understand the environment, orient themselves inside of it and assign it meaning.[4]

Lynch argues the five key elements that impact the imageability of a city are Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes, and Landmarks.

  • Paths: channels in which people trave. Examples: streets, sidewalks, trails, canals, railroads.
  • Edges: objects that form boundaries around space. Examples: walls, buildings, and shorelines, curbstone, streets and overpasses.
  • Districts: medium to large areas people can enter into and out of and have a common set of identifiable characteristics.
  • Nodes: large areas people can enter, that serve as the foci of the city, neighborhood, district, etc.
  • Landmarks: memorable points of reference people cannot enter into. Examples: signs, mountains and public art.[1]

In 1914, half a century before The Image of the City was published, Paul Stern discussed a concept similar to imageability in the context of art. Stern, in Susan Langer's Reflections on Art, names the attribute that describes how vividly and intensely an artistic object could be experienced apparency. [5]

See also

Further reading

References
  1. Lynch, Kevin, 1918-1984. (1960). The image of the city. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-12004-6. OCLC 230082.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Dellantonio, Sara; Job, Remo; Mulatti, Claudio (2014-04-03). "Imageability: now you see it again (albeit in a different form)". Frontiers in Psychology. 5: 279. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00279. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 3982064. PMID 24765083.
  3. "Analyzing Lynch's City Imageability in the Digital Age". Planetizen - Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  4. The urban design reader. Larice, Michael, 1962-, Macdonald, Elizabeth, 1959- (Second ed.). London. 2013. ISBN 978-0-203-09423-5. OCLC 1139281591.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. Langer, Susanne K. (Susanne Katherina Knauth), 1895-1985 (1979, ©1958). Reflections on art. New York: Arno Press. ISBN 0-405-10611-4. OCLC 4570406. Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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