r a y m o n d c h i n gARCH103 learning portfolio | spring2013!

Mental maps are great and getting a glimpse of how minds store space is fascinating. Lynch breaks the perceptual city up into handy and easily understood components. He believed that cognitive maps and the mental images that people compile about the space around them are mainly composed of paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks.!

DEFINITIONS Path channels along which the observer moves!

Edge linear elements not used or considered as paths by the observer. They are the boundaries between two phases!

Node points, the strategic spots in a city into which an observer can enter, and which are the intensive foci to and from which (s)he is traveling!

Landmark a point or radial references, a defined physical object!

Interrelationshipnodes are junctions of paths!landmark, like a node, is a point-reference!edges are often lying between two districts!

All of these adds up to one’s mental image of the city - how you live in your city, how you experience and become aware of its time and space!

“A highly imaginable city… would seem well formed, distinct, remarkable, it would invite the eye and the ear to greater attention and participation. The sensuous grasp upon such surroundings would not merely be simplified, but also extended and deepened. Such a city would be one that could be apprehended over time as a pattern of high continuity with many distinctive parts clearly interconnected. The perceptive and familiar observer could absorb new sensuous impacts without disruption of his basic image, and each new impact would touch upon many previous elements. He would be well oriented, and he could move easily. He would be highly aware of his environment. The city of Venice might be an example of such a highly imaginable environment. In the United States, one is tempted to cite parts of Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston, or perhaps the lake front of Chicago.”!!“Imaginable” is a term Lynch invented to indicate how well a place can be taken in, mentally mapped, experienced.!

PATHS

Lynch loosely describes paths as “channels along which the observer customarily, occasionally, or potentially moves.  They may be streets, walkways, transit lines, canals or railroads” (Lynch 47).  This concept should be familiar to anyone. They help you to shape your perception of space and place.!

With paths in mind, you can see how San Francisco would be a highly imaginable city. It is an incredibly walkable city. Paths can be personal - paths to grab a coffee (Philz Coffee in my case, one of the best in town), paths to your buddy’s house, quiet paths, loud paths, fast paths, etc.  With a large enough number of paths, a greater mental grid is perceived, while the uniqueness of each path is retained.!

LANDMARKS

A landmark is an element within the city that – like a node - is a point-reference. The golden gate bridge, the ferry building, AT&T park,  etc. These are obvious.  Parking meters, grave stones and fence posts can all be landmarks.  I might even argue that a person who you often see in the same place could be a landmark.!

EDGES

Lynch describes edges as, “the linear elements not [necessarily] used or considered as paths by the observer.  They are the boundaries between two phases, linear breaks in continuity: shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls.”  He goes on to point out that edges are not always impenetrable and, in fact, are often seams between two districts or areas.!

Mission Creek is loaded with edges. The river bank of the Mission Creek Park, paths of kayakers, boundary between the Embarcadero and the ocean, etc. They certainly function as edges on my cognitive map of Mission Creek.!

NODES

There two distinct types of nodes. Some nodes are junctions of paths and are therefore often transportation-related, while others may simply be a concentration of some type of use or characteristic.  Nodes are important to the whole of how a city is perceived because they are related to the concept of path, since they often represent path junctions. They are similarly related to the concept of district since junctions are often prominent features within them.  Lynch asserts that nodal points are to be found in almost every mental image of a place, and in some cases they may represent the most dominant feature.!

Imaginable nodes in Mission Creek: San Francisco Caltrain Station, King St & 4th St light rail and bus station, etc. even the Mission Creek Park could be treated as a node.!

I started my journey at China Basin (point A) heading towards AT&T Park (point B). It’s a path along the edge, wide and relatively open. I felt calm and relax as it opens up to the blue sky and sea. But the feeling changed as I walked towards the city. It’s a path surrounded by 2~4 stories tall buildings, with vehicles flashing by. Familiar yet want to get away from it. At the end of the path, there is a bridge, I was attracted by by its size.!

I’ve reached a node in front of the bridge. Surprisingly, I had to take an extremely narrow path to cross the bridge. Not particularly welcoming. The other side is China Basin - a path between, about 30ft apart, two 6 stories tall buildings. Not too compelling, but better the bridge. Walking along it, I could really feel the pressure, like walking between two troops of rivalry armies. After the concrete forest is a path with two rows of trees along side, about 25ft wide. It looks a lot more compelling. It is a path that people take their dogs to the dog park at the end, comfortable and chill. The right side are luxurious apartments facing a channel. On the other side of the channel are some old houses. The row of tress that’s closer to the luxurious apartments, ironically, have no leaves. It’s the nature’s way saying city development will kill the greens.!

Crossing the channel will lead you to a crocked path, the vies is partially blocked by trees and hills, made me want to investigate and find out what’s behind. Turned out it’s a dead end blocked by a house, went around the house and I found a path bounded by fences. It is a fairly open path, yet I felt trapped and uncomfortable. !

Walking out of the fences, I returned to China Basin passing the luxurious apartments, stopped by Philz Coffee, a landmark of mine. It’s a 30mins walk, yet I’ve experience a numbers of emotions, which proves spacial experience is directed related to emotions. It is affected by the path’s openness, width, shape, materials and height of surrounding structures. !

FACTORS THAT SHAPES OUR EXPERIENCE OPENNESSOpenness of a path is defined by its exposedness to the sun. People has a tenderness of moving to brighter areas, known as phototropism. Therefore, paths that expose to more sunlight are generally more welcoming. On the other hand, those that have more shades are less welcoming, or even creates fear.!

WIDTH & HEIGHTWidth of paths alone doesn’t have a fixed impact on people’s emotion. For example, when you were situated at the middle of an endless piece of beautifully vegetated land, you might feel relax, happy, lost or lonely. But when we add in factors like height and material, width has more impact all of a sudden. !

TOPOGRAHYDepending on the shape and topography of the path, it may arouse observer's curiosity and other emotions. !

MATERIALSMaterials of surrounding structures also affect observer’s emotion. For example, if a path was bounded by trees, it would be more welcoming than concrete or metal.!

UTOPIAN CITY – THE ETHEN

residential!restaurants,  shops  etc.  lung  of  city  financial    

-well planned area to minimize travel distance!-­‐highly  walkable  city.  promotes  exercise.    

-hides roads and freeways underground to provide a visually pleasing living area!-efficient public transportation network!