Shahrul Izzat

In this project, we are required to present an in-depth and analytical research study on the designated topic. We had to explore the image of a city based on Kevin Lynch’s most famous work, The Image of the City (1960). In this project part 1, I had to identify Lynch’s 5 elements; path, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks within a selected city and the second part is to produce an essay with a cognitive map of the city.

Lynch's most famous work, The Image of the City (1960), is the result of a five-year study on how observers take in information of the city. Using three disparate American cities as examples (Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles), Lynch reported that users understood their surroundings in consistent and predictable ways, forming mental maps with five elements:

• paths, the streets, sidewalks, trails, and other channels in which people travel;

• edges, perceived boundaries such as walls, buildings, and shorelines;

• districts, relatively large sections of the city distinguished by some identity or character;

• nodes, focal points, intersections or loci;

• landmarks, readily identifiable objects which serve as external reference points

To complete this task, I chose Bandar Sunway to be used to identify the 5 elements in the city.