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9 rules for wayfinding x 5 elements of the imagined city

isobelaraujo
Nov 20, 2019
2 min read

"In the process of way-finding, the strategic link is the environmental image, the generalized mental picture of the exterior physical world that is held by an individual. This image is the product both of immediate sensation and of the memory of past experience, and it is used to interpret information and to guide action”- Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City

The image above was taken at the Gensler office in Chicago during a workshop on the art of wayfinding, or the act of guiding (or being guided) through your environment or system of information through signals and cues. It all boiled down into these 9 rules:

BE MEMORABLE
BE CLEAR
BE TACTILE
BE BRIGHT
BE CONSISTENT
BE HEARD
BE SPECIFIC
BE COMMON
BE DISTINCT

The quote above is by renowned urban planner and author Kevin Lynch, who defined "way-finding" as "a consistent use and organization of definite sensory cues from the external environment". In an urban context, wayfinding can encompass signs, maps, stoplights, crosswalks, or any other number of bells, whistles, and signals we use to navigate the street. In the "Image of the City " Lynch asserted that people create mental maps of places based on the following five elements:

PATHS -routes that you can move along
DISTRICTS - two-dimensional areas that you can move into and within
EDGES - boundaries
NODES - distinct, small locations within a community that you can enter and exit
LANDMARKS - distinct physical objects that you can easily identify but not enter (they can also be mobile)

Out of these rules for wayfinding and elements of imagined cities, there arise 45 different combinations of elements that adhere to each rule- a "memorable path," a "tactile landmark," a "bright edge," etc. Below, in no particular order, is an ongoing collection of images of all 45 of said combinations of these elements of the city. Collectively, these images portray my personal mental imaginings and experience of the urban form, and will be updated periodically with new memories. Stay tuned!

A common edge:

Chicago