Structural analysis of the elements of Lynch's image of the city based on space syntax

Abstract

Kevin Lynch, in The Image of the City, studied the mental image of citizens as separate elements, namely nodes, paths, districts, edges and landmarks, without considering the structural relations among them. Redefining these elements in the form of a coherent structure using the descriptors of space syntax theory makes a structural analysis of these elements possible. This study explored the relations between Lynch's elements and the descriptors of space syntax theory. Taking a descriptive–analytical approach, a theoretical framework was proposed following a literature review related to the image of the city and space syntax theory, which was then used to extract the mental image of the citizens of Bojnourd city (located in the North Khorasan province of Iran), with the elements redefined by isovists and axial lines from a structural aspect. The findings of this research demonstrated a close relation between the paths and nodes in the mental image map and the axial lines map of Bojnourd city. Finally, it was concluded that there was a multi-dimensional relation between Lynchian elements and descriptors of space syntax, which could have practical applications in urban development plans.