Legible City Research Articles

Spatial Legibility: A Bibliometric and Visualization Analyses Using Vosviewer Software (1975-2023)

Spatial legibility has been associated in the literature as being comprehensible of the space, easy wayfinding in the space, and being able to draw a cognitive map of the space. This study aims to analyze the scope of spatial legibility research using bibliometric analysis and visualization using VOSviewer. The Web of Science database was utilized to gather information on spatial legibility studies. Title, keywords, and abstract requirements were used to construct the search results, which were based on topic categories from spatial legibility research. The Web of Science database research keywords (TS= ("spatial legibility")) OR TS= ("architectural legibility")) OR TS= ("urban legibility")) OR TS= ("legible cities")) OR TS= ("legible city"). It has been determined that the most used words by the authors in their publications are space syntax, legibility, intelligibility, cognitive map, image, landmark, spatial legibility, urban design, way finding, navigation, virtual environment, and perception. To sum up, this article will give an idea to researchers who will research spatial legibility.

The importance of Environmental Graphic Design in urban spaces

Environmental graphic design (EGD) from its creation has proven that its development has emerged to serve the needs of modern society and in particular of the part of the population living in urban centers. EGD is being recognized for its role in humanizing and simplifying the complexities of the built environment. Well-designed signage and environmental graphic programs help improve the aesthetic and psychological aspects of an environment, in addition to fulfilling their communication role of informing, directing and identifying. At the core of the growing demand for Environmental Graphic Design are the demands of the modern world. Cities face a variety of challenges as a result of the negative effects of globalization. EGD can be used to «humanize» a city, create connections between citizens and with the city and to make a city or a neighborhood more pleasant and functional for them. Visual pollution, prevented by the uncontrolled display of signs, is another problem that cities face. Implementing guidelines for sign control is essential to maintaining and improving the visual quality of historic places. EGD is used to create a legible city. The goal is to provide easily understandable information at every single step and to improve the overall city experience for both visitors and citizens.

VISUAL NAVIGATION IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT OF THE CITY OF KHARKIV

The urban environment of many cities in Ukraine is characterized by oversaturation and unstructured information and advertising elements, as well as a lack of information and guidance tools, which leads to some discomfort in the stay of both citizens and guests of the cities of our country. The relevance of this issue encourages researchers in the field of design theory to carefully analyze the evolution of graphical navigation systems for identifying their further development. The infrastructure of public transport in Kharkiv, taking into account the growing number of routes and vehicles that provide passenger transportation, needs to develop a set of visual navigation by means of graphic design. The aim of research reveals the necessity of development the comprehensive design of visual navigation in the infrastructure of public transport in Kharkiv. The results can be used to find the optimal solutions of graphic sign systems that may become the basis of visual communications in a dynamically developing urban environment at present stage. The scientific paper describes some of the foreign projects in terms of forming a visual system for the transport infrastructure of the city. Analysis of world experience in the field of navigation systems and trends in public transport indicates the need for an integrated approach to the development of visual navigation. This is a relevant task, as there is an increase in the share of urban residents, an increase in the number of public electric transport as well as the launch of new transport routes. Based on the analysis of foreign projects «Bristol Legible City», «London Legible City» and «Bath Public Realm & Movement Strategy», aimed at solving the problem of urban visual navigation in Bristol, London and Bath, certain components are identified and characterized that can be used to develop a systematic design concept for navigation in public transport in Kharkiv. Among them are common visual language and navigation system throughout the city; taking into account the aspect of unification, which eliminates the inconsistency between the systems in the city; visual color differentiation for different modes of transport; maps of public transport with geographical reference to the area; visual association of subway maps and other types of urban electric transport. Such components are appropriate in the formation of a comprehensive design solution.

Sensing the City: Legibility in the Context of Mediated Spatial Terrains

Smartphones, with their “pervasive presence” in contact with our bodies, have come to act as sensory prosthetics that mediate our experience of the city. They activate new possibilities of navigating the urban, such that we can find exactly what we want, rather than what has been placed before us. This article argues that smartphone technologies produce a more fluid engagement with urban space: where space is not so much “given” as “enacted.” In this context, notions of “legibility” take on new algorithmic and virtual forms. Thus, according to Hamilton and colleagues, where “the legible city waited to be read, the transparent city of data waits to be accessed.” Here, stable features dissolve as urban space becomes increasingly fluid and contingent, no longer limited by static patterns of inhabitation. Instead, how we move and where we move shift in accordance with the kinds of urban resources being activated at any given location, at any given moment, and in conjunction with the shifting vicissitudes of the crowd. In this context, the virtual (in its technological definition of cyber-enabled or -enacted space) mediates and activates the virtual (in its philosophical definition pertaining to the capacities of an entity that may or may not be manifested depending on context). The article considers the implications of this novel spatial mediation using an ontological perspective informed by complex adaptive systems theory, which considers forms and objects not as absolutes but rather as contingent entities activated through interactions.

Toronto TO360 Pilot Evaluation and the Case for Pedestrian Wayfinding ( breakout presentation )

Background Following other ‘legible city’ projects, the City of Toronto initiated the TO360 Wayfinding Strategy in support of walking as the connecting mode that enables sustainable transportation. A pilot scheme delivered in 2015 provided a baseline for evaluation in support of a business case for citywide roll-out. Description TO360 is comprehensive multimodal strategy for pedestrian, vehicular, cyclist and transit users. The pedestrian pilot consists of on-street signage and maps at transit shelters and street furniture. Signs are deployed to support the most legible routes connecting arrival points and destinations, but also reveal the offer of the area, promoting wandering and exploration. Maps incorporate features to support walking such as 5-min walking circle, heads-up orientation and landmark buildings. Outcomes The objective of the pilot is two-fold: test user understanding and physical qualities of products, and provide an evaluation baseline. Pre- and post-implementation surveys were undertaken 12 months apart to measure change. After the pilot, rating for users to help finding their way around increased from 61% to 89%; to help making informed choices about walking routes increased from 39% to 83%; and, to learn about new and interesting locations or attractions increased from 44% to 82%. Results are comparable to other cities, notably to Legible London which also run an evaluation three years after implementation that demonstrated that as the wayfinding system expands it delivers increased awareness and confidence to explore. Implications Based on the system life-cycle costs and benefits, the indicative benefit cost ratio for Toronto is estimated at 3.7:1. This means that for every dollar invested, nearly $4 is returned through transportation benefits such as pedestrian and auto journey time savings. The case for TO360 is further enhanced by other non-monetized benefits such as additional tax revenues from retail, tourism, reduction in emissions and health care costs. However, benefits in terms of footfall and visitor expenditure are harder to justify beyond downtown areas. A recommended implementation would be to combine high quality signage in dense areas with potential for walking with more cost-effective solutions such printed and digital maps across the city, creating a consistent pedestrian information fabric.

Postphenomenological performance: bodily extensions in interactive art

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the extension of the body through the technological architecture of interactive art installations. It incorporates and builds upon Don Ihde’s postphenomenological philosophy of technology to argue how tools extend and limit the human body. This work expands upon Ihde’s hypothesis to consider how technologically mediated bodies adapt to and co-create interactive experiences. Through a methodological framework of postphenomenology, this work uses Jeffrey Shaw’s The Legible City (1988) and Dennis Del Favero’s immersive artwork Scenario (2011) as case studies. Through application of Ihde and an interview I conducted with Del Favero in 2014, this paper examines how the body is mediated, extended and reduced into his artwork through motion-sensing technology. It also considers Ihde’s concept of bodyhood as well as his specific ideas on human–technology relationships, which I argue can be broken down as a way to consider the composition of interactive art. Overall this paper considers the human body’s negotiation with technology as an interface that co-composes experientiality where users become postphenomenologically extended in interactive environments.

Studying Legibility Perception and Pedestrian Place in Urban Identification

Legibility and its effect on users of urban space have been noteworthy for many theorists in urbanization area. In a way that from their view, behavior patterns of pedestrians are severely affected by legibility perception of the body and their environment activity. The current research is to study legibility perception and pedestrian place in urban identification. In this research, there is an attempt to study collected data, based on the data collected from library search and related literature, through descriptive - analytic method is presented. This article analyzes legibility in urban space based on pedestrian view, introduces criteria for legible city, and present indices for designing streets to be used in urban space.

Searching for legible city form: Kevin Lynch's theory in contemporary perspective

(2003). Searching for legible city form: Kevin Lynch's theory in contemporary perspective. Journal of Urban Technology: Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 19-39.

Making a city: Urbanity, vitality and urban design

Following decades of both planned and market‐driven decentralization of cities and city‐regions, urban policy makers are now extolling the virtues of the compact city. The model which is held up as a good example is that of the traditional European city which is relatively dense and fine‐grained. The model that is no longer considered sustainable (economically and socially as well as environmentally) is the sprawl, strip or edge city, more often than not planned around the automobile. One question is the extent to which this European model of the good city transfers to the UK context. The author would argue that a number of engrained attitudes to city planning (and indeed city life) persist which together might undermine attempts to stimulate more active and culturally confident cities. Nevertheless, if we are to have more active and better cities, we need to know how best to manage, develop and design them. This paper argues that the city is a phenomenon of structured complexity. Good cities tend to be a balance of a reasonably ordered and legible city form, and places of many and varied comings and goings, meetings and transactions. What might appear to some as disorder is very often simply the everyday rhythm of city life. In the absence of such activity, cities can lose their urbanity and eventually become suburban in character. The large part of this paper contains an exposition of the principles of good city form, activity, street life and urban culture. That is to say, urbanity itself. By reference to a number of cities, the intention is to show that it is perfectly possible to plan for and design the active city.

The Microgenesis of Cognitive Maps: A Longitudinal Study of New Residents of an Urban Area

The Microgenesis of Cognitive Maps: A Longitudinal Study of New Residents of an Urban Area