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A review by kahell
The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch
3.0
In highschool my friends labeled me a "geographical idiot" because I had a tendency to get lost whenever I try to find my own way around the city. I reasoned that I didn't go out much as a kid so naturally I hadn't mastered public transportation. Then I started getting better (thank you, Google Maps) but I still found it hard to make a mental map of places I've been to numerous times. It wasn't until later on that I realized that, although I may be in the lower average on the scale of wayfinding talent, it's not entirely my fault.
Metro Manila is a patchwork at best, a product of implementing a new urban development framework every six years (as a new president gets elected). Private housing intersects business areas intersects public roads intersects other private edifices, and the resulting hodgepodge makes it hard for the average city dweller to find their way around without the aid of external tools or a well-traveled neighbor offering commuting advice.
I knew this, in an abstract way, before I read this book, but Lynch's terminologies helped me articulate that better. This book was written before urban planning was even a proper field and you can see how his concepts have influenced what came thereafter.
A further summary with a brief review: https://kahell.notion.site/The-Image-of-the-City-ded7b485039f459f996844bef87f8084
Metro Manila is a patchwork at best, a product of implementing a new urban development framework every six years (as a new president gets elected). Private housing intersects business areas intersects public roads intersects other private edifices, and the resulting hodgepodge makes it hard for the average city dweller to find their way around without the aid of external tools or a well-traveled neighbor offering commuting advice.
I knew this, in an abstract way, before I read this book, but Lynch's terminologies helped me articulate that better. This book was written before urban planning was even a proper field and you can see how his concepts have influenced what came thereafter.
A further summary with a brief review: https://kahell.notion.site/The-Image-of-the-City-ded7b485039f459f996844bef87f8084