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Lost in Space

Lost in Space: Designing Navigable Environments

Thesis: More focus should be placed on the design and construction of navigational tools in urban design in order to create environments that are informative, legible, and authoritative.

Publishing Venue: ARCADE


We understand cities and buildings by creating mental maps. According to Kevin Lynch, these maps consist of our understanding of paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks; a patchwork of images from our memories that give us a comprehension of where we are, where we are going, and how we could and should get there. Wayfinding as a principle is user-oriented and derives its approach from the behavioral and psychological foundations of navigation. This spatial orientation relies heavily on the built environment; therefore, architects and designers must be held responsible to create spaces that are easily understood and informative.

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Lost in Space

Lost in Space: Designing Navigable Architecture

Thesis:

More focus should be put on the construction of navigational tools in urban design in order to create more meaningful, interactive environments.

Publishing Venue:

ARCADE

Abstract:

We understand cities and buildings by creating mental maps. According to Kevin Lynch, these maps consist of our understanding of paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks; a patchwork of images from our memories that give us a comprehension of where we are, where we are going, and how we could and should get there. Way-finding as a principle is user-oriented and derives its approach from the behavioral and psychological foundations of navigation. This spatial orientation relies heavily on the built environment; therefore, architects and designers must be held responsible to create spaces that are easily understood and informative. (Great sentence !)

Both good and bad (who defines this and upon which criteria?) way-finding tools can impact the emotional state of users of the built environment (how so?) and the accessibility, safety, and efficiency of a space. Cities and buildings must be designed to be understood, otherwise, we risk the emotional and literal security of users. When we navigate urban spaces, we have a dynamic relationship to the built environment: we are constantly observing and reacting to the circumstances presented. This spatial problem-solving proves that buildings and the organization of a city have a huge impact on a user’s decisions and execution of those decisions. We are constantly processing information: stop at the crosswalk, take this detour, go around this building… this constantly changing connection that we have with our environment can be greatly enhanced by the implementation of effective way-finding devices.

But what makes an effective navigational tool? There are signs that tell you which exit to take on the highway, there’s lettering on buildings that say what the store inside is selling, there are maps in subway stations that explain the whole system. But designers should keep in mind that not all of these way-finding devices are necessarily effective. For instance, imagine a busy street in New York City. There are likely lots of signs on and around the buildings and streets. This extremely heavy saturation of information makes it nearly impossible for users to pick out the pertinent items for their decision-making process; in order to combat this, designers should aim to establish a hierarchy of information in the built environment. With this hierarchy should come a certain amount of gravitas: flimsy road signs that aren’t well-maintained will not assert the same comforting authority as a road name that’s painted onto the corner of an old building. Accuracy is obviously of upmost importance in way-finding, and though to a foreign user accuracy is impossible to verify, the authority of a permanent or at least seemingly trustworthy navigational tool is necessary in order to be effective.

Spatial planning is a necessary early step in the design process that is too often overlooked. The design process asks planners to place themselves in a situation in the created environment and to imagine any and all possible choices, circumstances, and consequences of, say, turning left versus turning right. These hypothetical decisions should be actively used as a way to guide design decisions. Authoritative navigational tools should be better integrated into architectural design in order to create happy (could spaces be happy?), accessible, and efficient spaces.

 

Sources:

Lynch, Kevin. The Image of the City. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 1960. Print.

 

Arthur, Paul, and Romedi Passini. Wayfinding: People, Signs, and Architecture. New York: McGraw-Hill Book, 1992. Print.

 

Werner, Steffen, and Laura E. Schindler. “The Role of Spatial Reference Frames in Architecture: Misalignment Impairs Way-Finding Performance.” Environment & Behavior. SAGE Journals.

 

Carlson, Laura A., Christoph Hölscher, Thomas F. Shipley, and Ruth Conroy Dalton. “Getting Lost In Buildings.” Association for Psychological Science (2010). SAGE Journals. Web.

 

Bruno, Giuliana. Atlas of Emotion: Journeys in Art, Architecture, and Film. London: Verso, 2002. Print.

 

Lingis, Alphonso. “The Weight of Reality.” Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature (2002): Print.