Jane Jacobs’ chapter on “Visual order: its limitations and possibilities” borrows a bit from her contemporary, Kevin Lynch and the book he published at about the same time as The Death and Life of Great American Cities, The Image of the City. I’ll try and show the overlap in the next post or two.

Lynch writes about the five elements that compose our mental image of the city:

1. Paths - These are the foremost elements. They’re our channels of travel. Jacobs writes about these a fair bit, covering the uses of sidewalks in the first portion of Death and Life. It also relates to her chapter on “The need for small blocks,” one of the conditions for diversity.
2. Edge - This is paramount in Jacobs’ discussion of border vacuums. These are the elements such as rivers, railroad tracks, or anything else that might be a barrier to paths. It may also be where two different use districts (see below) meet. They can be any linear element we don’t consider paths.
3. Node - Lynch calls these “strategic spots.” They can be intersections or other places of focus as we enter or use such spaces. They combine well with landmarks. Jacobs writes about neighborhood parks - sometimes a node. These are crucial as points of reference when, say, we’re giving directions to someone else.
4. Landmark - Unlike a node, you don’t have to be in the spot to see the landmark, but they can also be points of reference. Jacobs suggests the use of landmarks to interrupt the “endlessness” of the visual streetscape.
5. District - We recognize the extent of this element by some unifying character. Jacobs suggests design features that provide some sense of visual order, but these districts can also form around common use or other common identity. Jacobs has much more to say about districts and district vitality.