Role of Urban Elements in Navigating the Imageability of Residential Neighbourhoods: Case of Ahmedabad

Abstract

Since the beginning of civilization, urban design has advanced significantly, and we continue to build cities today. Cities may differ in topography and climate, yet they can still be recognized by their distinct architectural features and the experiences. People's ability to navigate a city is greatly influenced by its layout, or spatial organisation. It is noted that the way the local arrangement of streets, buildings, and landmarks is done, it influences our way of exploring an urban environment. However, the recent surge in technology has created a universal design language, evident in architecture and other art forms and has unfortunately led to a homogenization of urban experiences. Cities around the world are starting to feel the same. This can be seen in the experiences offered by new cities and is reflected in their imageable elements. These are the most memorable aspects of a city, as identified by Kevin Lynch. Indian cities have been largely overlooked in studies of imageability. Existing literature uses terms like simple, coherent, understandable, and perceivable to define legible environments. These terms all refer to characteristics derived from the spatial structure. The five primary elements of a legible city that contributes to imageability: paths, nodes, districts, landmarks, and edges. The research is aimed at identifying the spatial dimensions and urban structural elements that qualitatively evaluate urban forms that contribute towards imageability. By examining how residents perceive their neighbourhoods, including both physical elements and social interactions. In Ahmedabad’s case the residential neighbourhoods in the east and west have a very contrasting built and social environment, the aim is to dissect the elements that contribute to imageability in both contexts.