Lynch Discusses Urban Designing, Emphasizes Need of Visual Impact

"Many city designers relegate the planning of sensuous effects of a city to other professions," Kevin Lynch, a professor at M.I.T., charged last night at Hunt Lecture Hall.

Speaking on "The Image of a City," Lynch deplored the lack of professional interest in the visual impact of a city. Since architects, be pointed out, do not envisage the city as a whole, the results are "islands of projects, out of context with surroundings."

He refused, however, "to take the counsel of those who say nothing can be done about it." Acknowledging that people respond differently to their surroundings, Lynch pleaded that "the main parts of a city need to be expressive," so that those who live and work in it can have a vivid image of the city in their mind.

A City's Complexity

"Pre-ordering locations of structures" does not solve the problem because "the complexity of a city ultimately breaks through," to render such plans obsoiete, he pointed out.

Before proceeding effectively, Lynch explained, existing conditions in any city must be investigated to form "a springboard for your plans." A recent survey showed that middle-class Bostonians did find coherence in their impressions of the city. No survey of Cambridge has been carried out yet, though some Cambridge residents are to take part in a forthcoming poll of the metropolitan area.

According to Lynch, the next step towards visual planning on a large scale is to form ad hoc committees of people with various backgrounds. By attempting to communicate with each other such committee may devise the graphic language needed to lift urban designing out of the stereotyped rut. They would also indicate the general form a city's development should take, be asserted.

Cities, so planned, would provide both functional efficiency and "emotional stability--giving physical support to your ideas of the world around you."