Kevin Lynch

Lynch asked residents of Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles to draw their city from memory. Out of that came paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks: the five pieces anyone builds a mental map with, and which explain why a city is understood or disorienting.

His concept of «legibility» turned something subjective into a verifiable design criterion. A legible city is not the prettiest or the tidiest: it is one where a stranger can place themselves, and that depends on having recognisable landmarks and clear edges, not on the quality of the façades.