Lynch’s ideas, particularly his insistence on an engaged approach to learning the city, remain highly relevant. Urban planners and designers can use cognitive-environmental approaches to work toward more just and humane cities, even as they are transformed by new technologies. Cognitive-environmental research engages issues such as the need for equitable access, codes and rules that create good urban form, planning data and information systems, and participatory planning imbued with local knowledge and civic engagement. We propose how planning and design practice can align with a cognitive-environmental framework.
We systematically review scholarly work that cites Lynch or invokes cognitive mapping and synthesize cognitive-environmental concepts and methods from fields outside planning. Re-engagement in contemporary debates about brain function and cities can help address long-standing humanistic challenges in planning as well as new challenges arising from emergent urban technologies. Scientific and technological developments, including discoveries in brain physiology and cognitive psychology, the psychosocial determinants of health, and the spread of navigation and information technologies, have increased the pertinence of cognitive-environmental research to planning. She diligently seeks materials sourced from authentic designer pieces and re-purposes them giving them new life while maintaining a trendy, high-end aesthetic.Problem, research strategy, and findings: Cognitive-environmental urban planning and design began with Kevin Lynch’s (1960) The Image of the City. Each Urban Alchemy piece is handcrafted by Tami with premium materials and versatility in mind. Urban Alchemy is where Tami showcases her passion for design and unique, including vintage, designer pieces. Her friends are never surprised when they ask about an item and Tami replies, “I made this.”
There isn’t much in her closet that hasn’t been altered, tailored, dyed, or restyled. Her love for fashion and design is complimented by her fondness for noteworthy pieces. Since she was young, Tami has been visiting flea markets, thrifting, and scouring antique stores for rare and unique finds that inspire her creations.Ībout 15 years ago she began hunting authentic vintage designer accessories, integrating her finds into her style. Interestingly enough, she was a finance major who studied photography, skills which she still utilizes.īeing a self-confessed DIY junkie, she loves to design and create…often with more projects in her creative pipeline than she can complete. The juxtaposition between Tami’s right brain and left brain are clearly expressed by her diverse interests and broad experiences.