This video from last fall contrasts concepts of urban legibility found in Kevin Lynch’s Image of the City with animations taken from Google Earth’s version of Jersey City. The juxtaposition attempts to reveal the effects of simulation on our understanding of cities and their navigation. Google Earth, GPS, and other interactive simulations are changing the way we view the world. While these technologies can transmit an abundance of information, one must think critically about the source and presentation of that information. Lynch proposed that, in terms of urban navigation, legibility reduces anxiety. A digitally mediated landscape offers new ways to read the physical environment, but what are we really seeing?
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