Extending Kevin Lynch’s concept of imageability in third space reading; case study of Kampungs, Surabaya–Indonesia

Abstract

The aim of this article is to extend Kevin Lynch’s theory in the ‘Image of the City’ (1960) by adding ‘meaning’ to the urban spaces observation because Lynch focused on the legibility factor only. The ‘meaning’ observation in this article is through the reading of space as ‘third space’ creation given by Lefebvre, Soja and Bhabha. The understanding of ‘third space’ (include the first-second spaces) gives a deeper understanding of the urban areas especially for urban areas that bear specific social condition of cultural hybridization. The understanding does not only read the physical layer, but also cultural and historical layers. This article is based on a study in kampungs (urban village) in Surabaya, Indonesia, with specific respondents of young adults aged 20-25 years old. This study shows that by adding ‘meaning’ to the urban elements identification of Lynch’s especially in the view of third space reading, the result shows that elements related to the social construction within the place is the most crucial elements rather than elements with strong in legibility.