Legibility of Urban Spaces in Kaunas New Town: Research, Strategy, Suggestions

Abstract

Legibility is urban quality, defining ability to find a way in urban or architectural structure, as well as understanding the identity or function of a certain space. Legible environment could help to comprehend not only the space in which person is in a given situation, but also the whole city. It helps to identify oneself as part of a group or certain community. The article is oriented to better understanding of people's needs in environment, by analyzing the case study of Kaunas New Town. The project is based on observation, analysis of literature and results of research by space syntax methodology. The results show coherence between design rules, based on people's needs, and visibility graph model, which shows the potential of public and private spaces.