Railway Stations as Nodes

"Nodes are points, the strategic foci into which one the observer can enter, and
which are the intensive foci to and from which he is traveling." [Lynch p.47]

Characteristics of Nodes

- junctions of paths

- thematic concentration

- spatial organizers/orienting points in the city

- decision making points

- strong form -> more memorable

- introvert / extrovert (directional quality)

Lynch discussed railway stations as nodes specifically in his book for few times. For instance, he said some subway stations are important points in a map of a city, and major railroad stations are almost always important city nodes. An example he gave was Boston's South Station, which was one of the strongest nodes in the city because of it is both functionally vital and visually impressive. [Lynch p.74]

Railway stations are usually major concentration points that many people go to and gather around. The notion of node can also be strengthened if the exit is addressed with an entrance plaza. However in this sense, many subway stations in New York City are not strong nodes. They are merely stairs or escalators come out from holes in the ground right next to the streets and sidewalks.

In Washington DC where density is not as high as New York City, there are higher potentials for the subway stations to be overtly announced as strategic nodes in the city, especially at locations closely related to the symbolic plan of DC. Visually prominent stations in such locations can also strengthen the quality of nodes and make the place more memorable.

Railway Stations as District

"Districts are the relatively large city areas which the observer can mentally go inside of, and which have some common character" [Lynch p.66]

It is difficult for one to consider railway as a district. I can only think of rail yard, which cover large city area. But I cannot mentally go inside it. I think rail yard is a forbidden land in a city, it is a dead zone for pedestrian.

Among the current proposals for the redevelopment of the West Side Rail Yard in New York City, none of them have fully explored the potentially rich relationship between the railyards and the development above them, according to New York Times critics.1 It is likely that the "potentially rich relationship" is in fact not so rich, that those architects chose not to emphasize in their designs.

http://www.nypress.com/images/westside.jpg

Railway Stations as Edges

"Edges are the linear elements not used or considered as paths by the observer." [Lynch p.47]

However, "Edges are often paths as well...the circulation image seemed to be the dominant one. The element was usually pictured as a path, reinforced by boundary characteristics." [Lynch p.65]

Not to consider Lynch contradicted himself, I think what he tried to explain was that: from the observer's point of view, there are some linear elements which are clearly Paths (eg. Key Bridge in DC), while some are clearly Edges (water line of the Potomac River). But there are some that possess the characteristics of both Path and Edge.

Characteristics of Edges
- may be boundaries between two kinds of areas
- lateral references rather than coordinate axes
- visually & spatially penetrable / impenetrable
- uniting seams / isolating barriers
- continual / fragmented
- visual & spatial prominence
- directional

Railway lines are observed as edges by people not on the train. In many cases, they are visually and spatially impenetrable unless they are elevated as well as constructed in a way that they have better looking. While subways, which are buried in the ground, clearly show no characteristics of Edges.

Railway stations are segments of the railway lines. They are also observed as edges in the city. They are usually adjacent to public squares, open spaces or roads where the linear form of the station will give a significant boundary to the adjacent space. However, such edges may become urban barriers for pedestrians and vehicles if they are not well designed.

The Bijlmer ArenA Station in Amsterdam, designed by Grimshaw Architects, is a good example of converting an urban barrier to a uniting seam between the two sides of the station. Plus it is architecturally appealing.

For subway stations, which are the connections between the buried paths and the upper ground, are the mere opportunities to express the edge qualities through the superstructure of the stations. As many subway alignments follow major corridors in the city, the edge expression can work with the paths to enhance each other.

However, in a dense urban core where subways usually serve, such expression become too expensive to achieve, and not quite fit in the context. It is reasonable to keep a modest gesture for the stations and to develop a more extensive underground network in urban core.

While if the stations are located outside the urban core where land pressure is not very tight, there are more potential to build a visually prominent architecture for the stations.

Railway Stations as Paths

"Paths are the channels along which the observer customarily, occasionally, or potentially moves." [Lynch p.47]

Characteristics of Paths
- width / narrowness, shape
- facade characteristics
- proximity to special features of the city
- special use or activity, movement
- continuity / fragmented
- directional quality & terminal point, spatial corridor & limits
- connections, intersections, branches

By definition, railway lines are channels that move people from one place to another, no matter it is above ground or underground. When they are above ground, they are clearly lines in the city. Passengers on the train can have different views of the city as they travel along the railway lines. But when they are underground, as Lynch put it, they are detached from surrounding elements and environment. The subway is a disconnected nether world [p.57]

One difference between railways and other paths is that people are not free to move away the channels, neither they can change their directions as they will. Passengers do not have to make any decision once they get on the train, and know exactly where they want to get off. Moreover, passengers will all get the same view of the city every time when they are above ground. It is also hard for them to interact with other elements along their ways due to the enclosed environment and the speed of the train. All of these in fact weaken the image of the railway line itself and thus dilute the traveling experience. Therefore, passengers like me pay less attention to the image of the city that is viewed from railway paths, and just focus on their own interest, like reading or music..

For railway stations, on the other hand, its role as a path is secondary. Railway stations are points on the path system which mark the start and end of a passenger's journey. They are major entrance/exit of a place and are always regarded as city nodes [p.74] in this broad scale.

While in the architectural scale, the railway stations by nature have a linear form. The long concourse and platform area can be integrated into the path system. It's horizontal facade or elevated structure can also provide a directional quality to the surrounding environment. However, such directional quality is always lost in subway stations. The linear nature of the station is not usually reflected by its superstructure. Integrating the stations to the path system become a challenging task.

In short, even though the railway lines are obvious paths in the city, railway stations are rarely recognized as paths. However, there are a lot of opportunities for the railway stations to enhance the adjacent paths, as well as to integrate with the path system.

The Image of the City, Kevin Lynch

In this book, Kevin Lynch considered the legibility of the American cities by studying how the citizens perceive their cities. His study was focus on the effect of the physical elements of the city, ie. paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks as defined in the book. And he suggested that a legible city would be one whose physical elements are easily identifiable and are easily grouped into an overall pattern. [p.3] So a legible city would have a distinctive, memorable image in people's mind that they can easily orient themselves and navigate the city without getting lost.

By studying Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles, Lynch delineated the different characteristics and qualities of the five elements of the city. And he investigated how the design of these elements can contribute in building or strengthening the image of the city.

I would like to apply Lynch's study to the subject of my thesis - Metro station. Using the five elements as a framework to consider the role of Metro station in the city, as well as to anlyze the qualities of the forms of existing stations. Therefore, one goal of my thesis will be to enhance the image of a transit-oriented neighborhood through the design of the metro station.