Kevin Lynch's classic booklet is an excellent primer on public perception of urban space. Lynch distinguishes paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks to examine the mental models of our environments, in particular Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles. The interesting map discussion together with illustrated guidebooks helped me familiarize myself with Boston for my upcoming visit. Apparently, more than forty years after publication, the Boston Central Artery still cuts the North End off from the rest of the center. Lynch's advocacy of landmarks to structure is a forerunner of the Bilbao effect, although he recommends simple designs people can grasp and understand. Who could draw an accurate representation of Gehry's various buildings? Only Prague's Dancing House would probably qualify. The methods appendix is thorough and usable. Overall, highly recommended. See Christopher Alexander for further elaboration on patterns and Jan Gehl for the application in real life urban design with examples from Copenhagen. ( )