Literature ReviewALOK DINESH S8 BARCH ROLLNO -05 INTRODUCTION Studies on perceived quality of environments, especially urban environments, look for ways of establishing harmonious relationship between people and the world outside. Disorientation is one of the problems destroying this harmony. A solution for preventing disorientation is achieving a distinctive and legible environment which not only offers security but also heightens the potential depth and intensity of human experience. As Lynch (1960) puts it, although life is far from impossible in the visual chaos of the modern city, the same daily action could take a new meaning if carried out in a more vivid setting. As a result of rapid urbanization caused by uncontrolled population, random and unplanned formations far from aesthetic decisions are constructed and this constitutes one of the biggest problems of our country .In recent years, urban renewal projects are used to solve this problem by rehabilitating economic, social, physical and environmental conditions. Since even the smallest intervention to the city has its effects on the city life, it is important that urban renewal projects should be considered from multiple perspectives. From this point of view, specific qualities of planning should be carefully evaluated. These qualities can be both physical and social and also need to be analysed in a different study area which includes motion perception. Nowadays, city dwellers perceive and interpret the city in motion along the transportation routes as a result of intensive infrastructure. In this context, in the planning of landmark areas of a city silhouette, a comprehensive silhouette analysis should also be included in addition to plans, sections, facades and photos taken in certain view points. This brings up the question of „Whether it is enough to evaluate a landmark which is effective in the city silhouette from a single view point?‟Aferi and Triantafillou (2005) state that the way of seeing an urban environment in different means of the movement (walking, cycling, driving, etc.) offer an opportunity to capture the uniqueness of places by depicting the elements of urban form, such as edge, node and landmarks. In random urban routes, environment provides a lot of visual cues for the observer but if we think about the whole visibility opportunities of a landmark from various directions, what happens? This may raise a few more questions; • What kind of a sequential visual data set, can be obtained about a landmark as an important component of the city silhouette, while approaching or moving away from it? • Are there any specific points in these serial visions (sequential visual data set) at which the landmark is most clearly visible? VISIBILITY ANALYSIS OF URBAN LANDMARKS 1986). Demet YILMAZ The serial (sequential) vision mentioned in this study reflects the possible visual experience of passers by and was captured by sequential photo images while approaching or moving away from Hagia Sophia (as its Turkish name Ayasofya) along the existing roads. or interval of points for Hagia Sophia.Kinaesthetic experience of moving through space is an important part of visual dimension of urban environments. Serial vision is a kind of sequential view analysis of the kinaesthetic experience in urban environments. Irregular urbanization and new transport networks which have recently surrounded the church‟s close environment cause both a deformation in the city silhouette and a negative effect in the perception of the landmark. and is an important landmark in the city silhouette. The motion in the world is related with a local change in the perspective structure while the locomotion of the self is a global change of the perspective structure of the ambient optic array (Gibson. there is an experience of self movement and an experience of the external world at the same time. As a solution produced to enhance this landmark. the present paper is a serial vision analysis of Hagia Sophia church (usedas a museum at present) which is situated at a strategic position on the coastline of Trabzon. visibility of the church from a perspective in motion should be taken into account. and at providing important data for planning decisions for renewal projects regarding the Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia which sustains an original and rich value in the identity of Trabzon city wasin a rural area in the past. This paper calls importance for this kind of future planning attempts. perceived along different routes. serial vision analysis aims to obtain the most visible single point or interval of points of the landmark from the selected serial visions. As being a visual analysis. since it aims at determining the most visible single. whereas today it is surrounded by intensely used transportation and pedestrian axes. In kinaesthetic motion. From this point of view. The observer locates moving objects and spaces in a total structure. Gibson explains this period as the vision which obtains information about both the environment and the self. URBAN EXPERIENCE AS A SEQUENTIAL PROCESS . orienting himself with regard to the world A STUDY ON VISIBILITY ANALYSIS OF URBAN LANDMARKS: THE CASE OF HAGIA SOPHIA (AYASOFYA) IN TRABZON Arzu KALIN. 1971). Thus. Moudon defines picturesque study as a professional observers‟ trail in order to identify and describe both verbally and graphically what they think are „good‟ environments. Lynch. and eventually perception a city. In contrast to the picturesque tradition. he distinguishes between the picturesque tradition and image studies since the latter is intrinsically emic and subject-oriented as they are people‟s image of environments. conceptualization. 1960. the cumulative effect of a sequence of views will be critical (Cullen. 1971). In her study about making sense of the knowledge base necessary to practice urban design. perceiving an environment also means creating a visual hypothesis and building an organized mental image (Lynch. Moudon (2007) classifies the studies which focus on the perception of urban environment in two groups: picturesque studies and image studies.For a city experienced by a moving observer. Lynch defines „imageability‟ of an object by a quality which has a strong evocative mental image in any given observer. Referring to Cullen‟s work. Visual aspects of the urban environment carry a prominent position for its inhabitants in visualization. . 1961. the following walking directions along the road axes chosen for the visual analysis were determined as the axes to capture . 4) The Hagia Sophia slope extending from the old coastal road to the Hagia Sophia entrance.PROCEDURE This paper examines what kind of sequential view series the HagiaSophia. 4 different road axes demonstrating different perception levels such as ascending ordescending motion routes along horizontal and vertical directions through Hagia Sophia were determined as routes for analysis. which is a historical landmark of Trabzon. determines along the transportation and accessibility axes and where the most dominant visibility points and intervals in this series are. In this context. In this context. 2) New coastal highway completed in 2007. Considering that a road axis offers two opposite approaching opportunities to a focal point such as a landmark. in order to analyze each walking movement offering sequential views on that route should be addressed from two opposite directions (two-way). . 1) Old coastal road constructed in the 1960s. 3) The viaduct as a part of this highway. 2006) methods to the photos and sequential view sets expressed with graphical representation were prepared (Figure 6). a point showing from where the photo was taken and the route of the movement. it is necessary to convert series of photos into abstract expressions. RESULTS Findings about eight routes on four road axes were divided into four main groups according to horizontal and vertical distances to Hagia Sophia and given in related tables: Group A close distance. The sequential view frames in these cards were abstracted by applying the „distracting the outline silhouette‟ and „segmentation‟ (Kostiainen.EXTRACTION AND SEGMENTATION OF SCENES In the next stage. in the direction of the motion along the old coastal road (Figure 7. 8): ● The first motion route of Group A is determined as a short approaching distance from a close distance from the point where the landmark enters the view since the urbanization along the road obstructs the visibility of Hagia Sophia. sequential view analysis cards were prepared in order to define the visibility of Hagia Sophia in the obtained photo sequences. the visual image sets have been constructed in a way to include in principle a linear visual image produced with segmentation method. . In order to make possible the correct interpretation of the constant differentiation. the motions Number 1 and 2. the characteristics defined by the visual series produced have been given in the findings section. the photo taken. have been highlighted with a red frame in the segmented visual analysis view series. The points and intervals from which the visibility of the Hagia Sophia is highest. Finally. visual unity and the visibility of the church. Therefore. rhythm. thus causing a silhouette effect in which the landmark has partially effective visibility at certain points.● Both the intense vegetation and the urbanization structure conceal the visibility of Hagia Sophia at most parts of the route. the existence of elements leading to visual chaos such as the electric poles. Despite the route which has such a closeness that may create a continuous silhouette effect. the entire structure disappears from the view in some frames and it is sometimes enclosed by the buildings and the vegetation because of the curving road. point of view broadens and the structure presents a strong visibility as a whole. billboards and traffic signs are the other factors playing a part in the destruction of the silhouette effect. . ● As the approaching distance decreases. While approaching. Moreover. firstly the tower of Hagia Sophia enters the view as an effective element. . . . . taken by every individual. Urbanism is in constant change: today. Lynch focuses on four main concepts. too. As explained. Jersey City and Los Angeles. fifty years later. straightforward approach to the city. but mostly a cultural aspect. which is the most noticeable effect of external factors affecting any environment. this issue could be regarded and discussed with further attention. legibility and imageability would then lead to the identification of a structure. On this concern. is subject to external factors and different perceptions. he therefore brings up an analysis of three different towns. correlated to a wise urban planning: An urban system has to be held legible. through definite sensory cues its image has to be perceived by the observer. scale. Lynch‟s aim is to understand the relation between environmental images and urban life. as architecture. putting into practice a research method whose successfulness is assessed and tested through the results of the analysis itself. at the basis of urban design principles. unlike Architecture. as it came up about twenty years later with sustainability issues. involving the fact that In the 1960s the life-cycle of a building was still not wholly taken into account. which are both parameters through which it is possible to analyse an urban system and its own elements. where the sample citizens were also required to draw up a map in order to make a rapid description of the city. Lynch reckons that there might be different relations of complexity within every structure: these consist in the relations between definite elements. consisting firstly in office-based interviews. which are identified in: path_landmark_edge_node_district. The research focused on Boston.Kevin lynch The first. which constitutes a 5-sense aesthetical experience through space and time. is looking at it. The second phase consisted in a systematic examination of the environmental . Lynch states that. the method undertaken concentrated on two phases. A urban system can therefore be either perceived as stable or in constant change. and therefore a precise identity. arbitrarily selected by the community and finally manipulated by city planners.Image of the city. although not pleasant. shapeless places which. This is how. Lynch summarises the common themes that have arisen.image evoked by trained observers in the field. noted with care and attention. despite being well structured. and smaller landscape features. On the basis of this in-depth analysis. the presence or lack of historical marks. Jersey City is described as a formless place “on the edge of something else” and Los Angeles. seem to be remarkable and striking. identification of places with the social-classes that occupy or use them. seems as faceless as Jersey City. This approach reveals a particular compatibility with the rising experimental psychology of the „60s. among which we should remember : a common interest for panoramas. Boston appears to be perceived only as onesided. which does not just outline how a urban system works but also how it is perceived by people. delivering a sense of bewilderment. Paths . through surveys and research. aimed at constituting methods and theories according to the action and reaction of people. as Dewey Square excavations in Boston around the „60s economic boom. It is interesting to realise how the whole interview and in-field approach has been the one aimed at discovering the social experience of a town. or the barriers that close one region from another. or edges of development. paths.Paths consists of the "channels along which the observer customarily. occasionally. These are often the most predominant items in an individual's mental map as this is main mechanism for how they experience their city. Nodes Nodes are points within the city. p. but are not the paths along with the individual experiences the built environment. or geographic features . most people use the concept of districts to define the broader structure of their city. They are typically twodimensional features. strategically located. the seams that join two regions together. They can be physical edges such as shorelines. the nodes are the centers of the district that they are in. According to Lynch. There are often junctions – a crossing or converging of paths. which the individual enters during his or her travels. p. The individual often enters into or passes through these districts. 47). They are often physical structures such as a building. or they can be less well-defined edges that the individual perceives as a barrier. 47). They are linear elements. However. walls. transit routes. In many cases. railroad cuts. They often have a physical element such as a popular hangout for the individual or a plaza area. sign. landmarks remain external features to the individual. or any other defined path of movement. Districts Districts are "medium-to-large sections of the city" (Lynch. unlike nodes. into which the individual enters (and which is often the main focal point to which she or he is traveling to or from). These can include streets. It is important to note that the paths an individual identifies may not correspond to a traditional street network. Landmarks Landmarks are also a point-reference (similar to nodes). or potentially moves" (Lynch. often held together by some commonality. Edges Edges provide the boundaries that separate one region from another. mountain). but the commonality is that there are used by the individual to better understand and navigate the built environment. The range of landmarks is extensive. .(e.g. a five headed cobra came.removed the infant to a hood of the tree.and sheltered it from the sun with its hood.One day finding the childs interruption the swamiyar in a fit of temper.The swamiyars joy at the mentionof this (anthikkad)Knew no bounds and on enquiry he was shown by the woman the place which he wanted.however after washing herself she fed the baby milk and left it again under the shade of a large tree.”if you continue weeping like this.While there the pulayan and his wife started making offerings to the baby of milk and conjee in a coconut shell.While his eyes were yet shut.a place of which the sanyasi had not heard of sanyasi woke from his meditation.the child must have taken.as the child was the carnation of lord vishnu.One day as the pulayan‟s wife was weeding in her fields. .found everything was lost and in distress ran with all possible speed towards the direction which. The vilvamangalam swamiyar to whom is attributed the construction of many temples in Malabar. He atlast found child‟s waist ornament and saw where there was loose sand the foot prints of the child.As soon as she retired. Used to perform his daily pujas to his salagramams .removed meddling child whom he had thus disregarded was none other than the deity that he has been intently praying to see and he could not meet him anywhere than at anthikkad.In this jungle lived a Pulaya and his wife obtained their livelihood by cultivating a large rice field near anthakkadu.During the puja he used to close his eyes for a long deep meditation of maha Vishnu. He repaired to the spot from whence and discovered a solitatry pulaya women threatening her weeping child with the words.she heard cry of a baby Close by and on a search found it to be a beautiful baby which she took to be a devine infant and was at first afraid.but whenthe swamiyar opened his eyes it always disappeared.child. when young child would interrupt every day dispalacing his salagramams and flowers and annoying in a hundred other ways.I will throw into anthikkad”.PADMANABHA SWAMI TEMPLE ORIGIN The spot where the temple now stands was a jungle called Anathakkadu. who immidiately ordered a temple to be erected at the place.Tidings of these things reached the ears of the sovering of travancore. The reasons for the selection of this region as the topic of research is the importance of Padmnabha Swami temple as a city landmark and the need for researching how such an important urban landmark is perceived in motion.Reconstruction of temple by marthandavarma 1740-Construction of maliga-the first palace 1744-Reconstruction of fortwall 1750-Thrippadidaanam 1758-Shifting of capital from padmanabhapuram to trivandrum 1760-Construction of second palace 1831-construction of kuthiramalika 1886-Ananthavilasam palace and tamil settlements 1890-krishnavilasom palace 1920-Extension of trivandrum city occurred 1924-Chalai market grown in to an whole sail market.All trace of orignal structure disappeared in various restorations.The present gopuram of padmnabha swami temple begun in 16th century.and to suchindram temple.Construction of the earlier gopuram of five stories 1729.and the „cathedral‟of travancore hinduism.Padmanabhaswami temple at trivandrum –the temple of his highness the maharaja as sri padmanabhadasa. . PADMANABHA SWAMI TEMPLE CHRONOLOGY 9th centuary-The first mentioning of the city of trivandrum is found in upanishad sadkopaa by nammaliar 1560.follower of vishnu. . . creates a dimension of great importance at urban scale. which is already a component of urban space. the evaluation of sequential views in terms of visibility and visual quality and the perception in motion of padmanabha Swami temple. In addition. the visibility and total visual quality of an existing landmark. it is thought that enriching the visual characteristics of a city by strengthening points and intervals obtained through analysis of urban views is important in terms of sustaining urban identity and its quality. current urbandesign approaches should orientate to strengthen the visual quality. the analysis of a landmark in urban view in regards to perception in motion should be approached as an important field of study. in the daily experience of its users and citizens at large. In this regard. . as an important part of urban identity with its effect on the silhouette as well as its distinctive physical semantic quality.CONCLUSION The study delineates that. Therefore.