Urbanism and Iconography

Hey all,

I wanted to post my notes from the precedent study presentations, in case anyone wanted to use them. Find your city!

I've always been fascinated by the intersection of the physical and temporal, and this summer program has me thinking a lot about iconography. Our built environment is full of these little symbols, to which we become accustomed and for which we sometimes even find an affinity. A great example are the "Ampelmännchen" in East Berlin, which became a serious source of cultural-historical pride after the reunification of Germany, and remain in use in East Berlin today.

Here's a great blog post about the simple iconography of way-finding symbols in transit systems around the world. These universal images can transcend the boundaries of language and culture.