URBAN IMAGERY AND THE MAIN STREET OF THE NATION - THE LEGIBILITY OF ORCHARD ROAD IN THE EYES OF SINGAPOREANS

This paper applies Kevin Lynch's famous thesis of legibility to the ma in street of Singapore-Orchard Road, It is primarily concerned with th ree issues, How legible is Orchard Road in the eyes of Singaporeans? W ho find Orchard Road legible? If Orchard Road is legible to Singaporea ns, why is it so? Based upon a combination of comprehensive questionna ire survey of Singaporeans and personal interviews with residents and businessmen operating in Orchard Road, this paper argues that the land scape of Orchard Road, known as the Orchardscape in this paper, is ver y legible to most Singaporeans, Its legibility is particularly promine nt among those with higher education and higher income levels, There i s also a distance-decay effect in the Singaporean cognition of the Orc hardscape, The legibility of the Orchardscape is explained in relation to the personal and cultural background of individual Singaporeans an d landscape cues, We argue that both sets of factors must be taken int o consideration in understanding the image of the city. Some practical implications for future city design and planning are offered in the c oncluding section of the paper.