Miesto įvaizdžio formavimo galimybės ir uždaviniai plėtojant centro aplinką

Relevance of the Subject. City image and the way an individual perceives the surrounding urban environment interested many thinkers in different epochs. In the 20th century, scholars in various fields have started taking interest in this area of knowledge. The following branches of science made a significant contribution to the investigation and formation of city image – behavioural, environmental psychology and sociology, sociology of architecture, environmental planning, as well as sustainable planning, ecology, architecture, urban planning and other branches of science. Environmental psychology is one of the branches of science, which is most closely related to this sphere. Major works in the field of environmental psychology were presented to the world by I. Altman, the British geographer J. Appleton, who proposed the habitat theory, A. De Botton, K. Franck, R. Gifford, J. J. Gibson who formulated the concept of affordance, R. Hart, B. Hiller who investigated the syntax of space, C. R. Jeffery who studied the possibilities of crime prevention in planning the urban environment, R. Kaplan and S. Kaplan, C. Katz, S. Low, K. Lynch who introduced the forming of mental maps, H. Proshansky, A. Rapoport, L. Rivlin, S. Saegert, R. Ulrich, G. Winkel, and other. K. Lynch who investigated the subject of the present work most closely defined place image as a simple, purely physical conception of identification, which can be transformed into exclusiveness and recognisability. C. Norberg-Schulz defines the term image as a “unique characteristic”, though this author also examines solely the image being created by material objects. Among the Lithuanian specialists on urbanism, mention should be made of A. Miškinis who in his work relatedly investigates a city plan and image of small Lithuanian towns. P. Juškevičius devotes special attention to the compactness of cities and aspects of the environmental quality in his works. V. Rubavičius tries to elucidate the relationship between the equivalent of the conception of city image used within the context of this work and the urban environment. J. Bučas, M. Purvinas and others dealt with the aesthetic qualities of the Lithuanian landscape in their works. V. Jurkštas, Z. J. Daunora, A. Vyšniūnas, R. Buivydas, V. Petrušonis, and others turned their attention to large Lithuanian cities and their visual identity. J. Vanagas concerned himself with the issues of urban sociology. Scientific Novelty. Irrespective of the above-mentioned investigations, dependence of the image of the urban environment on a combination between a) physical objects, b) relationship and connection between objects and c) dynamics of human activity rather than on the material expression of the activity alone, remains insufficiently investigated in both Lithuanian and foreign works. It is this aspect that forms the subject of the investigation of the present work. Its main attention is focused on the impact the urban environment has on city image. The novelty of the work consists in the following: 1) criteria and methodology for assessing city image are presented, indicators for city image-building are proposed; 2) dependence of city image on the urban environment is considered; 3) urban measures that help create city image in the desired direction in an organised way are reviewed. Objective and Goals of the Work. The objective of this work is to define the principles of analysing and applying city image as a result of human activity. The goals of this work are as follows: 1) to define the concept of city image as a psychological construct; 2) to specify the connection between city image and behaviour of the people; 3) to establish major indicators of a contemporary city image – the criteria according to which it is expedient to investigate city image; 4) to review key measures for urban planning, having an impact on the modification of city image; 5) to substantiate the advantage of the city centre environment, as an urban object, in creating city image over other urban structures; 6) to define tasks and possibilities of contemporary city image-making. Methods of the Work. The conception of the work is based on the interdisciplinary principle, applying the principles of marketing, psychological and sociological sciences on the urban and architectural plane. With a view to enhancing the concreteness of the work, the investigation was limited to the measures of the urban impact. Methods of the work: 1) sociological investigations based on collecting specific data, 2) mathematical statistical models for processing sociological data, 3) comparative analysis, 4) classification and typologisation of images and urban elements, 5) mathematical models of probability theory for the analysis and forecast of statistical data. Subject to be Maintained. The relationship between two results of human activity: the image as an opinion formed as a result of the activity, and urban objects (e.g. the centre environment), as a physical expression of the result of the activity – the more important solution on their behaviour with respect to the urban environment an individual makes, the more significant the rational information basis for both the attitude towards the urban environment and the formation of the intention is; the clearer the image the urban environment has, the more popular it is and the more likely it is to preserve long-term positions with respect to the alternative urban environments. Practical Significance of the Work. The work presents methods based on the results of experimental investigations. A system of criteria, which can be applied to assess the effect of the elements of the urban environment on city image and the influence of city image on the behaviour of residents and visitors in the urban territory, is proposed. Tasks enhancing city image-building are formulated, possibilities for city imaging using urban planning tools are presented. Structure of the Work. The dissertation consists of the introduction, three chapters, conclusions, lists of references, illustrations and tables, and annexes. The conception of the centre environment and its relationship with city image is elucidated, and relative leverage values of territories, which depend on the sensitivity of the mental image of the city to urban changes within that territory are determined. It is considered how city territories, taking into account their leverage values, can be used in building the mental image of the city. Tasks of city imaging are suggested and possibilities are provided. Keywords: city image, centre environment, leverage value.