Reflecting on the legacy of Kevin Lynch’s cognitive approach to city design through Italian didactic experiences

In Italy many of Lynch's writings have had great influence. However, if The Image of the City enjoyed a prolonged success, other texts suffered from faster obsolescence. The reasons for this fluctuating interest refer to the debate on urban analysis and design, marked – especially in some periods – by a strong criticism to functionalist, organicist and morphological theories applied to the project. From a contemporary perspective, these reasons help to reflect on the current usability of Lynch's lesson: the relevance given to perception and listening, time and change; the performance approach to the project. The ability to stimulate a reflective and communicative attitude to urban analysis and design also explains why, in Italy, Lynch’s legacy has found its major expression in teaching. As revealed by recent experiences developed at the Universities of Rome and Trieste, some of his texts, still today, constitute a reference to approach studying and planning urban contexts, starting with a direct immersion in spaces and the interaction with the people who live there. From the activities developed with students further exploitation of Lynch’s thought can be highlighted in terms of: a better understanding of urban space and social practices; the drawing of projects starting from mental maps. Nonetheless, when working in Italian cities – in particular, in their historical parts – the character of urban spaces and their uses urge us to adjust and adapt the language and categories proposed by the American planner, thus, in fact, confirming their richness and timeliness.