The Image of the City

Peripheral Roads

Major Intersections

Site Boundary Social Network

All the peripheral major roads that connect the traffic intersections surrounding the Cathays Park area have created an invisible boundary of the site as shown in the map (Figure 03). But site boundaries are one of the limitations in the field of urban design. Because urban design is not a mere single element rather it comprises different elements which form a social network that reflects the opinions of the majority in society (Lynch 1981).

Rhizomes

From Figure 05, it can be understood that people come from various parts of the city that have their unique identities, histories, and experiences in living in the society. All these create multiple and overlapping layers that can never be expressed with a single entity but rather a collective total. Therefore, when they enter the site by using nodes from different parts, it creates networks for new ideas, opportunities, connections, and possibilities. This network can be referred to as rhizomes. According to Deleuze and Guattari, the rhizome is a philosophical model for explaining a non-hierarchical, decentralized mode of thinking that emphasizes connections, multiplicity, and openness (Araabi and McDonald 2019).

Rhizomes do not represent any prefixed shapes and sizes rather they evolve with the surrounding contexts. There is no center, periphery, or point of origin for the rhizome, unlike trees and other hierarchical structures rather it is composed of a network of nodes and connections that can grow and change in any direction. One of the key aspects of Rhizomic views is that it results in seeing connections between different chaotic aspects of the universe particularly between humans and non-humans which can be found in the connections between the people and nodes of the Cathays Park area. People come from different directions and assemble in these traffic intersections and then again enter the area which forms a connection between the people and traffic intersections.

As there is an inherent openness to rhizomatic structures, this allows for new possibilities and connections to emerge and encourages innovation and experimentation. Moreover, city spaces are not segregated but in continuous interaction with other cities, cultures, and ecosystems. That creates an assemblage. As mentioned by (Araabi and McDonald 2019), assemblage is closely associated with the concept of rhizomes, a philosophical model for explaining the world.