Three mental maps on Margate beach
Digital Image on paper

A network is a collection of points or nodes linked through connections that might represent symbolic or actual flows and shared resources between these nodes. How different nodes in a network are connected to each other and how they communicate are determined by the network's topology.

A town is a complex system in itself. However, it can be broken down into a multi-tier system of self-supporting and overlapping networks. These networks are a result of interaction of various functions in the town and act as 'life-force'. Many of these can not be seen existing on the ground such as power and telecommunication networks and representations of these are schematic, emphasising connectivity and topology rather than spatial location of 'hubs'. Transport networks are representations of flows and connections that are more tangible. On the other hand we have mental networks that exist as internalised representations and are formed through people's perceptions and experiences in a town or city. These are stored in our memory in form of images and qualitative attributes that exists on a personalised reference system.

Here, mental networks of three first time visitors to Margate (Paul Aplin, Gary Priestnall and Pragya Agarwal) have been mapped according to each individual's sense of space and scale. These have been visualised as layers along with a physical network showing road structure within the town that was created in a standard co-ordinate system. This image, produced with Gary Priestnall, places the maps in the context of a beach scene, avoiding any over emphasis on scale and ‘real-world’ co-ordinates. Some common features can still be extracted in all these different 'networks' and Hawley Square can be seen as a significant 'node' in the town pattern.