Publication Details

Abstract

The study deals with the possibilities of using the topoanalytical method applied to cultural images of urban spaces. As a guiding example, the phenomenon of a specific space, such as the cul-de-sac, is highlighted here. The author shows how the metaphor of the cul-de-sac as a description of a dead-end situation developed. It was historically imagined in three modes: as a dark and narrow alley (with an emphasis on the play of light, darkness, groping around and uncertain steps), as a space of wandering and being-lost, and finally as an image of impassability, of stopping and thus of a situation without a way out. Beyond the metaphorical and symbolic use of this image, attitudes to the place of the cul-de-sac in urban infrastructure have also changed: from its elimination in urban planning to its invocation as a positive value.