265cesses, and connections is referred to as a hodological space,
as a ‘route space’ (Greek: ὁδός, odós, path, way). In such a
space, directions appear in place of indications of form, ori-
entation and distance; it is permeated by routes and streets.
In hodological space, routes do not link points together, but
places that have personal significance; their course is oriented
towards personal preferences and dislikes, and serves a gen-
eralized > orientation within the living environment. Decisive
here is not the geometric order of the plan, but the accessibil-
ity of individual areas which results in a specific perception
of distances, proximities, and a total image of the > spatial
structure of a city or of a building. The path from one side
of the wall of an apartment to its reverse side (in the neigh-
bouring apartment), for example, is disproportionately large
in relation to the wall’s actual thickness – and there being may
be no path that leads there at all.
In general, we distinguish a route space that is dominated
by its traversal, as displayed in its design, from a position
space, whose architecture is tailored to stationary use. But the
space occupied by the route itself too can be referred to as a
route space. Routes are subordinate to the places that they
connect, but are at the same time themselves > places, and
offer their own modes of experience. Route intersections, in
turn, form special places. Routes have their own gestalts, and
constitute their own spaces. The streets between house fronts,
for example, can be grasped as concave interior spaces. On an
avenue, tree trunks form the walls, and foliage the roof. The
stability of the design of a route offers security; we know that
the street continues further, without seeing where it leads. The
identity of its gestalt renders a stepwise, searching orientation
superfluous. Relieved of the need for decision-making, our at-
tention is free for other concerns; a stroll along a promenade
is an opportunity for conversation; > circulation through an
ambulatory promotes an attitude of contemplation.
The architecture guides a route through the rhythmiciza-
tion of the space, past visual targets, past the attractive power