Introduction to Semiotic Approaches to Urban Space

This opening chapter describes the volume’s general approach to urban semiotics, one that examines the space of the city as a complex and multifaceted semiotic object. The chapter proposes a preliminary taxonomy of urban and city semiotics research, outlining five prominent paradigms: the semiological paradigm in the tradition of Ferdinand de Saussure, the generative model inspired by Algirdas J. Greimas, the approach of the Tartu-Moscow School, the interpretative paradigm rooted in Charles Peirce’s model of semiosis and, finally, an ecosemiotic and biosemiotic approach. The book’s structure is articulated around three core analytical levels: concepts, models and activations. This framework hints at emerging epistemic configurations and underscores the city’s significance as a complex model for cognitive mapping.