Simona MĂLĂESCU
Abstract: The one who aims at investigating the way in which a life environment is perceived and used by the residents – as a basis for the analysis of the way in which that particular space is gradually modified and structured – methodologically, to try replacing or avoiding methods that already made a mark, like mental maps analysis, activity space-syntax analysis, paths and life polygons analysis and so on along other means to reach the individuals’ representations, is difficult and forced. What is left to be done when some of these eventually fell into disuse or are covered by controversies? To resume with lucidity the analysis from the point it was left of, to delimit the accurate and methodologically useful components from the error generator ones, and to construct other means, or at least, to obtain new combinations of existing methods, which will offer the possible maximum of accuracy for that moment in time, in order to reach the mental representations of the individual about a certain space. For this study, there was used a combination of method – instruments: mental maps investigation, inquiry with questionnaires and life polygons; we considered necessary a re-evaluation of the mental maps as method (and here we limited to the re-evaluation of that, but it is recommendable that this re-evaluation to be extended to other instruments and methods), through the research in the last decade in the adjacent sciences. For as long it is seconded in application by other instruments (like the questionnaire, space-syntax methods, life polygon, interviews), which may offer information, for each subject, about how selective the graphic representation is and it may complete it, the mental map remains an irreplaceable means to access a certain type of information, especially regarding the ensemble spatial relations. In the theoretical field the conceptual delimitations must be given the adequate attention. Besides the theoretical – methodological explanations that the present article brings, it represents a manner of highlighting the representation and the specific secondary aspects, totally specific to this town but also to other urban centers of Romania of similar demographic size.