Since the cognitive revolution during the last century the mind has been conceived of as being computer-like. Like a computer, the brain was assumed to be a physical structure (hardware) upon which a computational mind (software) was built. The mind was seen as a collection of independent programs which each have their own specific tasks, or modules. These modules took sensory input "data" and transduced it into language-like representations which were used in mental computations. Recently, a new conception of the mind has developed, grounded cognition. According to this model, sensory stimulus is saved in the original format in which it was received and recalled using association mechanisms. Rather than representations being language-like they are instead multimodal. The manipulation of these multimodal representations requires processing distributed throughout the brain. A new holistic model for mental architecture has developed in which the concerted activity of the brain's modal systems produces functional systems which are intimately codependent with one another. The purpose of this thesis is to explore both the modular and multimodal theories of mental architecture. Each will be described in detail along with their supporting paradigms, cognitivism and grounded cognition. After my expositions I will offer support for my own position regarding these two theories before suggesting avenues for future research.

Le design urbain, dimension de la pratique urbanistique, consiste principalement en la manipulation de la forme urbaine selon une démarche ciblée et encadrée. Les approches sont aussi nombreuses que diversifiées. On peut néanmoins les classer en deux catégories : les approches visant la forme urbaine en tant qu‟objet qui contient l‟organisation formelle de la ville et celles qui visent le travail sur la forme urbaine afin d‟organiser la dynamique urbaine humaine. Les deux types d‟approches soutiennent différentes démarches d‟aménagement qui contribuent à développer la forme urbaine et la dynamique des lieux. Parmi celles-ci se trouve la vision de type empirique, laquelle vise l‟expérience urbaine à l‟échelle du piéton. Les écrits et les théories à ce sujet sont variés et pertinents. La présente recherche porte sur la transposition des prescriptions empiriques dans la planification d‟un projet qui intègre une démarche de design urbain. Au moyen d‟une étude de cas, la Cité multimédia à Montréal, il s‟agit de comprendre plus spécifiquement comment le canevas maître du design urbain, soit l‟espace public, est étudié et reformulé et ce, en accordant une attention particulière pour la dimension empirique du futur aménagement. Quelles sont les balises ou les composantes qui permettent à la dimension empirique de se déployer dans la conception d‟un projet urbain qui vise une reformulation de la forme urbaine? / Urban design, a dimension of urbanistic practice, principaly consists in urban forms manipulations according to a formal and targeted approach. Approaches are numerous and diversified, altought they can be classified in two categories: those who consider the urban form as an object including the city's formal organisation and those who consider the work on the urban form as a way to organise the city's humane dynamics. Both of them support specific planning approaches that contribute to the urban form and location dynamcs developpement. Among these, the empirical type vision targets the pedestrian scale urban experience. Litterature and theories are various and pertinent. The present research concerns transposition of empirical prescriptions in the planning of a project that includes an urban design approach. Threw a case study, Montreal's Cité du Multimédia, the goal is to understand more specificaly how the public space, urban design's master grid, is studied considering the empiric dimension of the developpement. What are the markers or components allowing the empirical dimension to develop in the planning of a project that includes reformulation of the urban form?

Le design urbain, dimension de la pratique urbanistique, consiste principalement en la manipulation de la forme urbaine selon une démarche ciblée et encadrée. Les approches sont aussi nombreuses que diversifiées. On peut néanmoins les classer en deux catégories : les approches visant la forme urbaine en tant qu‟objet qui contient l‟organisation formelle de la ville et celles qui visent le travail sur la forme urbaine afin d‟organiser la dynamique urbaine humaine. Les deux types d‟approches soutiennent différentes démarches d‟aménagement qui contribuent à développer la forme urbaine et la dynamique des lieux. Parmi celles-ci se trouve la vision de type empirique, laquelle vise l‟expérience urbaine à l‟échelle du piéton. Les écrits et les théories à ce sujet sont variés et pertinents. La présente recherche porte sur la transposition des prescriptions empiriques dans la planification d‟un projet qui intègre une démarche de design urbain. Au moyen d‟une étude de cas, la Cité multimédia à Montréal, il s‟agit de comprendre plus spécifiquement comment le canevas maître du design urbain, soit l‟espace public, est étudié et reformulé et ce, en accordant une attention particulière pour la dimension empirique du futur aménagement. Quelles sont les balises ou les composantes qui permettent à la dimension empirique de se déployer dans la conception d‟un projet urbain qui vise une reformulation de la forme urbaine? / Urban design, a dimension of urbanistic practice, principaly consists in urban forms manipulations according to a formal and targeted approach. Approaches are numerous and diversified, altought they can be classified in two categories: those who consider the urban form as an object including the city's formal organisation and those who consider the work on the urban form as a way to organise the city's humane dynamics. Both of them support specific planning approaches that contribute to the urban form and location dynamcs developpement. Among these, the empirical type vision targets the pedestrian scale urban experience. Litterature and theories are various and pertinent. The present research concerns transposition of empirical prescriptions in the planning of a project that includes an urban design approach. Threw a case study, Montreal's Cité du Multimédia, the goal is to understand more specificaly how the public space, urban design's master grid, is studied considering the empiric dimension of the developpement. What are the markers or components allowing the empirical dimension to develop in the planning of a project that includes reformulation of the urban form?