Tales of Three CitiesAssignment 2b: Mapping

the Townscape

Bridget Tan Shu TingAndrew Law Zi Hang

Chok Jia JunSaw Hwei Ying

Sharon Lim Yu Jung

Site LocationMalaysia

Site LocationKuala Lumpur

Site Location: Bukit Bintang

Jalan Alor

Figure Ground Analysis

Urban Grid & Urban FabricThe urban grid is in a fragmented organic grid, whereby it sprawls along the road system. The Urban fabric around Jalan Alor consist of fine grain, which have relatively small building footprints and low height. This fine grain pattern provides more permeability and pedestrian accessibility, thus the region is always throbs with human flow.

Course Grain

Fine Grain

Large Scale(>15m)

SmallScale(<15m)

Built Form ScaleThe building scale along Jalan Alor is small, which decreases the hierarchy of the region. The five-foot-walkway which located at the front of the terrace flanking Jalan Alor improves the permeability further by increasing level of human activity around.

Built Form TypologyLine or terrace built form which Jalan Alor mainly constitutes of naturally provided a front that is revealed to the public and a back lane where the reality is masked from the people. The point form typology is found at the high rises, which confine its accessibility only to a designated target group. Whereas Perimeter block are found at the Gang Sahabat Apartment, which encloses a garden-like community area for the residences, apart from the public.

Public & Urban RealmThe shop lots around Jalan Alor are public realms which public spent their time in whereas urban realm are privatized zone whereby only specific targeted groups are attracted to, thus forming an invisible barrier against the public, although contradicting with their initial planning of wishing to attract people of all ranges.

Activity &Program

Activity & ProgramsJalan Alor compromises of shoplots which carries mixed function of both residential and commercial. The variety of activity continuously charge the area with human flow throughout the day and night. For instance, during the day, the shoplots are homes, whereas at night it is transformed into a commercial food street. This variety in terms of uses, activities and human flow shapes it into a vibrant area.

CultureThe permeable block structure encourages easy pedestrian access but to get concentrated pedestrian flow, extra magnets such as the food stalls are introduced which attracts large pedestrian flow. This culturalised the area to become a local cultural hotspot.

Movement

Diversity of Accessibility Variety of means of access increased the permeability to Jalan Alor, whereby people can opt public or private transport to reach there. The walkability of the area is considered moderate, because even without proper pavement, pedestrian activity is still very active at the zone, especially Jalan Alor, whereby vehicle and pedestrian can travel side by side at the same time, a culturalised norms in here.

MovementMostly are mixed movement due to the high variety of the building typology which shapes the street scape and the diversity of accessibility.

Cullen’s Serial Vision

Contrast

Across the busy street, the glitzy LED laid façade of the shopping mall lights up against the monolithic concrete monorail line.

The concrete railway line forms as an edge dissected the skyline of the dense high rise jungle against the lower elevation streetscape of Jalan Barangan which leads to Jalan Alor.

The narrow terrace flanked road surprisingly opened to a wide view, creating a contrast against the previously hustled road.

The road slopes gradually downwards, as if we are walking downhill, which contrast to the formerly flat land of Bukit Bintang.

A sharp turning leads to a dark narrow alley, contrasting to the bright open neighbourhood front. This gives a sense of curiosity of what is actually ahead.

Travel further down the slope, various daily life of people can be observed in the restaurants, barbers, vendors and etc. revives the area with a sense of neighbourhood.

From the narrow alley, we emerged on the packed busy shop lots terrace, whereby the sound of human haggling contrasts with the silence of the alley.

At the right, Jalan Alor emerges in view, whereby the local foodstalls start to throb in wait for the night to falls.

The modern skyscapers of Bukit Bintang forms a contrasting backdrop to the authentic local Malaysian food street, a clear reflection of anonymous globalization against the quintessential roots of culture of this land.

The big signage of the food stalls light up with hawkers starting to set up their stalls, juxtaposed with the silent vacant road in the day.

Cullen’s Serial Vision

Vibrancy

Crossing the busy street intersection (Changkat Bukit Bintang), one is greeted by the highly engaged Jalan Alor, famous for its scrumptious delicacies. The richness (olfactory and visual) triggers the senses of locals and tourists alike.

A hotel sits by the street entrance, indicating a mixed use of development, its robustness contributing to the vibrancy of the place.

A myriad of restaurants with their signages lit up and tables and chairs organised in linear typologies greet the passers-by along the road frontage.

Distinct linear typology of multi-coloured shop houses create a warm embrace for passers-by. The vibrantly-coloured shop houses clustered according to their function/use, fashioning a sense of familiarity, whereby a relationship between life and work is created.

Assortment of cultural delicacies along Jalan Alor contribute to its exuberance and liveliness as acosmopolitan street.

Perpetual buzzing of vehicular traffic steers the pedestrian flow, portraying a highly active street, with its circulation kept abuzz without providing respite from the dynamism.

In the midst of the restaurants emerges a contemporary café, contributing to the vibrancy of the street with its ability to cater to different crowds.

The extension of the existing building gives rise to the uniqueness of the built form. The complexity of the shop houses created by the layering of facilities and amenities attract crowds of different ethnicities,

Running parallel to Jalan Alor is Jalan Bukit Bintang, home to a multitude of shop houses. A brightly-lit and open Balinese food court gives rise to the life of the street with its permeability and use of materials contributing to the visual appropriateness amongst the heavy structures along the road.

An exclusively unique Western restaurant sits by the vertical shop houses, enticing the scurried crowd with its distinctive form, serving as a landmark to the street.

Collage City

High Height(>15m)

Low Height(<15m)

Global & Local

Landmarks

Height & Proportion

Permanent Temporal

Push & Pull

Local & Globalized

Street & Alley

Pedestrianization

Urban void

Form Function Movement

Global & LocalGlobal influences can be found especially more in Point Form built typology, which are the large retail stores, contrasting with the old shop houses which retained the local identity. Thus, giving Jalan Alor a unique sense of place.

LandmarkMost of the landmarks are well connected with path, such as main road. Landmarks are reference points which people experience from outside, thus the high composition of landmarks increases the legibility of the place, whereby it is easily identifiable physically.

High Height(>15m)

Low Height(<15m)

Height & ProportionMost of the buildings in high height and proportion give a sense of less welcoming, private zone, as the city skyline are dominated and reserved for their users and cast much of the shadows on the ground; whereas lower height and proportion buildings give a sense of warm, inviting ambience, whereby the skyline is not interrupted and no much shadows are casted on ground, which is more pedestrian friendly.

Permanent & TemporalThe vicinity have an interlace of permanently and temporarily used buildings. With the higher amount of permanent building, the vicinity can be constantly pulsating actively with human activities, thus not leaving dead zone which might decrease a city’s robustness.

Push & PullCreates a motion of human flow to be attracted to the destination. With the push and pull of human flow, it enlivens the vicinity. Pushing force is especially clear when temporal building’s active time is out and thereby when the permanent building stills operates, it creates a magnitude of pulling force that attracts people there.

PolarityThe polarity is strong here whereby the local activities such as local food vending and restaurants which have strong cultural identity attract foreigners in a higher composition as compared to locals; whereas the international branding identity are more engaged by the locals.

Street & AlleyThe busy and heavily congested highway, occupied mostly by vehicles contrasted with the alley, where pedestrian movement is relatively slow-paced and relaxed.

PedestrianizationIs strong along Jalan Alor whereby the road is paved with concrete tile, along with some trees planted alongside to provide shade and introduce some softscape among the relatively hard street scape. This suggests a more humanized streetscape as compared to the congested highway.

Urban VoidPunctual void functions as a focal point for people to stopby, such as park whereas linear void provides connectivity which further increases permeability by reducing hierarchy, such as street. The presence of void provides public realms for people to mingle and interact.

6 Dimensions of Urban Design

Kuala Lumpur Penang Kuching

Morphological dimension

Rapid development across the time result in a high dense tall buildings eliminated the chances of having urban void.

Under the law of preservation, high dense development is under control. Thus, seal up the urban scape against rapid anonymous development.

Relatively slow development at the river front preserving the urban void which engages public use.

Social dimension More necessary and optional activity carry out. Necessary activity including office and administrative work are concentrated at the commercial hub of Bukit Bintang. Optional activity includes retail and leisure for the middle and high class society.

Necessary, optional and social activities happen here due to the diversity and vibrancy of the urban scape and social fabric due to the balance between urban solid and void

Development happens in phase in different zone thus creating variation in urban scape

Visual Dimension Very contrasting formal and informal transition in the city, due to the lack of buffer zone between urban solid and urban void.

: The introduction of soft scape blends the composition between formal and informal very well thus creating a smooth transition in visual dimension.

The preservation of natural and man made heritage create a harmony ambience that soften the transition between old and new

6 Dimensions of Urban Design

Kuala Lumpur Penang Kuching

Functional Dimension The high demand on land use push the limit of functionality to the max.

Adaptive reuse is used in the old building whereby the functional is no longer meeting the current need. Thus preserving the heritage while meeting the needs of today. .

The comparatively low function demand towards high rise development allows the permeability to public realm to be maintained.

Perceptual Dimension Complexity and contradiction. The chaotic mix and match of various elements creates constantly contradicting sequence whereby they work against one another.

Harmonious whereby the old marries with the new, structure marries with the landscape.

Coherence in built form and human activity this preserving the local identity.

Temporal dimension Very temporal city whereby changes occur everyday. Connection of presence to the historical past is fading rapidly.

Zeitgeist of the city permeates well in the development enhancing the identity of past and enriching the authentic sense of the place.

A mild sense of time can be feel as a result of less rapid development that injects hostile and bland projects which eroded the local fabric.

Reflection: Tales of Wish

Sharon Lim Yu Jung:Kuching is my most loveable city due to its calm and soft urbanscape that promotes walkability and permeability, with a well preserved authentic cultural identity of its own.

Bridget Tan Shu TingKuala Lumpur is the most compelling city to me. As the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur’s central location acts as a local node with its diversity in culture and activities. Home to a myriad of entertainment outlets, it exudes a sense of vibrancy with its pedestrian-oriented functions. The range of activities and distinct pursuits contribute to the identity of this city, which brings live and work together, creating an engaging environment. However, the public transportation network could be more cohesive and the pavements for pedestrians could be improved in terms of its continuity and friendliness for the disabled

Saw Hwei Ying:Penang is my most loveable city due to its balance between urban solid and void, which preserve the old heritage and meet the current needs, thus enhancing the identity of Penang.

Andrew Law:Kuala Lumpur is my preferred city. Although it is a rapid urbanized city, cultural and heritage area are still well preserved, the contrasting form and façade of the building in the urbanscape has created an experience that makes everything seems still connected, which can be concluded as the diversity of modernity and traditionity within the urban fabric.

Chok Jia Jun:i like Kuching most as compared to other two cities. Not yet disturbed by large development & so it gives opportunities to still being shape for better. As compared to other two cities, Kuching towns-cape is much more softer and human-scale, projects a sense of familiarity & welcoming unlike the others forcing un-contextual & tall building to sit within the existing townscape.

ConclusionJalan Alor, a contrasting urban area whereby there is a constant interaction between permanent and temporal, global and local, point and linear and etc. that formulates its vibrancy that eventually becomes its cultural identity.