Theories Of Architecture and Urbanism [ARC61303] [ARC2224]

The Image of The City Part II

Cognitive Mapping Name: Tan Wen Yee

Student ID: 0315155

Tutor: Mr. Nicholas Ng

Introduction of Site

Pudoh, ‘Half Jungle’, or ‘the other side of Bukit Bintang’ and the locals call Pudu Poon San Pah in Cantonese, which means semi-developed forest, Pudu has had many different names in the past. It is a charismatic little city that located along the Pudu Road (Jalan Pudu) in Kuala Lumpur. The often-ignored older brother of Bukit Bintang, Pudu is a self-sustaining fortress where the citizens live, eat, work and trade according to their rule of law, bounded by an invisible wall. The core of Pudu is an intricate maze of curious back alleys and dense open spaces filled with hawkers, iceboxes, speeding motorcycles, delicious roast pork, garbage dumps, plump pigeons, old medicine men, hot curry noodles, idle buses, rogue traders and all the odd, wonderful bits and pieces KL has to offer and it gives us a glimpse into the shadowy past of Kuala Lumpur.

A century ago the district was under-developed and remote. Today, Pudu in Kuala Lumpur is no longer the remote area that people used to know. Over time, it has grown to become a vibrant and colourful place with character. It is home to temples, shop houses historical buildings,also the most familiar building for all the frequent travellers, Pudu Sentral. Pudu Sentral is the oldest and previously known as the main bus station terminus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the year of 2012,Pudu Sentral became the Urban Transformation Centre for Kuala Lumpur which houses government agencies, scores of private businesses.

Development is slowly taking shape and weaving into the lives of Pudu community thus making Pudu an historical yet modern city. There are many interesting things and facts about Pudu but I have decided to focus my study on the intersection point in front of Pudu Sentral that intersects three main roads in Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Pudu, Jalan Tun Perak from northwest and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock from southwest. This intersection acts as a focal point for this site as it houses the busiest traffic and high density of different classes of people such as the locals, students, tourists and also foreign workers in Pudu area. Other than Pudu Sentral, there are many buildings located in this area that serve different purposes such as Menara Maybank,Hotel Ancasa, Kompleks Kotaraya, Mydin and more. This intersection point is constantly full of vehicles and human movement as it is located closely to Pudu Sentral and there are a lot of budget hotels around this area, therefore bringing in more tourists to this site. This site has provided me a chance to study and explore the engagement of different people and also the richness and uniquity of this place.

Introduction of Cognitive Mapping

Cognitive maps are mental representations of physical locations. Humans and animals use them to find their way and to help recall important features of the environment. The term was introduced by psychologist E.C.Tolman to explain how rats learned the locations of rewards in a maze. A cognitive map provided the rat with a useful model of the environment. Irrelevant or unimportant information was excluded from the mental map. Thus, cognitive maps can be very different from an actual place. The differences between the mental representation and the physical characteristics of a location may reveal what humans and animals consider important. The cognitive map is likely to show where they go and the routes used.

Asking people to sketch a map of a location is a way to find out what its salient features are for them. A cognitive map can show what is important, and by omission, reveal what is less important. Sometimes a standardized outline showing major feature of an area is used, asking respondents to fill in the details.

Cognitive maps have been studied in various fields, such as psychology, education, archaeology, planning, geography, cartography, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, management and history. As a consequence, these mental models are often referred to, variously, as cognitive maps, mental maps, scripts, schemata, and frames of reference, this procedure could be used by city planners or landscape architects who want to know more about how a space is seen or used.

Cognitive maps can provide insight into the worlds of those with sensory deficits and physical handicaps. The maps of blind people make more use of sound and touch cues than do those of sighted people. People in wheelchairs emphasize physical barriers in their maps, obstacles that are missing from the maps of those able to move more freely.

Cognitive maps also serve the construction and accumulation of spatial knowledge, allowing the "mind's eye" to visualize images in order to reduce cognitive load, enhance recall and learning of information. This type of spatial thinking can also be used as a metaphor for non-spatial tasks, where people performing non-spatial tasks involving memory and imaging use spatial knowledge to aid in processing the task.

Requirements for Cognitive Mapping

This project requires us, students to create cognitive mapping of selected significant urban spaces in the city of KL to understand peoples’ perception and spatial behaviour in cities today. We have to use the cognitive maps method to present a critical understanding of emerging contemporary urbanism in KL city spaces (in relations to Kevin Lynch notions of imageability and how it influences people’s perception of the city.) The mapping should contain three different version of cognitive mapping from three individual based on their understanding towards the site, and they have to record the mapping based on human facets, spatial and temporal dynamics, architecture, last but not least, microstructures.

Description of Participants

There are total three cognitive maps at the study area according to individual perception. First participant is one of the tourists at the site whose name is Judy, at age of 26,currently working as kindergarten teacher in United States. Second, Chloe Tan,22,architecture student from Perak, and also last but not least one local student, Bernard Tan at the age of 16,currently studying at Confucian Private Secondary School. Judy, Chloe and Bernard came from different countries and from different background, therefore they are most likely to develop different thinking and perception even they are on the same site.

Site Photos

Comparative Essay

Metal  map  drawn  by  Judy,26,Kindergarten  Teacher  from  USA.  

Mental  map  drawn  by  Bernard  Tan,16,Student  from  Cheras.  

Similarities

Based on the different version of cognitive mapping from different people, surprisingly they do have some similarities. The first similarity among these three maps is that they included Pudu Sentral as one of the landmark and it is the most significant building from that area. Pudu Sentral is one of the main spot with high human density as it houses transportation from different places, especially buses from the north and it is where all the businessmen, travellers and foreign workers go when they want to travel around Kuala Lumpur and to other places. However, starting from November 2015,it will officially become the urban business center for the locals, and also houses the buses for short trip to places near Kuala Lumpur. The reason why Pudu Sentral is significant to three different individuals is that this building is very prominent and functional to them in that area. Judy is a backpacker from United States, therefore Pudu is only one of the cities that she stopped by. Pudu Sentral is the place where she first arrived from Melaka and soon she will depart from there too. As for Bernard Tan, student from Cheras, Pudu Sentral is important because it is located near his school and beside the LRT station that he takes everyday. For the outstation people like Chloe, Pudu Sentral is significant because this is where buses from north side usually stopped at. Other than that, the architectural style of this building is different from the adjacent building, showing the contrast between traditional style and modern style of the buildings. Plaza Rakyat LRT station is also one of the significant spot at that area according to three different cognitive mapping. It is the place where Judy will head to when she wants to go other areas in Kuala Lumpur, whereas for Bernard, he takes LRT from Cheras to Pudu everyday as his high school is located near the station and it is very convenient for him to take LRT. For the people without vehicle like Chloe, LRT is the best public transport to travel around Kuala Lumpur. Therefore, Plaza Rakyat LRT station is very notable to Chloe as it is the only way that make me access to Pudu easily.

Mental  map  drawn  by  Chloe  Tan,22,Architecture  Student  from  Perak.  

Besides, MCD is also one of the similarities that being found from the mapping. MCD is the only fast food chain that operates 24 hours on site and it is located at the roadside thus easy to be noticed. To Judy, MCD is the most familiar and convenient food for tourists like her and she can access to internet because they provides wifi to public. Whereas, to students like Bernard, MCD is a place to gather with friends after school. On the other hand, to Chloe, MCD is significant because of its fame and the big M signage on a black modern building. It shows the distinctive architectural style with the surrounding building, bringing out the modernity of the site, especially when it is being placed beside Kompleks Kotaraya, the old shopping mall at that area.

Other than that, the colour code that used by three different cognitive mapping for the busy and noisy area is also the same that is red colour. Red colour shows the impatience and anger of individual towards a typical area, which disturbs and messes their mind and also the vibrant and lively feeling of the area. The junction in front of Pudu Sentral is the busiest road and area in Pudu, it is always crowded with buses, taxis, cars and people. Sometimes, the bus operators and drivers will park their buses at roadside and sell the bus tickets to passerby. This is the reason why the traffic is always congested. The dynamic in front of Pudu Sentral is constantly the same throughout the day, there is a perpetual movement and it is also a gathering spot for different people, such as bus operators, foreign workers, students and taxi drivers.

Dissimilarities

There are a lot of difference among these 3 maps and first of them is To Judy, the tourist, row of hotels especially Hotel Ancasa that located beside Pudu Sentral is actually very significant to her because Hotel Ancasa is where she’s been staying for the past 4days and she is going to stay here until next week, before she proceed her journey to other places. Other than that, Petaling Street appears to be vitel to Judy because it is one of the reason why she choose to stay at Pudu and she went to the flea and night market for Malaysian local food, souvenirs and the cultural attributes. The pedestrian bridge and food stalls that located beside Petaling Street are being highlighted in Judy’s map. She always uses it to go across the busy road and the malay food stall is one of her favourite throughout her stay due to the cheap and delicious food. The colour code that used by Judy is different as yellow means her favourite spot and purple means the place she visits the most while brown means the area she doesn’t really wants to approach as they look a bit dodgy for her.

As for Bernard Tan, student from Confucian Private Secondary School, his school will automatically become one of the landmarks in his map. Other than his own school, Starbucks which located near his high school is one of his after school hangout spot with friends, therefore it appears only in Bernard’s version of map. Apart from that, Mydin is also one of the renowned spot for students as they can spend their time there while waiting for extra classes at afternoon. Mydin has air-conditioner therefore giving the students a comfortable and cooling environment. There are few comic book shops located next to each other in Bernard’s map. Bernard is a comic lover and according to the interview, he goes there almost every week to check on the new comic books. The colour code used by Bernard is simple, he uses light blue to represent the places that he loves to hangout and dark blue as the place he doesn’t really like as shown in the map.

Aside from the differences that being found on previous maps, there are some differences on chloe’s version of map too. All the paths are being pointed out with blue colour line. Maybank tower is found on chloe’s cognitive map due to its height and shape, and it stands out from the surrounding buildings. Other than that, Hotel 99 retained in chloe’s mind as it has extensive glass façade and the signage loomed from the rest of the hotels. There are a lot of pedestrian bridges found at site and they are essential to everyone and also LRT railway on the map. Even though the site is slowly emerging into a modern city, there are a lot of trees can be seen on site. It is being planted beside almost every roadside and building, to incorporate nature into this modern city and it is being highlighted in green colour. There is this one and only graffiti wall by Nando’s, giving the site energetic and vivacious feeling. As a person that loves to explore new café, Merchant Lane café that located at the end of Petaling Street and the vivid entrance of Petaling Street are the reason why Petaling Street appears on the map.

Discussion

Kevin Lynch's theory of urban form is set out in his book The Image of the City. City image is important because the ability to recognize objects in our environment is critical to our ability to act and function in places effectively ( Lynch, 1981). A central notion in this book is that of legibility (also called imageability and visibility). Legibility means the extend to which the cityscape can be 'read'. People who move through the city engage in way-finding. They need to be able to recognize and organize urban elements into a coherent pattern. "In the process of way-finding, the strategic link is the environmental image, the generalized mental picture of the exterior physical world that is held by an individual. This image is the product both of immediate sensation and of the memory of past experience, and it is used to interpret information and to guide action"

Lynch describes observer as a citizen who “ has had long associations with some part of his city, and his image is soaked in memories and meanings” (Lynch, 1960: 1). Way-finding in his theory is related to two things: physical elements and a map drawn in peoples mind, this map is what Lynch named mental map or cognitive map, and it is the method that was being used in this assignment.

Figure above shows that the interaction between observer, and environment leads to cognitive map.

Lynch proposes that these mental maps consist of five elements: (1) paths: routes along which people move throughout the city; (2) edges: boundaries and breaks in continuity; (3) districts: areas characterized by common characteristics; (4) nodes: strategic focus points for orientation like squares and junctions; and (5) landmarks: external points of orientation, usually a easily identifiable physical object in the urban landscape. Of these five elements, path is especially important according Lynch, since it organizes urban mobility.

From the three different maps above, it shows that the path are being identified and it is obvious that the path in front of Pudu Central which is the main road has high concentration and variation of activities along it, which is why people will be oriented by following the main stream of traffic. There are other special features that increase the importance of the path such as planting and pavement textures which we can see along the roadside at our study area. Spatial qualities of width or narrowness can attract attention and strengthen the image of particular paths, such as the wide road in front of Pudu Sentral and the narrow, branching road in front of MCD. “When we consider more than one path, then the path intersection becomes vital, since it is the point of decision” (Lynch, 1960: 57). This theory is being proven at the intersection point in front of Pudu Sentral which determined our site, and it is being point out in 3 different version of maps.

Districts are character areas perceived to have common characteristics, a separate visual identity from the rest of environment. These areas can be recognized as a thematic unit. Good physical characteristics of districts are determined by continuities and homogeneities of facades materials, textures, spaces, forms, details, symbols, building type, uses, Activities, inhabitants, colors, skyline topography, ...etc.(Lynch,1960). All these features give a district its identity, create intimacy between its parts, and identify the basic clues of the city.In this case, there are only few districts being found in the study area, there are buildings with heavy materials such as concrete and also buildings with glasses. Districts may be in relation with each other, well-connected together, then they are in an extrovert character. On the contrary, they may stand alone to their zone, in other words they are not linked together, then they are in an introvert character (Lynch, 1960). Kompleks Kotaraya and the shop houses at the study area are build mostly with concrete while Pudu Sentral, Hotel 99 and others are build with glass façade, showing distinctive building materials in one area.

According to Lynch “Nodes are the strategic foci into which the observer can enter, typically either junctions of paths, or concentrations of some characteristic” (Lynch, 1960: 72). At my study area, the gathering points for foreign workers, drivers, tourists and pedestrian are in front of Pudu Sentral and Kompleks Kotaraya while for vehicles, it is the intersection point for three roads which is Jalan Pudu,Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. All these nodes are located beside the main road, and as mentioned by Lynch, location determines nodes utilization, as locating nodes on main routes make movement economy more efficient than those located away from.

In contrast to nodes, which can be entered, landmarks are external features to the individual that act as reference points (Lynch, 1960). Landmarks vary with an individual's personal experience. Based on the findings, with different individuals, they have different identification of landmarks according to its visibility, functionality, and colour. For example, Pudu Sentral and Maybank Tower is located at the prominent position and it has high visibility as it can be seen from near and far by day and night. Other than that, all participants had also sketched out the places that they visit the most throughout their visit at the site, such as comic bookshops, MCD, Confucian Secondary School, Petaling Street and also Hotel. The graffiti wall at Nando’s and the entrance at Petaling Street show that colour may single out it as an unmistakable landmark.

Conclusion

The study site (Intersection in front of Pudu Sentral) is a good example of recognizable and unique site as it provides the observer a strong and vivid image once you reach the site. This site is considered well formed as it is highly dependent upon the elements as it makes the site imageable to other people. It also has no orientation difficulties as it provides good sense of direction as analysed from the 3 different maps. All these elements are placed in good form and position, increasing the human ability to see and remember patterns and these patterns make it easier to be learnt. According to 3 different maps, the 5 elements have clearly brought out the imageability of the study site, leaving a strong impression and memory to the participants and other people.

Reference

1. Lynch, K. (n.d.). The Image of the City.

Retrieved from http://www.zzpudnz.hr/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=TcHDzHuLw7s=&tabid=506

2. Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological review, 55(4), 189.

3. McLeod, S. A. (2013). Tolman - Latent Learning.

Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/tolman.html