Tales of Three Cities Project 1 Ideas and Theories in Urbanism
Kuching Waterfront Development Project
Andrew Law Zi Hang Benjamin Cheng Bridget Victoria Tan Chan Jia Xin Chok Jia Jun Evelyn Lai Kah Ying Lee Hui Qin Saw Hwei Ying Sharon Lim Yu Jung Visagan Arudselvan
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2
MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES
1890
River act as a stronghold for political administration, a symbol of power due to its advantages for transportation and military affairs, mostly occupied by the British Colony.
Astana
Fort Margherita
Sg. Gartak
It act as a natural edge. The riverfront undergone primary urban planning as compared to other area, with nodes forming at the junction that framed views towards the Astana and Fort Margherita.
1917
Sg. Gartak
Chinese Community Zone with Chinese temple & museum Sg. Gartak shrunk as a result of accumulated sand banks for commercial purposes, suggesting growing supplies industry. Development started to reach inland for the people with civic buildings built, suggesting the ruler’s intention of putting the people at the latter. The Chinese merchants got a slice of the waterfront due to their affluence.
1930
Waterfront undergone extensions, with docks and wharf built, showing the growing seafaring activities. With the introduction of the first railway at the once Sg Gartak, it boosted the development of road inland.
Commercial
Civic
Colonial Administrative Road
Open air markets from the locals started to pepper at the Eastern front along the main road after the Western front had reached saturation.
1960s -2000s
When saturation is met and dependence of river shrinks due to the invention of automobile, city expands towards inland. Pedestrian walkability improved to boost riverfront’s past significance by constructing promenades.
Commercial
Civic
Colonial Administrative Road
1890
1917
1930
1960-2000s
River as a natural edge that separated the two banks, resulting differed development pace and genre.
Major Urban Planning Improvement 1989 United Consultant (Kuching) & Conybeare Morrison & Partners
1. Open corridors to the river
1.
Once get rid of the dirt and truck traffic that deteriorated the waterfront, the agenda starts with the idea of linking Main Bazaar to the water and views across it. The waterfront had been dominated by the colonial occupants for centuries, thus it is now to be accessible for the people after independence.
2. Vibrant Shopping Street and Shop Houses
2.
Next is to provide a mix of facilities along the waterfront that would appeal to both local and international visitors, and establish a specific local sense of place, whereby all races come together as united. Mainly around Little India and Carpenter Street.
3. Preserve Historical Landmarks
Connecting the Banks
3.
To preserve the historic elements in the area to be 'Kuching in character'. In order to make user to appreciate the historical value witnessed by the city, promenades that flow along the front is constructed, so that strollers can enjoy the entire stretch of Historical Kuching.
Summary To conclude, the first development project induced good impacts by fulfilling the agendas of opening the water corridor, creating vibrant shopping street and preserving historical landmarks.
2013 New Kuching Waterfront Extension Project IBRACO Berhad
RETAILS
FESTIVAL & CULTURAL HUB
OFFICES
RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUMS
CIVIC SPACES CIVIC SPACES
NEW STREET AND PROMENADES
The new master plan aims to revitalize the activeness of Kuching waterfront in terms of economy, entertainment, tourism, cultural & social activity in a mix-used planning. The agenda includes: - To capture heart of young people for them to live and work within the vicinity - New growth while historical sites and buildings remain intact - Open-air civic square for general public leisure, gathering and events - Office park that houses both local & expatriate firms - Exclusive waterfront residential development with jetty, riverfront pedestrian mall, high-rise serviced apartments, Open-air promenade, Semi-enclosed public walk, Festive tourist & entertainment hub built to promote cultural state performance
Connectivity to the city’s structure and within the neighborhood is improved by means of : - Improvement of public access and traffic linkage to waterfront area - New Esplanade road of 600m dual carriageway - Additional car parks - Upgrading and landscaping the current roads
Golden Bridge
1. Connecting the Banks Increased permeability of the region, whereby it is more accessible and less hierarchical division
Function
Mixed function It acts as a connection between two banks and recreation area simultaneously. To encourage the integration between communities in the North and South of the city where the North is more engaged in recreational activities and Malay Kampung settlements while South of the city is more of bustling commercial aspect, the bridge acts as a linkage, to retain a more balanced environment that offers choices to the locals and visitors.
Since south bank is facing traffic congestion issue, the bridge encourages the people to traverse across the banks by walking with improved walkability. By providing an alternative route towards the south bank other than solely depending on Tun Salehuddin Bridge that is located at far eastern end, the hierarchy is reduced. Since the development of both banks are imbalance, Golden Bridge acts as a medium to harmonize the urban density.
Public Realm is provided at the two nodes of the extended piazza, offering 360 degree of the waterfront vista. People can define the function of the open spaces themselves which encouraged personalization of space.
Form
Linear. Intimate pedestrian experience. The S-shaped pedestrian Golden Gate Bridge claims to explore new experience along the journey of waterfront by takes form in a sinuous ribbon, forming two observation decks that offer a 360 degree views of the site, taking full advantages of its elevated height. Instead of a straight linear typology, the curvature offers richness in both visual and physical experience for a pedestrian.
Movement Pattern
The Golden Gate Bridge provide linear pedestrian movement. This will ease the traffic flow of the congested Tun Sambathan Bridge and also Jalan Gambier when connectivity and permeability is increased.
Connectivity to the city’s structure and neighbourhood. Main Street System
In relation to the main street, Jalan Gambir, the New walkway increases the permeability towards the North bank, well linked to the existing street typology.
Connectivity to the city’s structure and neighbourhood. Immediate Local Surrounding
The bridge offers new linkages to the north bank’s neighbourhood, welcomed by the DUN building, along with increased visual connectivity between the river and the local surrounding.
Sub-Conclusion By connecting the banks, the gaps between both sides can be narrowed and further provide an optimal platform for the next idea which we are going to discuss later, which is Revitalizing the Waterfront to begin. With improved interaction between, both sides of the lands are rejuvenated.
2. Revitalizing Sarawak’s Waterfront Revives the vicinity with a new gush of pulsating active lifestyle, by increasing the variety, which means the wide range of choices to accommodate different people, purpose, activities within different time.
Function
Mixed function Programs in the “ Live, Work, Play� idea can be fulfilled within this stretch of land, due to its high variety. Thus, human flow can be attained at this area, constantly thrusting the vicinity with active human interaction from morning till night, leaving no space for dead zones when the nights fall in a heavily zoned city, further increasing its robustness.
With the pedestrian walkway built in between the towers, it offers a gradient between public and private, which also act as a buffer zone whereby urban voids can be introduced.
private
semi- public
public
semi- public
private
Form
RETAILS
OFFICES
RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUMS
Isolated objects, less interactive with surrounding context due to its confined private and public activities within its volume. Further enhanced by its high density and height, the connectivity of point form typology can easily get disconnected.
CIVIC SPACES
FESTIVAL & CULTURAL HUB
CIVIC SPACES
Court perimeter. Embrace the site context according to building mass, encouraging communal activities that can be opens to the public.
Movement Pattern
Pedestrian movement Mixed pedestrian and vehicular pattern
Vehicular movement Mixed pedestrian and vehicular pattern
Pedestrian
Vehicles
Pedestrian
In Mixed movement pattern, the authority claims to increase the perforation of urban void into the project, whereby pedestrian walkways become a buffer zone between public and private, aiding in the gradation of the scheme. But in our opinion, this scheme is yet to be localized to our Malaysian context.
Connectivity to the city’s structure and neighbourhood. Main Street System
Secondary by-pass
Primary Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
The connection with the main street system (Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman) is well connected and provided a by-pass path which can divert the main traffic congestion well.
Connectivity to the city’s structure and neighbourhood. Immediate Local Surrounding
The new road system introduced new linkages which the main street do not reach as far as before. The nodes helps in linking the site to its immediate surrounding fabrics, besides opening up the permeability towards the shore.
Sub-Conclusion By having mix-used development, revitalization of the waterfront is greatly enhanced through variations that address the demands of different people, purpose, activities throughout the day and night. Due to the short distance between all destinations, ranging from retail, commercial, cultural, residential and etc., human flow can be constantly retained.
3. Weaving the Past and Present Respecting the legibility of trails left by the ancestors while retaining robustness to meet today’s needs
Function
Mixed function hub (macro scale) As the eastern waterfront is carefully preserved, untouched and the new hub is speaking of a new language to regenerate a new era at the eastern part.
The old shop houses at the surrounding are preserved, the inland streetscape is kept at its origin. Modernization set against pastoral colonial taste of Brooke era without disrupting the concord of the ensemble, a swish transformation to bring a spectacle of the 21st century urban up-to-the-minute living whilst retaining Sarawak's most leading sites of historical relics and its rich cultural heritage.
Mixed function hub (micro scale)
The Mixed function is carried smoothly as a gradation from the old shop houses, whereby all kinds of mixed programs are integrated into a single built form.
Form
Enclosure typology
Old landmark: Courthouse
New landmark: Cultural Hub
Landmarks’ significance are relevantly used as focal nodes, with street alignments well position towards and make the most positive use of them, both in the old, which is well preserved and the new, which is well oriented.
Linear typology
The past horizontal linear typology is preserved, whereas contemporary linear typology is extended vertically at the new hub, suggesting an adaptation of the new towards the old. Conventionally, linear typology create a public font and private rear, but in this new planning, the limitations are overcame by extruding the linearity and inserting interstitial spaces which pulls patrons to come from all direction.
Movement Pattern
Mixed Pedestrian & Vehicular
Without changing the existing road, the new development phase infused new road system that dissolved the cul-de-sacs which abruptly ended, opening more permeability to the riverfront for the traffic.
Sub-Conclusion With the respect towards the current fabric laid by the ancestors and adaptation towards presence demand, the masterplan answered the latter more proficiently rather than the prior statement. Although all of the buildings are preserved, but due to certain high-rise project, some of the view towards the river is greatly obstructed, reserving the vista only for the residences or patrons.
Criticism
Gentrification The buying and renovation of homes and stores in deteriorated urban neighbourhoods or individuals, thus improving property values but often displacing low income families and small businesses. As the term gentrification is explained above, we can conclude that IBRACO BERHAD’s development proposal is blatantly a privatization of the Sarawak river. Despite having claimed to have plans to ‘revitalize’ the city, the development only yearns to get profit by attracting new communities into the area rather than to provide a public space for the local community to use. With its linear arrangement in the plan proposal, we can also observe that the developer intends to keep the stretch of Sarawak river to themselves, rather than creating a space the entire community could share. Its bold proposal of development obviously did not take the local community into much consideration.
The project involves massive land reclamation along the Sarawak River – disrupt natural resources. Reduced visual permeability - views towards Sarawak river are restricted – new high-rise development becomes a barrier to visual richness.
The rejuvenation and regenerated new Kuching Waterfront will inevitably transform the City of Kuching to become a world-class tourist attraction with its riverbank transformation into a vibrant and modern development and ultimately a business district -yet the cultural and historical importance of the area are forsaken The heritage region is disconnected from the river with the development becoming the dividing factor
Demolition of cultural sphere – the state government’s move to evict the 27-year old Petanak Market (only market in the Kuching City) to facilitate the waterfront extension project, forcing hawkers to budge Unrestrained approach to gentrification of the development might lead to issues like: 1. Increase in land value 2. Increase in crime rate 3. Unemployment
Solution
The design could be broken down into smaller typologies or fractions. This would create permeability in that space so that the entire Kuching waterfront could be enjoyed by all. Permeability of space grants access to everybody, physically or visually.
Depth
Access
Height
- Design according to the needs of the community – robustness: building depth, access and height that does not affect the existing community, views and functions - Controlled gentrification - Design with consideration of the cultural and historical context - Development of the country should not only benefit the people with connection, but also the people on the streets, including the hawkers. The existing Petanak market can co-exist with the project just like in big cities like in Singapore to serve the surrounding population. What is important is that it must not disrupt the livelihood of the hawkers.
Conclusion To conclude the criticism, although the development enhances the social and economic status of all communities in Sarawak, it inevitably brings about an increase in land value as well as neglect to the historical and heritage context. However, these aspects can be solved by prioritising the placemaking approach. Placemaking facilitates creative patterns of use by paying particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution. It capitalises on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that contributes to people’s health, happiness, and well being. The development should also be more focused into localisation instead of globalisation, as its intention is to ultimately give back to the people.
References Ibraco. (2015). New Kuching Waterfront. Retrieved Sept 18, from http://www.ibraco.com.my/wp/?page_id=337 Johnson K Saai (2013, August 21). Golden Bridge catalyst to closer interaction between both parts of city. Retrieved Sept 18, from http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/08/21/golden-bridge-catalyst-to-closer-interactionbetween-both-parts-of-city-says-taib/ Nigel Edgar (2013, August 13). The Golden Bridge – Kuching: next icon of harmony. Retrieved Sept 18, from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2013/08/21/the-golden-bridge-hopes-to-further-unify-communitiesof-citys-north-and-south/ Northen Architecture. (2016, May 15). Kuching Waterfront Sarawak Malaysia A Waterfront Park As A Catalyst for Urban Redevelopment 1989 from http://www.northernarchitecture.us/urban-design-3/kuching-waterfront-sarawak-malaysia-a-waterfront-park-asa-catalyst-for-urban-redevelopment-198993.html Tuah, Yvonne. (2014, June 26). Revitalising Sarawak’s Waterfront. Retrieved Sept 18, from http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/07/26/revitalising-sarawaks-waterfronts/