Theories of Architecture and Urbanism Comparative Essay

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303)

PROJECT 2: COMPARATIVE ESSAY SISAVANGVONG ROAD, LUANG PRABANG, LOAS & JALAN TUKANG, KAJANG, MALAYSIA

NAME: CHEONG YEN SIN (JOVIN) STUDENT ID: 0328050 TUTOR: MR NICHOLAS NG

TABLE OF CONTENT 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT 1.2 BACKGROUND OF SISAVAVONG ROAD 1.3 BACKGROUND OF KAJANG

2.0 TYPES OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

3.0 CONTACT POINT ON SISAVANGVONG ROAD, LUANG PRABANG

4.0 CONTACT POINT ON JALAN TUKANG, KAJANG

5.0 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS 5.1 CONTACT POINT 1 5.2 CONTACT POINT 2 5.3 CONTACT POINT 3 5.4 CONTACT POINT 4 5.5 CONTACT POINT 5

6.0 CONCLUSION

7.0 REFERENCE

1.1 INTRODUCTION OF PROJECT

From “Life Between Buildings”, authored by a Danish Architect, Jan Gehl, that shows his research and commitment to enhance Life Between Building in cities. As we know that this book explores the kinds of activities that take place in the urban context, how they contribute to the quality of life in cities, factors that hinder or enhance this life and measure which can be taken to improve life between buildings and the city life experience.

Jan Gehl also identifies a framework of outdoor activities that take place in cities, which are, necessary activities, optional activities, and social activities. He determined all these types of human activities are affected by the physical environment of where we live while factors and changes will affect what type of activities to take place.

So to let students have a further understanding of Jan Gehl theory, project 2 was given, a comparative analysis essay. This project is to let students compare and analyze the findings between the case study on Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang in Laos with Jalan Tukang, Kajang in Malaysia. The essay will reveal the similarities and dissimilarities on the patterns of social activities, types of ‘contact points’ and the varying degree of contact intensity between the two streets.

1.2 Street Background of Sisavangvong Road Laos was once a part of French Indochina and ruled by France from 1893 until Laos’ independence in 1954. French-speaking Laotians, picturesque European-style buildings and hints of France in the food, are all remnants of this time. But with traditional wooden houses and dazzling temples, the city has plenty of Laos culture too.

Even though Laos is not heavy on identity and hard to describe its unique culture but the town was located on the famous Mekong River and its charm arises from the peninsular made by the Nam Khan River and the small Mount Phousi. A UNESCO World Heritage preserved the town’s architecture and make it a picturesque charm place to visit.

Figure 1: Tak Bat, the Morning Alms Giving.

(Maison, 2015)

Sisavangvong Road, a street that surrounded by shop lots, night market, temples, and even a Royal Palace, it lies by the heart of the city which is full of tourist and hot spots.

Sisavangvong Road is offering a wide variety of foods, from traditional Lao dishes to high-end French fare. While the night markets over there are spots to find cheap and delicious foods.

Not only the food, but there are also cultural activities taking place in Sisavangvong Road, like Tak Bat (Alms Giving Ceremony) that usually take place in the morning. A long line of monks wearing orange robes walk through the streets and locals will be giving alms to them. Not only religious activities but also places, like Haw Pha Bang and Mount Phousi.

From here we can know that Sisavangvong Road has given an aspect of streets that full of cultural, heritage, touristic spots and even local spots. All these factors are making the street more vivid and spirited with the coming of locals and visitors.

Figure 2: Night Market at Sisavangvong Roads. (,2017)

Morphology Study of Laos

1887-1975 After an attack by the Black Flag Army in 1887, the Royal Palace was destroyed, the Laos Kingdom chose to accept French Protection. The new Royal Palace was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family.

Diagram 1 : Royal Palace was built.

1976-1995 During 1989, Laos opened to foreign tourism for the first time since 1975 after the Luang Prabang was granted the UNESCO’s World Heritage status, as to preserve and enhance the historic architecture. The Royal Palace was renovated and reopened to the public as the National Museum.

Diagram 2 : Laos opened to tourist.

1996-Present The rapid growth of tourism in Laos especially near to the Sisavangvong Road can be observed from the transition of the residential area towards touristic residential area showing great richness in terms of street cultures.

Diagram 2 : Transition of area.

1.3 Street Background of Jalan Tukang Kajang, like many cities in Kuala Lumpur, it has its own identity and story. Kajang started out as a tin mining and has been evolved through many sets of the timeline. With the first Kajang settlements built along Sungai Chua and Jalan Mendaling and continue to diversify towards Jalan Tukang, Jalan Besar and Jalan Reko. Some of the streets in Kajang has portrayed a lifetime of cultural and heritage identity which has made this town what it is today.

There was once Kajang is full of all different kind of shops in the town, like tailor, biscuit shop, kopitiam and others. However, it undergoes a major modernisation and the locals tend to move out then leaving the shophouses to be empty, but some still remain running the shop. As a result,

Figure 3: A modern and big building pop out in a row of old shophouses.

(Harris,2019)

the government tried to boost up this area by replacing the shophouses with new modern big buildings like Metro Plaza Kajang and modern development.

Even though Kajang already lost its initial looks and characteristic, but the shophouses that remaining there representing the history and heritage of Kajang. Now, Kajang old town is a place that has a combination of old and new, especially in Jalan Tukang, new and big buildings pop out from a row of old shophouses, it representing the improvement of this town from the old side of it.

Talking about the activities in Kajang, there are a few which include eatery, touristic, heritage and also religious. Kajang is well-known for Satay, there are a lot of shops selling it. While the touristic part of Kajang is the attraction of heritage, there is this heritage walk that brings people to experience the heritage of Kajang. Then the well known Shen Sze Yar Temple that is frequently visited by the locals, as the believed that Shen Sze Yar is the guardian of Kajang.

From here we can know that even Kajang has the combination of old and new, but this is what makes it unique. The value and uniqueness can be experienced along Jalan Tukang.

Figure 4: Ting Hong Si Temple.

(Farizal, 2018l)

Morphology Study of Kajang

1850-1900 Founded during the Klang War. The first settlement was built by the Mendaling, located by Sungai Chua. Rich for its tin mining, the British built railway track to transport tin to the nearby port. Migrants from mainland China were drawn in as labours and merchants.

Diagram 4: Built railway track

1950-2000 After Malaya gained independence the town undergoes a mass development. During the modernisation era, more residential areas were built in the outskirt of the town. Resulting in many locals chose to move out of the old town, leaving the foreigners staying in the old town.

Diagram 5: Mass development

2000-Present In the present city, with the new MRT line and bigger new development building up. As a result, many of the old building seen today, some were displaced for a new purpose and some were left neglected.

Diagram 6 : Mrt line was built.

2.0 Types of Outdoor Activities

Quality of the Physical Environment

According Jan Gehl books, the 3 types of outdoor activities, necessary activities, optional activities and social activities.

High intensity

Low intensity

Close friendships Friends Acquaintances Chance contacts Passive contacts (“see and hear� contacts)

Diagram 8: Different qualities of physical environment lead to varying degrees of contact intensity. (Gahl,2011)

Diagram 7: Representing of the relationship between the quality of outdoor spaces and the rate of occurrence of outdoor activities. (Gahl,2011)

3.0 Contact Points on Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang

3 2

1

1.

Night Market Food District

2.

Backlane Morning Market

3.

Royal Palace Museum

4.

Sidewalks of Shoplots

4.0 Contact Points on Jalan Tukang, Kajang

1

3

2

1.

Satay Putera Kajang

2.

Tin Hong Si

3.

Kajang Heritage Centre

4.

Five foot walkway

5.1 Contact Point 1 - Food Nodes Night Market Food District (Sisavangvong Road) Satay Putera Kajang (Jalan Tukang)

Contact Points

Contact Intensity

Outdoor Activities

Necessary Activity - Food stall owner selling foods, customers purchase foods.

Night Market Food District

High Intensity (Night Time) Passive contact to close friendship

Optional Activity - Customers can choose to stop at the stall to eat.

Social Activity - Order or chat with stall owner.

- Chat with friends or acquaintance about the foods Necessary Activity - Shop owner selling foods, customers purchase foods.

Optional Activity

Satay Putera Kajang

High Intensity (Afternoon & Night Time) Passive contact to close friendship

- Customers can choose to eat in the shop.

Social Activity - Order or chat with stall owners.

- Chat with friends or acquaintance about the foods.

This night market is spanning throughout the whole street of Sisavangvong Road and it is a landmark in Laos. It is a place that locals and tourist would visit there to fulfill their craving for Laos street food. Not only eatery, but the night market also contain street food, art, and craft of Laos and all the stall that are similar to the night market in every city.

Necessary Activity

Optional Activity Social Activity

While talking about Satay Putera Kajang, everyone in Malaysia know that Kajang is famous with satay, the local street foods. This shop is located at Jalan Besar, which locals and tourist will visit there to eat the satay. But unlikely the night market in Sisavangvong Road, this satay shop is offering satay only.

Diagram 9: Show the human intensity of night market (Cheong,2019)

The above two contact points proved the theory of “ People are attracted to other people” (Gehl, 2011, p.23). People usually get attracted by people, when there are two shops, one with lesser people, one is full of people, we naturally will choose to go to the shop that is full of people.

While there are still dissimilarities between this two contact points, Night Market Food District is placed in an opened area with portable tents around, it does not have a proper seating area and it is more likely pack as there will be people walking and squeezing around, it then created a lively outdoor activity. However, Satay Putera Kajang is a shop with a closed layout, it is designated with proper seating area and spacious to let customers dine in, but the activities happened at the five-foot walkway of the shops like grilling satay, queuing or people eating in the shops create passive contact for the people who pass by to go in. “Being able to see other people in action, constituted the area’s main attraction” (Gehl,2011,p.29).

Therefore, even though both of the contact points share the same contact intensity from low to high as food nodes, but the night market is creating a higher chance of contacts, no matter is passive contact, chance contact or even from acquaintances to friends because of the constant flow of people. But in Satay Putera Kajang, it is having adequate indoor seating which is comfortable, that people and people are sitting separately and enjoy their own food, with a less chance of contacts.

Figure 5 : Showing the various stall and high intensity in the night market. (Visit Laos,2019)

Figure 7: The famous food, satay in Kajang. (Trip Advisor, 2019)

Figure 6: Food district of night market.

(Food Porn Journal, 2018)

Figure 8: Satay Putera Kajang that have visual attraction from the fronts to inside of the shops. (hv,2018)

5.2 Contact Point 2 - Hidden from the Main Road Backlane Morning Market (Sisavangvong Road) Tin Hong Si Temple (Jalan Tukang)

Contact Points

Contact Intensity

Outdoor Activities Necessary Activity - Locals buying groceries and stall owners selling grocers.

Backlane Morning Market

High Intensity (Morning) Passive contact to close friendships.

- Enjoy local delicacies as breakfast.

Social Activity - Bargaining or chat with stall owners.

- Chatting with neighbour or friends.

Necessary Activity - Local praying in the temple.

- Have some local street foods at the food court behind Moderate Intensity (Morning & Afternoon Tin Hong Si Temple

time) Passive contact to acquaintances.

the temple.

Optional Activity - Prayers or customers can choose to eat in the food court.

Social Activity - Chatting with neighbour or friends.

- Order or chat with the food stall owners.

This morning market is located at a back lane that is slightly hidden from the main road, Sisavangvong Road. But this place unlike the night market, it is more to a local wet market that the locals will there groceries or breakfast over there. This morning market also attracts tourists to have the local delicacies, but it attracts high intensity of locals to the alleys.

The Tin Hong Si temple is similar to the morning market, it is considered as a local spot that local would go there to pray or enjoy our local street food behind the temple. This temple is actually located behind shophouses, that could not be seen easily. The locals who know Kajang well will know that there is this temple that has a small food court behind it and it does attract a moderate intensity of locals to this temple.

Necessary Activity

Social Activity

Diagram 10: Showing the setting of the backlane morning market. (Cheong,2019)

Compare both contact points, the similarities of both are hidden from the main road which the locals will frequently visit. Even it is hidden from the road but it shows that the locals know their town well and would get attracted by it is because “narrow streets and small spaces are comparably perceived as intimate, warm and personal. Conversely, building projects with large spaces, wide streets and tall buildings often are felt to be cold and impersonal� (Gehl, 2011, p.69).

People tend to find a sense of belonging from a place that only known by the locals, where these two contact points represent that.

However, there are dissimilarities between these both contact points, for the morning market it is opened and happened between a narrow alley, people will be squeezing around to buy their groceries, and it is also lacked of public seating area that allows the locals to sit there, it becomes an active area in the morning of Sisavangvong Road and created high intensity of contacts from one to other. On other hands, Ting Hong Si temple is more likely to be a quiet area as it is a religion praying place. Not only the temple itself, but the food court behind it also has a moderate intensity of contacts that limit the contacts between the locals with their neighbours or the stall owners. Even the food court area has a proper seating area, but there is only local visiting there and the local would not dine in at the same place every day.

Figure 9: Morning market how the stall open. (Steele,2018)

Figure 11: Locating at the backlane of the shophouses. (Google map 2019)

Figure 10: Local preference selling in the morning market. (Steele,2018)

Figure 12: The local known food court behind the temple (Google map,2019)

5.3 Contact Point 3 - Heritage Attractions Royal Palace Museum (Sisavangvong Road) Kajang Heritage Centre (Jalan Tukang)

Contact Points

Contact Intensity

Outdoor Activities Necessary Activity - Locals and tourists get to enjoy historical and cultural exhibitions.

Optional Activity - Locals and tourists can choose to visit Royal Palace

Royal Palace

High Intensity Passive contact to close friendship.

Museum as educational visit.

- Choose to rest at the pedestrians that design around the palace.

Social Activity - Chat with local guide when having tour in Royal Palace.

- Chat with friends.

Necessary Activity - Get to see the items or history that exhibit in the

Kajang Heritage Centre

Low Intensity Passive contact to chance contact.

centre.

Social Activity - Can ask the centre person-in-charge about the history of Kajang.

The Royal Palace which is also known as Haw Kham once was the Palace of Sisavang Vong King, then it was renovated become a museum, it is also a landmark and tourist hotspot. Royal Palace is slightly set back from the main road, as it has a very big garden which also acts as an entrance in front of the palace. The museum house has a lot of interesting historical items, and it is full of the history of Lao and story of Laos’ royal.

While the Kajang Heritage Centre is more likely having the same thing with the museum which is about the history of Kajang and interesting historical items. This heritage centre is located beside the famous temple of Kajang, Shen Sze Yar temple, it is on the second floor of the building, it is a small room that filled up with Kajang history.

The similarities of these two places are that they will attract tourist or local who is interested in the history of that city to visit there. Both of the contact points include religious and history activities. Within the compound of Royal Palace, there is Haw Pha Bang temple and Royal Ballet Theatre in it, the locals and tourist would visit there for performances or cultural activities held there or visit the museum. While the Kajang Heritage Centre is next to Shen Sze Yar temple, which the local prayers believed Shen Sze Yar is the guardian of Kajang, so people would visit the heritage centre because of its location. Thus, both of them become a contact point in their own town but with different level of intensity.

As I said above, different intensity of this both contact points are obvious. The Royal Palace is famous in Laos, it is a landmark or a must visit place that suggested by all the travelers, and because of the cluster spaces within a compound in Royal Palace that provide various activities, then it created a high intensity of locals and tourist visiting the place. Talking back to Kajang Heritage Centre, the scale of it is too small for people to notice it, locals staying there might not interested with it, tourists could not notice it, there is only the friends or family of person-in-charge visiting there frequently. In fact, because of the high intensity of locals and tourists of Shen Sze Yar temple, it still gets to bring some visitors to the heritage centre. So the heritage centre actually having a low intensity of a contact point.

Royal Palace

Haw Pha Bang

Diagrams 11: Showing the elevation of Royal Palace and the building beside. (Cheong,2019)

Figure 13: The Royal Palace (Ivontov,2017)

Figure 14: Haw Pha Bang. (Langely, 2016)

Figure 16: Kajang Heritage Centre opening time. (Ng, 2019) Figure 15: Kajang Heritage Centre’s building (Ng, 2019)

5.4 Contact Point 4 - Transition Space Sidewalks of Shoplots (Sisavangvong Road) Five-foot Walkway (Jalan Tukang)

Contact Points

Contact Intensity

Outdoor Activities Necessary Activity - Walking pass to reach their destination.

Optional Activity

Sidewalks of Shoplots

Moderate Intensity Passive contact to acquaintances.

- Can choose to sit at outside of the shoplots.

- Get attracted by shops and go in.

- Enjoy the ambience of the town.

Social Activity - Greet friends or neighbours.

Necessary Activity - People walking pass to reach their destination.

Optional Activity

Five-foot Walkway

Moderate Intensity Passive contact to acquaintances.

- Get attracted by shops and go in.

Social Activity - Greet friends or neighbours.

A transition space is a connecting space between two spaces. A space that people would normally walk by every day from one place to their own destination. A sidewalk or walkway could be also known as a transition space that connects the streets and shops together, it also shows the sense of place in that city. The sidewalk or walkway is designed according to the climate of the city. Both Malaysia and Laos are actually having quite a similar climate, Malaysia is a tropical climate country, yet Laos is a tropical monsoon climate coutry. So there is a slight difference between the design of the sidewalk.

In Sisavangvong Road, they have sidewalks in front of the commercial streets, and it is not designed as shaded walkways, it is either shaded by the trees or by the roof tent that was extended by the shops. While in Jalan Tukang, the five-foot walkway that is in front of the shophouses is fully shaded. The similarities of this both walkways are they have a strong visual connection from the shops to the streets, that show the shop owners strategy for their business expansion along with these spaces. Both of it acts as a wide and comfortable transition space that create social contact and interaction for the shop owners or people who pass by. So both sidewalks become a contact point in the town.

Uncovered sidewalk

Main road

Craft Market

Diagrams 12: Showing the sidewalks of Sisavangvong road. (Cheong, 2019)

Figure 17: Outdoor seating area in Sisavangvong Road. (Levy,2014)

But there is still some difference between both of the sidewalk, in Sisavangvong Road their sidewalk is not designed with shading but walkways in Jalan Tukang is designed with shading, so walkway in Jalan Tukang is more comfortable. The sidewalks of both streets are same wide, but in Sisavangvong, their sidewalks are next to the main road, while in Jalan Tukang there is roadside parking zone between the main road and sidewalks.

Besides, in Sisavangvong road, the shop owners like to set an outdoor seating area for people to sit by the roadside to relax and enjoy the slow ambience of the town. In Jalan Tukang, there would not be an outdoor seating area on the walkway, but shop owners like to place their dustbin or items on the walkways that affect the walking experience of the people.

Covered walkways Main Road

Parking

Diagrams 13: Showing the street layout of Jalan Tukang. (Cheong, 2019)

Therefore, with the different activities happened in both sidewalks, but both of the streets is having the same comfortability of walking experience to the people so they have the same moderate intensity of contact points as the streets respond to the same type of circulation and actions of people which is walking, see, stop and walking. They create passive contact, chance contact, and acquaintances as contact points.

Figure 18: The parking and traffic in Jalan Tukang. (Goh, 2019)

Figure 19: The covered five-foot walkway. (Goh,2019)

6.0 Conclusion In a nutshell, both streets (Sisavangvong Road and Jalan Tukang) have the facts that human activities and intensity are affected by the physical environment of where human live. And both streets are actually having quite some common events and activities, but different in the setting and ambience. From these comparative essay, I understand that Luang Prabang is more to a tourist place and having more history, cultural and religion attractions, especially the characteristics of this city show obviously in Sisavangvong Road, the atmosphere shows in there is relax and slow, that is totally a great place to travel. While in Kajang, it is a slow and calm town, with less amount of tourists but locals staying there. It is also full with cultural and heritage event and spots and their famous satay for the visitors to know more about Kajang. But I believed that, in the future the intensity of Luang Prabang will remain, but the intensity of Kajang might decrease, as the aging population and coming of foreign workers will let the locals to lost their sense of belongings to that place.

As Jan Gehl mentioned, “First life, then spaces, then buildings - the other way around never works�, a city development or existing is because the life of human, then human have spaces then design the buildings. I think that both streets have their advantages and disadvantages but they are still lack in experiences of making it better.

While I think life between buildings is the thing that should be combine with the architectural idea to improve the overall quality of human and city.

7.0 REFERENCES Publish 1.

Gehl,J. (2011). Life between buildings. Island Press, Washington, DC.

Websites 1.

Visit Laos Luang Prabang Night Market. Retrieved from : http://www.visit-laos.com/luang-prabang/night-market.htm

2.

Jom Go Languid Luang Prabang (2019). Retrieved from : https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/jom/2019/05/492720/jom-go-languid-luang-prabang

3.

Top Things to do in Luang Prabang (2018). Retrieved from : https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/southeast-asia/laos/top-things-to-do-in-luang-prabang

4.

Sisavangvong Road Luang Prabang. Retrieved from : https://www.afar.com/places/sisavangvong-road-luang-prabang-luang-prabang

5.

Royal Palace Museum. Retrieved from : https://www.laos-guide-999.com/royal-palace-museum.html

6.

Kajang Wikipedia (2019). Retrieved from : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kajang

7.

Cover Story: Preserving the old while embracing the new (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/cover-story-preserving-old-while-embracing-new

8.

Kajang: What makes it famous? (2014). Retrieved from : http://english.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/kajang-what-makes-it-famous-30296