Theories of Architecture and Urbanism (ARC61303)
Project Part B
Comparative Analysis Essay
Name: Sim Jia Hui Student ID: 0320386 Tutor: Dr. Nor Hayati Date: 28 November 2016
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay Introduction Petaling Street
Figure 1 Street Petaling location map
Petaling Street is a Chinatown located in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. It known by the world by its colourful history and cultural attributes. It is normally crowed with locals and tourists from all over the world. The street has dozens restaurants and food stalls which are serving local food. The street is characterized by a flea market which operating from 8 o’clock in the morning to 11 o’clock at night. Traders here are mainly in Chinese, Indian Malay and also Bangladesh. The street can be accessed by the public transportation, it is in a walking distance to Plaza Rakyat LRT Station and the east of Pasar Seni LRT Station. History of Petaling Street The original Chinatown was located on Market Square, Jalan Tun H.S Lee. The area is less flooded than the rest area as it is higher thus most people settled down there. The men mainly Cantonese and Hakka had come to the city due to the trade and seek for a living by working as tin miners and coolies. After the civil war , the miners found the mines were unworkable due to the neglect in the floods so the Chinese Kapitan, Yap Ah Loy managed to run a business on the agriculture products and opened a Tapioca Mill in Petaling Street. Hence, the locals fondly call Petaling Street as ‘Chee Cheong Kai “which means Starch Factory Street in Cantonese.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay
Maiden Lane, Union Square.
Figure 2 Maiden Lane, San Francisco location map
The Union Square is a public plaza located in San Francisco. It is one of the largest shopping districts in USA and features with all the upscale retails and department stores. Maiden Lane is located directly east of the Square off of Stockton Street. Maiden Lane is one of the landmarks of the shopping district. It is a narrow alley and consists exclusive boutiques and cafes. It becomes a pedestrian mall with relaxing pace in the busy city centre. There is an a gallery designed by Frank Lloyd Wright standing on the street. History of Maiden Lane It is formerly a notorious red light district in the centred of San Francisco, called Morton Street. After the earthquake in 1906, the street is destroyed as the blocks were levelled up. It is renamed by an enterprising jeweller who wished to conjure the Maiden Lanes of London and New York. Since 1955, cars has been prohibited from the lane during the certain hours in a day with the opening move of local merchants.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay
Urban form and contact points mapping
Figure 3 Maiden Lane contact points mapping
Figure 4 Petaling Street contact points mapping
From the contact points mapping for two streets, first we can tell the urban form pattern for two cities. In San Francisco, the urban is planned in grid form and the contact points is distributed along the street nicely and most of the contact points is centred at the Union Square, the public park in the city. While for the Petaling Street, the urban is in the system of deformed grid due to the development and topography. The contact points of Petaling Street are also distributed along the street but more scattered around and not in organized. In this comparative analytical essay , the con tact points of both street has been discussed based on the similarities and dissimilarities in the fields of social activities pattern, stimulating elements to the contact points and the degree of contact intensity.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay Weather condition and functionality in the shape of social activities pattern The activities has been categorized into three according to Jan Gehl, which are necessary activities, optional activities and social activities. The social activities can be said as the fruits of necessary activities and optional activities. It is dependent on the optimal outdoor conditions such as weather. In addition, social activities depend on the presence of others in public spaces and those social activities occurs at different spaces. Due to the different context of the place, the social activities varies in different characters.
Figure 6 Functionality of Maiden Lane
Figure 5 Functionality of Jalan Petaling
Maiden Lane and Petaling Street share in common in the activities typology which including shopping, dining and occasionally cultural or festival events. The vitality of both street are in the similar cycle but consisting different pattern of social activities. During daytime, Petaling Street as a flea market while night time is a night market and also an active zone of prostitution. The businesses take two shift and in this cycle create the unique character of Petaling Street in terms of duality. Maiden lane is a pedestrian mall and mixed up with art museum and gallery. At the night time, the retail shops are closed and bistro in the lane will dominate the street while Union Square will be dormant at night except when there is any
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay event holding, such as Christmas festive or ice skating activity in the winter season. The duality of activities pattern shaped the pattern of social activities. The other one of the biggest difference of both street are the weather condition. This has made impacts on the social activities. Petaling Street is located in a hot and humid tropical climate country while the city where Maiden Lane located is a four season’s country. The difference of the weather conditions in two street has impacts on the social activities pattern. In normal day, Petaling Street is shined by the scorching sun and the weather is undesired for people to walk under with. Thus, in the mapping of social activities, the social activities are taken place at the five foot way and the area shaded by building mass or vegetation. While in the city where Maiden Lane located, San Francisco is characterized by its good weather in all seasons. People enjoying sunbathing on the square or take a walk for fresh air at the open spaces. This is saying the weather conditions has shaped the lifestyle and social activities of citizens in two cities. In the comparison of both street in terms social activities, we can found that weather and functionality of a place dominate in shaping the pattern of social activities. To summarize, weather has primarily caused a big difference of the social activities in where they take place although the identical activities are identified in both street.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay Stimulating elements of contact points- physical features and human factor The life in between buildings has the need of contact. The contact points has the relation to the physical features, including the design of the space. Besides, to refer back to Jan Gehl sayings, the social activities are dependent on the presence of others. Thus, human factor also under the group of stimulating elements in the occurs of contact points. In the comparison of two streets, physical features such as path, edge, furniture, natural feature and landmarks are used to examine the contact points on the streets. And laterally will discuss on the human factor to the contact points.
Edge
Figure 8 People flow in Maiden Lane, Union Square
Figure 7 People flow in Petaling Street
Among the two streets, Maiden Lane and Petaling Street, they are both divided into two parts by a road. The Maiden Lane is break by Grant Ave while Petaling Street is break by Jalan Sultan. However, the upper part of the street and the bottom part of the street of two streets are facing different situations. There is not much difference in the atmosphere and the sense of an entire street. But after the portal of the flea market of Petaling Street, the crowd does not spilt out to the bottom part and the bottom part is comparably desolate. Unlike in the Maiden Lane, the activities continue even after the junction.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay Street scale
Figure 10Maiden Lane street scale
Figure 9 Petaling Street scale
In the analysis of physical context in Maiden Lane, few features are identified helpful to remain the sense of the entire street. Firstly, the linearity of the space has allowed the human scale of visual connection for pedestrian in way findings. Apart from that, the adjacent Union Square is the focal point for people and the transition of scale of spaces has pulling effect to the people on the Union Square. While the width of the Maiden Lane is also narrower compared to the Petaling Street. It enhance the intimacy of space and encourage the contact of people. However, Petaling Street is a mixed used street as the vehicle lane and pedestrian walkway has no buffering zone thus people moving without wishing to stop longer.
Street furniture and green scape
Figure 12 Green scape and street furniture in Maiden Lane(top: gallery exhibition below: outdoor dining)
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Figure 11 Back Lane living culture in Petaling Street (top: shady area below: street amenities prepared by locals)
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay Besides, the street furniture and urban green scape is planned well in the Maiden Lane. Those feature has promoted the quality of the space and encourage the occur of contact points. Compared to Petaling Street, pedestrian amenities are hardly to be found and people moving through the street in transience. Thus, there is merely few stopping points for people to get the chance to contact with others. However, the greeneries located at the back side of the street has enliven the back lane for the locals and form a unique street culture. The urban green scape offering enclosure and intimacy to enhance the quality of the space to enliven by people.
Landmarks
Figure 14 Landmarks in Maiden Lane and the pedestrian movement
Figure 13 Landmarks in Petaling Street and the pedestrian movement
Both streets share in a common that they both are the landmarks of the city and there are remarkable landmark building along the street. In Maiden Lane , the art museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright has become the magnet for people while in Petaling Street the portal before enter the flea market has become a street landmark for the pedestrian. However, the difference on the location of the landmarks along the street has brought different impacts to the streets. The Xanadu gallery situated in the middle of the street which has work as a big magnet to bring in people while the portal in Petaling Street has unspokenly mark the edge in the middle of the street which has discontinued the street scene and resulted in contrasting street atmosphere. Another biggest stimulating factor to the contact points are the human factor. The possibilities to form a contact points are from the activity attraction. People get inspired by people by seeing other in actions. In the example given by Jan Gehl, if given the chance to sit either at the front of the house or at the back yard, people will choose the front to see more activities in most situation.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay
People attractor
Figure 16 Activity and people attractor after the junction (punctuation of street)
Figure 15 Absence of activity and people attractor after the junction
In the comparison of human factor in both street, bigger crowd has attracted more people to move with. The activity attractions in Maiden Lane such as opera performers and outdoor exhibitions is lined up along the entire street but in Petaling Street, the attraction is absent at the bottom part as the flea market ended at the junction. Thus, human attractor lose its effects to carry on the contact between people. To summarize the analysis of the physical context on the both sites, there is pretty much differences in the designs and planning of a street. The physical street condition of Petaling Street is not as considerate as Maiden Lane. But even without a proper designed space, people there has also evolved their unique living culture in between the buildings. This demonstrate the flexibilities and possibilities in mankind. And we can also conclude that a series of activities and human attractions are helpful in the lasting of contact points. Interesting punctuation (shown in figure 15) assisting in the continuity of street.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay Relationship between contact intensity and the user group
Figure 17 Community Layer in Maiden Lane
Figure 18 Community Layers in Petaling Street
According to Jan Gehl, the contact intensity can be outlined in various contact forms. The passive contact is the most widespread social activities. It is constructed on the seeing and hearing. . Only frequent meeting in daily activities increase the chance to develop contacts with their neighbours. According to different user group of the place, different degree of contact intensity would be achieved. In the case study, the communal formwork of two streets are formed by different user group. In Maiden Lane, the primary user group are the walk and go community. In this shopping district, there is no institutional or residential building. Hence, the community formwork is homogeneous results in the lower opportunities of contact. People come to this area for the purpose of shopping and visiting gallery or museum, they share their commons in their interests but the activities involved are basically restricted on hearing and seeing. They have no extra chance get to improve the contact intensity unless they are familiar not strangers. Meanwhile in Petaling Street, the main user group will be the residents and vendors. The only resident’s community is formed by Chinese people staying there generation by generation. This community characterized the street by its long term historical and cultural influences and habits, construct a communal formwork themselves Due to the different culture and history background of the community, the social activities are varies. For instance, the public come to Maiden Lane to shopping and visiting
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay galleries and those activities are mostly rely on walking. Hence, they achieve the basic demand for the contact of need in seeing and hearing to each other. Meanwhile, in the Petaling Street, the user group tends to meet each other for the communal activities such as chitchatting, drinking coffee and etc. Those activities required people have a certain depth of relationship so the contact intensity able to achieve acquaintances to close friend levels. However, due to the lack of open spaces, the spontaneous contact hard to be developed and the community find themselves a corner or back lane to last their contacts connection to each other. To summarize, the complexity of community layers are echoing to each other, forming the social formwork themselves.
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay Conclusion Based on the analysis above, we can know that both streets have their characteristics in the similarities and dissimilarities, having their uniqueness to animate the town. Due to the different context given, the contrasting condition can be seen in the social pattern. However, the well planning and design in Maiden Lane is the part we can use for reference. In the comparison of the walkability, Petaling Street has rooms to improve and this can take Maiden Lane as a reference on the street design such as benches and adding street plants to buffer the vehicle lane and pedestrian walkway. In order to solve the breakage of the street, the street activities can be extended or instil similar activities to animate the neglect part of the street to maintain the continuity in the sense of street. In conclusion, all the physical context and exterior condition are only the pre-exquisites for the passive contact but not transforming the contact intensity. The physical context does not has indirect impacts to content quality and intensity of social contacts. Urban designers and architect are still responsible to create the possibilities for people to meet and hearing people.
(2372 words)
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
Project Part B Comparative Analysis Essay References:
Bentley, I. (1985). Responsive environments: A manual for designers. London: Architectural Press. Gehl, J. (1987). Life between buildings: Using public space. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Kamiya, B. G. (n.d.). For decades, sex trade thrived on S.F.'s Maiden Lane. Retrieved November 15, 2016, from http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Fordecades-sex-trade-thrived-on-S-F-s-Maiden-6746637.php Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Rasouli, M. (2013, March 21). Analysis of Activity Patterns and Design Features Relationships in Urban Public Spaces Using Direct Field Observation, Activity Maps and GIS, Mel Lastman Square in Toronto as a Case Study. 12-60. Retrieved November 15, 2016, from https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/bitstream/handle/10012/7383/Rasouli_Mojgan.pdf;jses sionid=32DA8D4BD04A674BADA961CE86F51D15?sequence=1.
Tseng, N. (2011). Downtown is for People (Fortune Classic, 1958). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from http://fortune.com/2011/09/18/downtown-is-for-peoplefortune-classic-1958/
ARC61303 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism