COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY by kalvinbongjiaying

School of Architecture, Building and Design Theories of Architecture and Urbanism (ARC 61303) Part 2: Comparative Analysis Essay

Jalan Braga, Bandung & Jalan Besar, Klang

Kalvin Bong Jia Ying 0327822 Mr. Nicholas Ng

Table of Content 01

Introduction

Street Background

2.1 Jalan Braga, Bandung

3–4

2.2 Jalan Besar, Klang

5–6

Contact Points & Intensity Level Comparative Analysis

7–9

(A) Contact Point 1 – Sidewalks & Five-foot Walkways

10 – 12

(B) Contact Point 2 – Braga Permai & Chong Kok Kopitiam

13 – 14

(C) Contact Point 3 – Open Space In Front Of Braga City Walk & KTM Station 15 – 17 (D) Contact Point 4 – Braga Street Sign & Back Alley Art Installation

18 – 19

Conclusion

References

01/ Introduction As an extension from the case study of part 1, this part 2 project calls for a thorough comparative analysis between the findings from the case study on Jalan Braga, Bandung and the local site research on Jalan Besar, Klang. The key analysis factor lies in determining similarities and differences with regards to social patterns, type of outdoor activities, as well as the identification of contact points and contact intensity between the two cities of similar urban context in Asia. The Danish architect and urbanist, Jan Gehl, stated in his influential book - Life Between Buildings whereby “the extent and character of outdoor activities are greatly influenced by physical planning” (Gehl, 2011, p.31). In other words, human behaviors or quality of life are very much influenced by the built environment. To what extend this is exhibited in Jalan Braga and Jalan Besar? In the following essay, a comparison will be drawn between the two sites with regards to the mentioned examination perspectives. They are then studied and analyzed accordingly in reference to Gehl’s urban theories. Similarly, both sites share contemporary urban landscapes which are dominated by cultural aspects throughout the years, from the age of colonization to independence, as a result of adapting to modernize with changing times yet maintain their rich cultural heritage. However, they differ in terms of physical environment - a factor that influences the activities to a varying degree and in many different ways (Gehl, 2011, p.9). This analysis will look into the activities and contact in the outdoors as well as the physical conditions that influence them. These activities then spark life between buildings, which Gehl suggests “the concept of varying degrees of contact intensity as the basis or outline of various contact forms” (Gehl, 2011, p.15). In closing, it should be noted that the similarities and differences between the two streets shed light on the patterns of social activity, contact points and degrees of contact intensity. Consequently, it allows a better contextual and physical understanding of shared public space as settings for public life in allowing people to congregate and interact.

02/ Street Background 2.1 Jalan Braga, Bandung After settling in Bandung – now the capital of Indonesia’s West Java province – in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch set about creating their own vision of a European city in the East due to the relative temperate climate and natural landscape of Bandung offers. This resulted in the European architectural style blooming throughout the city and thus being dubbed the “Paris of Java”; a bustling hub of life, trade, and tourism. Unlike other cities of Indonesia, renowned with its commercial related culture, Bandung has a long historical development of creative culture where the local Sundanese society involved in creative-based activities such as music, arts, dances, and performances up to this generation. Its sustained popularity among Sundaneses brought rapid development in which it slowly transformed the character of the city, from old world charm to vibrant and attractive. Its population grew exponentially, attracting people from all over Indonesia’s archipelago to “live and travel” as a concept of lifestyle. Jalan Braga – the promenade street lined with exclusive colonial Dutch buildings, embodied the charms of Sundanese culture which denotes the place as a popular hotspot for tourists during the day as well as after sundown. Stretching for 800 meters long from north to south and almost parallel to the Cikapundung River, this brick-paved street is home to the abundance of social hubs and entertainment amenities, thus formulating various intense contact points.

Figure 1: Lively atmosphere of Jalan Braga during the day (Flickr, n.d.)

Figure 2: Crowded street during Braga Culinary Night on weekends (Wisatania, 2015)

Diagram 1: Historical timeline of Jalan Braga showing street evolution (Bong, 2018)

2.2 Jalan Besar, Klang Klang, the official royal town, is divided into North and South by the Klang River. Once being the world’s largest tin mining producer, Klang served as a port for marketing and export to the central region during the 19th-century tin rush. It resulted the popularization of the town and development gradually spread upstream from the mouth of the Klang river. Population surged, and trading activities flourished, resulting in the increasing economic and social demands which suggested the need of infrastructures to link up the northern and southern sides of Klang. Pioneered in the development success of Selangor, it once functioned as an administrative center for the capital prior to the founding of Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam. Today, the melding of Klang’s rich tapestry of cultures into a harmonious collective is the old town’s biggest highlight. The city serves as a bubbling, bursting melting pot of races and religions, where Malay, Chinese, and Indian as well as many other ethnic groups live together in harmony. In Klang, food and delicacies are taken as the most obvious example in which it unites the people together. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, yet they are blended together to create Klang’s uniquely diverse heritage. The street - Jalan Besar, sits in the heart of South Klang, is particularly alluring for its traditional culture and heritage values within an urban context, and it is a vicinity well-known for its variety of local cuisines, religious places of worship, artisan trades, retails and tourist activities, particularly within the perimeter of the site observation. Stretching from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery to the Klang Railway Station, this street serves as a main road of the area in line with pre-war shophouses transformed into corporate offices, motels, financial institution and the postal office.

Figure 3: Bustling street view of Jalan Besar in Klang during the day (Leo, 2018)

Figure 4: A relatively quiet scene of Jalan Besar at night (Lim, 2018)

Diagram 2: Morphology of Klang showing its development (Bong, 2018)

03/ Contact Points & Intensity Level Comparative Analysis In Jan Gehl’s “Life between Buildings”, his focus is studied upon the public life and spaces in which they take place as he explores the kinds of activities happening in the urban context, how they contribute to the quality of life in cities, the factors that hinder or enhance this life as well as the measures which can be taken to improve life between buildings and the city life experience. In view of Gehl’s framework, we can categorize outdoor life in three different moments and activities: necessary activities, optional activities and social activities. Necessary activities are everyday actions – it mainly covers functional aspects – which are independent from the physical environment. However, optional activities are voluntary based and highly dependent on physical conditions – usually recreational activities. This interrelates to the conditions of the public space where Gehl explains the better quality the place has, the more optional activities occur and the longer the necessary activities last. As a result, it formulates variety of spontaneous social activities at the public space. These outdoor activity patterns later emerge towards the formation of a positive public life.

Diagram 3: Graphic representation of the relationship between outdoor activities and quality of environment (Gehl, 2011, p.11)

Progressively, Gehl draws attention to the need for contact, which is identified through levels of contact intensity, outlining varying forms of interaction as the epitome of life between buildings. These generate an in-depth understanding on user patterns which profile a place later, meanwhile aligns with the five elements in recognizing and annotating the urban form and characters as proposed by Kevin Lynch’s “The Image of the City”.

Diagram 4: Simplified outline of various contact forms (Gehl, 2011, p.15)

Looking into the shaping of Jalan Braga and Jalan Besar – both streets have similar street elements whereby basic sidewalks, shophouses and roads are present, making up the street’s basic linear streetscape. However, as Gehl’s theories emphasize that activity as a mean for contact, both streets have different activity patterns due to its cultural difference thus creating different interaction dynamics to formulate as a contact point. Hence, people in both streets respond to social engagement with other people in different patterns, resulting in varying degrees of intensity. Stemmed from a wide spectrum of activities carried out in both streets, the contact points, as illustrated and labelled in Diagram 5 and 6, are evidently formed due to the occurrence of combined outdoor activities – necessary, optional, and social activities. Referring to the saying of “people are attracted to other people” (Gehl, 2011, p.23), these contact points are also based strongly on two of the five elements of legibility proposed by Kevin Lynch - nodes and landmarks, as determined by the people.

Diagram 5: Contact points in Jalan Braga, Bandung (Bong, 2018)

Diagram 6: Contact points in Jalan Besar, Klang (Bong, 2018)

(A) Contact Point 1 – Sidewalks & Five-foot Walkways The sidewalks of Jalan Braga and the five-foot walkway along Jalan Besar are first compared – both contact points are meant to be primary forms of circulatory routes which possess a clear boundary that isolates the open public space and the privately-owned shophouses. However, along these walkways, both circulation spaces are improvised into functional spaces, merging the spatial perception of private and public. Along the stretch of the sidewalks in Jalan Braga, outdoor benches are set at intervals to provide seating opportunities for resting convenience after a long and exhausting walk, thus fabricating a pleasant realm. To enhance the quality of physical environment, greeneries are also provided along the sidewalk to provide clear boundary between vehicle and pedestrian pathway, however it does not bring much shade to the pedestrians walking on the street or sitting on the bench – as shown in Figure 5. Similarly, taking five-foot walkways of Chong Kok Kopitiam along Jalan Besar as example, shop owners strategize their business expansion by spilling over their hawker stalls, dining tables and chairs onto the walkways. Not merely the place solves the prevailing issue of overcrowded, but it also serves as an informal introduction to the renowned kopitiam. With these path-space relationships established on both streets, it allows more stopping opportunities along the path as it evokes curiosity of the pedestrians, therefore establishing “a direct relationship to other people and to the surrounding social environment” (Gehl, 2011, p.28), especially amongst the locals and visitors visiting both streets.

Figure 5: Implementation of seating benches along the exposed sidewalk of Jalan Braga encourages any tired visitors to rest before continuing their journey (optional), therefore supporting the potential for spontaneity of social engagements and contacts. (Adrian, 2015)

Figure 6: Five-foot walkway along Jalan Besar indented into the ground floor of shophouses, is covered and filled with crowds and spilling over of business extension, stimulating interactions between pedestrians and vendors to establish passive and chance contacts. (Bong, 2018)

Next, although both streets draw similarities in the geographical context of South East Asia, however both are affected by its different types of climatic condition: Klang is weathered and rounded in the tropical climate whereas in Bandung being warm, oppressive, and overcast. Weather, as an external factor then results a notable dissimilarity between the two cities in terms of intensity of contact at street level. Crowds have a higher likelihood to gather under the five-foot walkway of Jalan Besar rather than having no cover along the sidewalks in Jalan Braga. As discussed by Gehl, the likelihood of outdoor and social activity is highly correlated to the quality of the outdoor space. In Klang, the arid climate with unbearable amount of sunlight shining overhead discourages the occurrence of activities within the outdoor setting as it brings discomfort to the human body. The five-foot walkway of Jalan Besar provides ample shade, respite from sun and cooler ambience as well as safety from the vehicular traffic – resulting in a higher quality of space as compared to the unshaded outdoor spaces along Jalan Braga which is intimately exposed to vehicular traffic and climatic elements, such as sun and rain. Hence, there is a greater tendency for pedestrians to have necessary activities and gather in the fivefoot walkway, potentially forming higher intensity of chance contact instead of the passive contact common in city streets. To add, not only favorable physical conditions encourage contacts, its close relations to human scale in terms of built form of five-foot walkways along Jalan Besar shophouses also establishes its importance in the roles it plays in influencing the lives amongst people as Jan Gehl suggests the sympathy to human scale and scope of senses. As compared to the sidewalks in Jalan Braga, the intimate scale of five-foot walkways is shown by the close proximity of an individual personalized passable space whereby the distance between a person to another is within ‘armsreach’. This strengthens the formation of contact point in which the relationship between built form and human scale encourages passive contact among one another whilst journeying throughout - where people just seeing and hearing other people.

Diagram 7: Condition of physical environment and contact intensity along the sidewalks of Jalan Braga (Bong, 2018)

Diagram 8: The section evidences that visual connectivity across the road and intimacy of the sheltered five-foot walkway along Jalan Besar provoke the possible potential that friendships are established between stall vendors and regular visitors. (Bong, 2018)

(B) Contact Point 2 – Braga Permai & Chong Kok Kopitiam Secondly, known eatery nodes of each respective area – Braga Permai restaurant along Jalan Braga and Chong Kok Kopitiam along Jalan Besar are compared. It is interesting to note the similarities in these two contact points among the two streets, as they are established from the food culture of both cities. Local food culture personified and inherited through aging of time – as a representation of sense of place – results in the influx of locals and visitors, thus creating ‘name’ for these two places. The constant involvement of customers gentrifying these places thus formulates high intensity of contact point as close relationship of people gather and meet here – locals and visitors alike. Pedestrians seem to be inspired and drawn into spaces with established activity and people as “being able to see other people in action, constituted the area’s main attraction” (Gehl, 2011, p.29). In both eateries, the existence of a setback in built form to allow extension of hawker stalls or dining spaces to outdoor sufficiently proves that it has a significant impact in terms of pedestrian engagement which will highly affect social pattern of the city. These street level engagements serve as effective attractions, as Gehl places it, “people and human activity are the greatest object of attention and interest” (Gehl, 2011, p.29).

Figure 7: The designated open dining area of Braga Permai restaurant adjacent to the sidewalk and the street compromises into contact amongst pedestrians walking past the restaurant, as suggested by Gehl that street level engagements can aid in forming effective attraction. (Jo Travel Guide, n.d.)

Figure 8: The spill-over of hawker stalls, dining tables and chairs, and the overcrowded condition inside the Chong Kok Kopitiam draw interest of pedestrians who merely pass by the shop to give it a try on their famous traditional breakfast during daytime, as iterated by Gehl as ‘people attract people’. (Bong, 2018)

In Chong Kok Kopitiam, during the period of crowdedness, the place allows close interactions to occur among customers as they would be encouraged to share tables â&#x20AC;&#x201C; creating opportunities for close contact. This suggests apparent, intimate social dimension with frequent interactions during daytime. However, the space changes to a low intensity contact area as night falls when the shop closes. On the contrary, Braga Permai being an elegant resto-bar with outdoor seating space, observes a high level of social activity only during nightfall as the setting is at high comfort level with cooler atmosphere which invites people to mingle, socialize, relax and drink. In such environment, chance and passive contacts prevails simultaneously whereby the activity is generated by a balance composition of locals and tourists on site. Also, in line with the vitality of the entertainment street and night market adjacent to the restaurant, the consistent circulating presence of people results to a higher contact intensity at the area, thus reaching potentials to form contacts through users participating within the social setting.

Figure 9: Constant flow of people into the entertainment street of Jalan Braga after night falls making Braga Permai to be overcrowded, extending social activity of the visitors from street into the restaurant. (Jo Travel Guide, n.d.)

Diagram 9: Condition of physical environment and contact intensity at the outdoor dining area of Braga Permai Restaurant. (Bong, 2018)

(C) Contact Point 3 – Open Space In Front Of Braga City Walk & KTM Station Following that, contact points in reference to waiting points – the open plaza in front of Braga City Walk shopping center along Jalan Braga and the open space in front of KTM Station along Jalan Besar – are compared. Both open spaces draw inference in forming a node in meeting intersecting paths – implying varying levels of social interaction to occur as they receive a constant flow of people. The open plaza in front of Braga City Walk shopping center creates a prominent identity by the street as a form of notable void among the collection of solid blocks in that area by breaking continuity of the sidewalks and the rhythm of uniform building height along the street. The generous setback of the building results to an open and spacious plaza that invites shoppers and tourists to informally gather and loiter here as it is parallel to the street whereby it becomes an informal pickup point simultaneously. However, the shaded open space is observed to be often shared between people as a platform to gather – a rendezvous point – before continuing their journey. Hence, close relationships among people is established, which nurtures high intensity contacts as people frequenting the place maintain their contacts of friends and acquaintances. Inversely, as the junction at KTM station by Jalan Besar is the only exit path diverging out from Klang, the station – as a legible point of reference – is recognizable for its remote location opposite the junction of Jalan Besar. The station consistently fluctuates pedestrian volume throughout the day as it is the main transportation hub for Klang where commuters frequently alight from the station or disembark from their journey. Necessary activities highly occur at the open space in front of the station through the action of pedestrians gathering and waiting to be picked up. The reason being, the impromptu space in front of the station which is utilized to stage as a waiting platform has clear and direct visual connection to the impending pickup vehicles from Jalan Besar, thus making it more suitable to wait rather than staying inside the station. Optional activities are minimal as the site conditions – being a place for commute with fast pace motion – are not favorable for conversations. Hence, it results the waiting platform as a passive contact point whereby people do not tend to interact with each other while waiting and it usually only involves the contact of “see and hear each other” (Gehl, 2011, p.13). Both sites experience a high density of people, however, the open space in front of KTM station adheres to the culture of ‘wait and go’ - waiting and to be picked up; unlike in Jalan Braga, the open plaza in front of Braga City Walk shopping center is favorable as a positive outdoor space to meet up or gather within the leisure atmosphere of the street. Yet, the open space in front of KTM station illustrates a higher intensity of passive ‘see and hear’ contacts than social interactions, as compared to the case in Jalan Braga, limiting potential of social activity to only necessary activity as the people emphasize on functionalism in the urban context of Klang.

Figure 10: The generous setback of the Braga City Walk creates dissimilarities in terms of built form as compared to the adjacent shophouses, making the front open plaza to be a significant and noticeable gathering point, exploiting the opportunity of high contact point for tourists visiting the street. (Google Map, 2018)

Figure 11: People are observed to stand in front of the KTM Station in Klang as they wait for their transport to their destinations. They do not interact with each other as the KTM station is a place for commute with fast pace motion. (Bong, 2018)

Diagram 10: Condition of physical environment and contact intensity at the open plaza in front of the Braga City Walk shopping center. (Bong, 2018)

Diagram 11: The large width of the road in front of KTM station provides visual connection throughout the site, which promotes the formation of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;see and hearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; relationships. This is important as it allows passive participation in social engagements. (Bong, 2018)

(D) Contact Point 4 – Braga Street Sign & Back Alley Art Installation Subsequently, looking into the aspect of placemaking through the motive of public art and installation, the Braga street sign at the junction of Jalan Braga and the art installation along back alley within the vicinity of Jalan Besar are compared. By drawing inferences from these permanent installations, both of these art initiatives imbue a certain unique character among their respective street which, in turn, successfully develops into a meaningful landmark for both cities, engendering pride and ownership among the local populace. In Jalan Braga, the brightlycolored Braga sign reflects its street vibrancy as well as being a famous spot for tourists to take a picture to show that they are officially at Bandung’s Braga street whereas in the back alley of Klang, mural or art installations – which are in relation with the cultural background of Klang – grace the dilapidated wall of the shophouses and will often be included in part of a visitor’s common trail. However, it is observed that the permanence of Braga street sign encourages a greater consistent flow of people along the area as compared to the art installation along the back alley of Klang, which suggests that location of the installations impacts the noticeability, therefore the contact intensity varies from dusk to dawn.

Figure 12: The brightly-colored Braga street sign reflects the identity of Jalan Braga being an entertainment street with vibrant atmosphere all day round, attracting visitors to take photo as an optional activity. (Jot Travel Guide, n.d.)

Figure 13: The art installation along the back alley within vicinity of Jalan Besar is comparatively dull and bland in color, reflecting the aged and dilapidated town of Klang by chance. (Bong, 2018)

In Klang, placement of the art installations hinders its presence – the alleyway is a hideaway paradise to ever be noticed. It is shown that the collection of bland mural and art installations are painted on walls behind the narrow and short stretch of Jalan Stesen 1. With a little addition of these art installations leading out from the alleyway, one will tend to continue journeying whilst unnoticing the very painting. This factor implies on the notion into enlivening the street with constant circulation thus initiating a form of valuable contact point. Walk, walk, walk – the lane is presently utilized as a form of easing movement throughout the city, therefore ensuing to the passive contact among pedestrians where they will have a relation of “hear, and see” one another when traversing within the back lane. But then again, Jalan Braga’s street sign proved to be a worthy sight for a space of converging to. The area is mainly used for necessary activities where people walk past to run bank errands. The striking red color signage vibrantly introduces the street accompanied with landscapes and terraced seating platforms. The design into welcoming and inviting presence of the street whilst providing optional activity such as seating for the tourists as with the locals. According to Gehl model’s for good physical environments in streets, a good balance of necessary and optional activities will give rise to positive social activities and thus result in a better urban environment. He elaborates where the positive vibe of an atmosphere and environment impacts the intangible perception of the space – a contented public realm – where is proven here.

Figure 14: Its strategic location of being next a bank at a junction, being exposed to higher pedestrian traffic and activity adds on to its status as tourist landmark and meeting node, making Braga street sign a significant contact point with increased frequency of contacts. (Google Map, 2018)

Figure 15: As the back lane of Klang is meant for services, visitors would not want to stay any longer in the back alley due to the false perception of danger in Klang. Hence, this tourist spot does not accommodate wide range of activities, thus limiting the frequency of contacts between locals and visitors. (Bong, 2018)

04/ Conclusion Undoubtedly, both streets – Jalan Braga and Jalan Besar – reinforces the idea that human behavior is shaped by the built environment, as social patterns and street cultures are results of the way public spaces are designed as were discussed and elaborated. Through the study, both sites frame similar characteristics whereby both streetscapes adapt to the ever-changing aspect of the human life – the call of modernization hence foregoing interactions to occur in-between buildings. This signifies that both streets are susceptible to change in accordance to the differences in the vitality of their spaces, affirming their roles in the success of the public spaces in the urban context which leads to the accumulation of necessary, optional and social activities along the streets, forming various contact points with varying degree of intensity. However, both streets differ in purpose and experience. The facet of Jalan Besar is set to be direct towards the service and commerce function of the city which cause the action of lingering to be much diminishing, unlike in Jalan Braga where leisure and the well-being to socialize are perceived as the core values of lifestyle. These different anecdotes then support the formation of the various contact points throughout each respective street. Additionally, in terms of contact intensity, Klang being a service-purpose city sees a low social interaction intensity among its society, however the lively street of Jalan Braga observes a rather high intensity of social interaction among visitors and locals. As Gehl said, “such an extension of opportunities for outdoor stays exactly where everyday activities take place will almost without exception be a valuable contribution to a given function and to life between buildings in the building project, in the neighborhood, and in the city” (p.197), he emphasizes the significance of vibrancy and liveliness within an urban context where the people inhabiting the place. Hence, it is critical to acknowledge these contact points along the urban streets as these points generate dynamism and life between building within a city.

05/ References Printed Gehl, J. (2011). Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space. Washington, DC: Island Press. Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. London: MIT Press.

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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY ​

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY