8.2 The inTernaTional Case sTudies: The CirCulaTion of publiC and pedesTrian spaCes

8.2 The international case studies: The circulation of public and pedestrian spaces

As quoted by Jan Gehl “Throughout history, contact with other people in public spaces has been a very important part of the way we live as human beings, and it still is. If anything, with longer life spans, smaller families, and more leisure time, there is a strong tendency that we will use good quality public spaces more intensively”. Today, a great city is not only defined by good urban plans and architecture, but also by the vibrancy of its public spaces. Public places are where people come together to interact, to build trust and to build a comfort level, and this is, I think, something that is key in our effort to build a harmonious society and in achieving the objective of our nation-building.

In chapter 9 and 10 it has been discussed how Dubai has circulated urban models from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for urban interventions and large-scale mixed-use developments. This chapter focuses on the import of public spaces and walkability, which has gained greater prominence in cities throughout the world in recent years. While Kuala Lumpur’s city centre (KLCC) has been more accurately adapted in terms of design and planning of the urban development, Singapore’s planning initiatives are adapted for policy planning in Dubai.

Kuala Lumpur is a perfect example of a city that has undergone a transformation in public spaces in terms of both urban policy and practice. the concept of public open spaces has undergone a sort of reformulation. A reformulation of the idea of public spaces can be witnessed in Kuala Lumpur’s old city centre. In the era of colonization, public open spaces underwent tangible changes to the extent that traditional design criteria were left obsolete and neglected by the societies of designers. Whereas in the contemporary period with the emphasis on tourist attraction, social interaction has been pulled into the atrium, theme parks, and shopping malls (Goh et al., 1990; Ahmad, 1998). KLCC presents a new era of evolved public spaces that focuses on attracting public users more for commercial activities along with leisure.

KLCC park was designed to showcase a heritage of tropical greenery by integrating man’s creation with nature. The Park itself contrasts as a calm environment in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. The Park features many combinations of manmade interventions such as concrete statues, water bodies and also nature-based interventions such as trees, shrubs, stones and wood. The provision of a huge green lung, now known as KLCC Park within KLCC Development is to preserve the quality of life in Kuala Lumpur and to mitigate the creation of a concrete jungle. The KLCC Park was a visible manifestation of the Government’s efforts then, towards a Garden City. In many respects, the KLCC Park is very much a People’s Park. By virtue of its location, and fed by various transformation modes, it is easily accessible to city dwellers.

There is something in the park for everyone. For those seeking respite from the stress of city life, the beautifully landscaped verdant gardens provide a haven of tranquillity. But it is also a fun place, with the children’s adventure playground and a specially designed fountain pool to enchant and enthral the senses. Above all, it is a place that Malaysians can proudly call their own, in a worldclass property development that will stand as an icon of the new millennium.

While Kuala Lumpur is majorly an automobile dependant city, KLCC is one of the urban scale developments that is equipped with sufficient pedestrian walkways that invite and encourage more people to walk. The city centre of Kuala Lumpur has various public transport networks to connect people to a destination and all the locations are easily accessible on foot. However, the average walkable distances depend on several factors such as the harsh climate, safety, security, and comfort. Taking these points into design consideration, elevated air-conditioned walkways connecting KLCC, and Pavilion KL have been built to provide comfortable walkability between these destinations.

The Public Redevelopment Authority of Singapore aims to make Singapore a great city to live, work and play as the importance of public spaces is even more pertinent because of the cosmopolitan and multiracial nature of its society. The authorities have introduced

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KLCC park and campus aerial view (Source: klcciconic.com)

KLCC park master plan (Source: rearchitecture.com/klcc) KLCC park plan (Source: junipersjournal. com)

initiatives such as the “Lively places programme” a joint effort by URA Urban Redevelopment Authority and HDB Housing and Development board to support community-led efforts in enlivening Singapore’s public spaces. A few examples of the vibrant public spaces in Singapore are Boat Quay, Chinatown, Little India and Orchard Road.

Singapore’s development of pedestrian infrastructure has been excellent. Pedestrian sidewalks are ubiquitous all around the city with adequate street lighting and segregation from traffic. Motorists are law-abiding and traffic safety for pedestrians is reasonably good. The pedestrian system is well-maintained. Even for the final tier of walking needs, the beautiful tree-lined streets of Singapore are a testament to her efforts to make the pedestrian experience better both visually and for the practical purpose of shading from the tropical sunshine. Yet despite Singapore’s efforts to improve the walking environment, the perennial complaints from people are that Singapore is too hot to walk around, be it for commuting or for leisure. Elevated air-conditioned walkways, underground ventilated walkways have been a few solutions to address the issues regarding walkability in Singapore.

Similarly, the Dubai climate is a key aspect that will need to be addressed to enhance the pedestrian experience as Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has lavishly spent on constructing sidewalks, pedestrian walkways and recent initiatives to add bike lanes at certain locations of the city. A thorough analysis is carried out in the following topics of this research to analyse and understand the resemblance of policies and designs that have moulded the public spaces and pedestrian experience in Dubai’s downtown. However, while Dubai downtown is believed to be an adaption of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur’s urban models, City Walk, and Boxpark could be claimed as an evolved experiment of public spaces that focuses more on the improved pedestrian experience. City Walk is an indigenous idea whereas Boxpark is an international theme public realm that has been circulated across countries.

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The vibrancy of China town, Singapore (Source: visitSingapore. com) Orchard road, Singapore (Source: flickr.com)

The Helix bridge, Singapore (Source: archdaily)