THE PUBLIC SENSORIUM: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Gender, Disability, Architecture & Public Spaces
25 - 26 July 2017 Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As co-organisers of The Public Sensorium conference, we would like to express our gratitude to the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia and the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur for their support.
Fakulti Alam Bina
S U P R E RESEARCH CENTRE GENDER STUDIES P R O G RAMME Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
High Commission of India Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
“The Public Sensorium” An Interdisciplinary Conference on Gender, Disability, Architecture, and Public Spaces (GDAPS 2017) Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, 25-26 July 2017
“The Public Sensorium” is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together scholars and practitioners from different disciplines and fields to examine new and exciting issues pertaining to gender, disabilities, and the public sensorium. This conference deploys the concept of the ‘public sensorium’ to develop theory and policies that consider ways of optimising public space usage for all bodies and all abilities. The public sensorium refers to the visible and invisible elements of the body that come into contact with public spaces; seeing, smelling, and tactility that constitute the experience of the self in public space. This conference asks: what is the significance of human senses in public space? How do public visibility, smells, and touch relate to bodies and gender? How can a consideration of human senses
make public spaces more inclusive and enjoyable? With limited abilities and senses what is necessary for a person to enjoy full participation in public life? Our forum and workshop on Women with Disabilities aim to establish critical engagement between members of the public, activists, and public-policy makers with disabilities on a range of issues such as basic civil rights, sexual health, job opportunities, and better public representation of disabilities in Malaysia. We wish all our participants two days of fruitful dialogue and successful networking. We look forward to further discussions and engagements in post-conference publications and public policies.
Associate Prof. Dr. Naziaty Yaacob, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya Dr. Hazreena Hussein, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya Dr. Alicia Izharuddin, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, University of Malaya 1
Keynote Speaker Shivani Gupta
Shivani is the founder of AccessAbility, one of India’s bestknown access consultancy in India. With a postgraduate degree in inclusive environments (design and management) from the University of Reading, UK, and diplomas in architecture technology and hotel management from India, She has spent most of my professional life in working towards improving accessibility of public spaces. Shivani has experience of working both at the country level and on international projects. She has worked with different stakeholders such as the UN agencies, government, CSO’s and the private sector. She has undertaken very diverse projecting including those addressing infrastructure 2
accessibility, disability inclusive disaster risk reduction, engaging with various UN human rights processes etc. For her achievements in the disability sector, she has been honoured with several awards. Shivani is the author of ‘No Looking Back’ which is her autobiographical account of living with a disability. Presently she is engaged in a PhD study as a research fellow at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands. She is a recipient of a PhD fellowship from the government of Netherlands. Shivani believe that there is nothing more disabling for persons with disabilities than society’s failure to accept and include them as part of the mainstream.
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Rashila Ramli
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Rashila Ramli is Principal Fellow, Professor of Political Science and Director at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS,) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her areas of specialization are Political Development, Gender and Politics, and Human Security. Her current research is on ASEAN Integration, the Governance of the South China Sea, and Promoting Social Inclusion through Public Policies. Two selected publications are: Human Security in Archipelagic Southeast Asia, 2015 (with Sity
Daud and Zarina Othman), and Social Constructivism and Malaysia’s International Relations. Akademika Vol 8 No. 1. 39-51 2011 (with Nor Azizan Idris dan Zarina Othman). Her professional engagement includes, among others, as President, Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM), member of the Council of Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Malaysia, and Asst. SecGeneral, National Council for Women Organizations (NCWO), Malaysia.
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PROGRAMME SCHEDULE Day One Tuesday, 25 July 2017 8.00 am
Front of Banquet Room - Breakfast and registration
9.00 am
Banquet Room - Opening Ceremony Welcoming speech by Senator Bathmavathi Krishnan Keynote address by Shivani Gupta ‘Equalising Opportunities for All’
11.00 am
Parallel sessions Panel 1 (Banquet Room) Gender, Disability, and the Social Construction of Space, Moderator: Dr. Suzaini 1.
Dr. Tutin Aryanti (Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia) Screening the Gaze, Screening the Heart: Throwing the Hijab in an Indonesian Campus Mosque.
2.
Dr. Aizan Sofia Amin (National University of Malaysia) Disability, Gender Roles and Gender Divisions in Malaysian Families
3.
Mayamin Yuhaniz (Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak) Housing Perceptions of Working and Non-Working Malay Wives
4.
Yuhanis Adnan (University of Malaya) - Women with disabilities, Physical Activity and Quality of Life
Panel 2 (Lecture Room/ BK2) Urban Mobility and Gentrification: Making Space for Marginalised Communities, Moderator: Dr. Rosilawati 1.
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Tan Siew Poh (University of Malaya) - Countering gentrification and designing for community: alternative visions (University of Malaya) - Countering gentrification and designing for community: alternative visions
2.
Risha Ramli (University of Malaya) - Perception of Different Groups of People with Disabilities on Transport Infrastructure in Kuala Lumpur with Special Focus on First Mile and Last Mile
3.
Foo Yihung (University of Malaya) - Accessible Transportation for All on the Use of Buses and Taxis: An International Comparative Analysis of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Hong Kong SAR, China
1.00 pm
Banquet Room - Lunch
2.00 pm
Parallel sessions Panel 3 (Banquet Room) Inclusiveness and Built Spaces for Rehabilitation, Moderator: Dr. Suzaini 1.
Chan Shie Wah (University of Malaya) - Therapeutic Sensory Stimulation Garden for Rehabilitation in Hospital: Criterion for Successful Implementation
2.
Alfa Nur Aini Erman Efendi (University of Malaya) - “Better Die at My Own Home than Here in This Hospital”: Exploring Challenges of Women with Disabilities in Accessing Health Care in Malaysia
3.
Aainaa Suhardi (Universiti Teknologi Mara Seri Iskandar Campus) - Disaster relief and evacuation centre planning:A framework for an optimal design criteria of public space serving as evacuation centre in flood-prone areas of Malaysia
Panel 4 (Lecture Room/ BK2) Protest, Vandalism, and Connectivity: Contesting Public Spaces, Moderator: Dr. Alicia 1.
Nurul Azreen Azlan (Delft University of Technology) - The Other KL: Public spaces of democracy
2.
Nur Amirah Abd. Samad, Ismail Said, Asiah A Rahim (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia) – Enhancing Accessibility for a Universally Designed Public Space 5
3.
Dr. Sheetal Sharma (Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, India) - Walk free Public spaces- Horizontal as well as Vertical
4.00 pm
Banquet Room - Tea break
4.30 pm
Parallel sessions Panel 5 (Banquet Room) Play and Safety: Rethinking Recreational Public Spaces, Moderator: Dr. Alicia 1.
Hannah Korsmeyer (Monash University, Australia) – Sensing Safety
2.
Zainul Asyraf Zukifli (University of Malaya) - Design Criteria of Fear and Safety for Women: Kuala Lumpur Public Parks
3.
Adli Sidi (University of Malaya) - A Diversity of National Park Category: Public Space for Ecotourism at Johor National Park, Malaysia
Panel 6 (Lecture Room/ BK2) Revitalising Access and the Public Sensorium, Moderator: Ms. Huda 1. Rita Raposo (University of Lisbon, Portugal) - A Taste of Public/Private (B)Orders: Ágora, Agón, and the Sensorium
6.30pm
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2.
Xeem (Noorazah) Mohd Noor (Australian National University) - “Thru These Architects Eyes”: Walking with Architects in Kuala Lumpur City
3.
Ar. Che Wan Ahmad Faizal (Chewan Architecture Sdn Bhd) - Seamless: Accessibility, Connectivity and Viability
------------------------------ End of Day One ----------------------------------
Day Two Wednesday, 26 July 2017 10.00 am
Front of Banquet Room - Registration and breakfast
11.00 am
Banquet Room - Keynote speech by Prof Dato Dr. Rashila Ramli ‘Addressing the Impact of Intersectionality on Persons with Disabilities in Public Spaces Towards Security and Inclusiveness’
1.00 pm
Banquet Room - Lunch
2.00 pm
Banquet Room - Forum: Women with Disabilities Love, marriage and motherhood Exploitation and abuse Employment and education
4.00 pm
Banquet Room - Tea break
4.30 pm
Banquet Room - Focus Group Discussion and Closing Ceremony
6.30pm
------------------------------ End of Day Two ---------------------------------
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Keynote abstract Shivani Gupta ‘Equalising Opportunities for All’
Historically persons with disabilities have been excluded within their homes and communities. They have been denied equal opportunities to participate. Women with disabilities have been further isolated and face double discrimination from being a women and a person with a disability. Persons with disabilities are amongst the poorest persons in the world with a close link between poverty and disability. There has been a growing recognition globally of this long-term discrimination faced by persons with disabilities. The present day however, brings significant opportunities through human rights and development mechanisms to combat this discrimination. The two key mechanisms where we as the civil society can support their governments or even hold them accountable to be inclusive are the United Nations drafted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (that came into force in 2007) and the Sustainable development Goals (that came into force in 2015). These binding commitments by States governments are supported by the Asia and the Pacific regional non-binding instruments for protection of rights of persons with disabilities, such as the Incheon Strategy for Persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. The keynote address elaborates on aspects of architecture and universal design and women with disabilities in relation to these instruments and suggesting national level actions for improving situation. 8
Prof Dato Dr. Rashila Ramli ‘Addressing the Impact of Intersectionality on Persons with Disabilities in Public Spaces Towards Security and Inclusiveness’ Generally, a person should feel secure in any public spaces. A person has the right to education, good health, work and pursue of his/her wellbeing within the environment that he/she lives in. However, for persons with disabilities (PD), they face added challenges in negotiating public spaces because of the general lack of sensitivity and awareness by designers, policy makers, and other users of public spaces. In order to provide better architectural considerations in designing public spaces especially for PD, it is important to understand the impact of intersectionality on PD and its consequences. The gender aspect will exacerbate the situation for women with disabilities. Thus, this presentation will address two questions: 1) What is the impact of intersectionality on Persons with Disabilities (PD) especially women? How can consideration given to the design and usage of public spaces increase inclusiveness and security for PD? The presentation is divided into three parts. First, developing an understanding of intersectionality, gender and discrimination using the matrix of domination. Second, highlighting the obstacles faced by PD especially women in relation to intersectionality. Third, developing more inclusive and secure public spaces as the region implemented its blueprints within the context of ASEAN Community and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Global Agenda 2030.
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CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS Aainaa Suhardi
Universiti Teknologi Mara Seri Iskandar Campus
Disaster Relief and Evacuation Centre Planning: A Framework for An Optimal Design Criteria of Public Space Serving as Evacuation Centre in Flood-prone Areas of Malaysia
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The yearly monsoon phenomenon in floodÂprone areas of Malaysia is usually given an advanced warning time to residents and disaster relief organisations to prepare and provide means to evacuate when flooding occurs. Victims will be navigated to designated public spaces serving as evacuation centres for protection and safety. Public spaces such as schools, gymnasiums and community halls which act temporarily are often spaces that are uninhabitable, unmanageable and structures that were for other purposes, forcing them to be shelters. The provision and performance of these evacuation centres were found to be ineffective and lack in the conditions of humanity. The significance of human senses is more likely to focus on the inner conflicts, of people and shared spaces. Key issues that are causing conflicts among victims include poor management, insufficient site selection and services, community participation and also technical aspects of the buildings. This study posits to determine the compliance of minimum shelter standards for selected public spaces to ensure that they are suitable to facilitate the victims and humanitarian assistance. For example, building specifications and design, site location, food, water and sanitation supplies, special facilities for disabled. With the challenges posed by the frequency of flood events, worldwide shelter guidelines and technological advances in disaster management, there is a critical need for a framework to optimise the public space usage in terms of design and its spatial conditions. It is hoped that future modifications to the evacuation centres will incorporate measures of spatial quality and respectability of human senses.
Adli Sidi
University of Malaya
A Diversity of National Park Category: Public Space for Ecotourism at Johor National Park, Malaysia
This paper presents a study on natural resources categories providing the different outdoor recreational activities at Johor National Park (JNP). JNP was located at the Southern of Malaysia and consisted by the different categories and uniqueness of natural resources. There are three categories of the natural resources in this national park; tropical rainforest category, coastal mangroves category and marine park category. The richness and the wilderness of the biodiversity was became attraction for local and international tourists to visiting this national park. Recreation tourism in the nature was rapidly growing up for international and local tourists to enjoy the nature beauty and having the recreational experience in the wilderness areas of national park. The data collected via observation and semi structured interviews conducted among the three National Park Managers. The data analyzed using the Nvivo Software 11 Version. The different categories of the natural resources in the national park was providing the alternatives for different categories of tourists from the hard and adventure recreation categories of users to the leisure recreation categories of users such as mountain hiking, scuba diving, leisure picnicking and sightseeing. As conclusion, the different categories of the natural resources are able to attract different categories the peoples to visiting the national parks, depends on their interest and able to fulfill their recreation needs to have the recreational experience in the national parks.
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Dr. Aizan Sofia Amin
National University of Malaysia
Disability, Gender Roles and Gender Divisions in Malaysian Families
Disability is argued to have some relation to gender and culture. However much disability and gender research is based on data collected in the Global North, and little is known about disabled women in the Global South. This paper therefore sets to explore how disabled women in Malaysia experience their lives in terms of gender roles and gender divisions within family. The data of this qualitative study was collected from in-depth interviews with 33 Malaysian women with physical (mobility) impairment. Over a period of 6 months, 17 Malays, 8 Chinese and 8 Indian women were interviewed twice in Malaysia. The findings observed that for the majority of participants’ families, the women became the primary carers and men became the dominant figures. Such strong traditional gender roles and gender divisions within family influenced how the participants received inter-familial support and how the women themselves subscribed to such gender roles and felt ‘disempowered’ when they ‘failed’ to perform such roles. The research also found that within many Malaysian families, especially those with disabled family members, there were strong gender divisions and power relations between men and women. This paper thus will explore how men were accorded as ‘dominant figures’ in the family and held more power and control over female members that restricted disabled women’s agency and opportunity to be included in their family.
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Alfa Nur Aini Erman Efendi University of Malaya
“Better Die at My Own Home than Here in This Hospital�: Exploring Challenges of Women with Disabilities in Accessing Health Care in Malaysia This paper attempts to present the challenges faced by three Malaysian women with disabilities in accessing health care services. Framing the discussion from human rights perspective, this paper first analyses local, regional and international human rights instruments to identify the existence of access to health care services. Four main themes emerged from the unstructured discussion with the respondents. These four main themes are environmental structural barrier, process barrier, attitudinal barrier and gender insensitivity. This paper conclude by highlighting recommendations made by the respondents in the matter of local health care enhancement so it can be made accessible and equitable for Malaysian women with disabilities.
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Chan Shie Wah
University of Malaya
Therapeutic Sensory Stimulation Garden for Rehabilitation in Hospital: Criterion for Successful Implementation The inclusion of nature in healthcare facilities for its restorative healing benefit begins in ancient Greece but gradually lost in the development of modern medicine and high-rise hospital. The rise of evidence-based hospital design in the mid-1990s prompted the provision of nature to embrace human well-being. In Malaysia healthcare, study shows a low implementation and structured study on therapeutic garden. Therapeutic garden is particularly important for rehabilitation as alternative therapeutic settings. This study aims to examine the post-occupational use of rehabilitation garden to support evidence-based hospital design in Malaysia. Therapeutic Sensory Stimulation Garden (TSSG), University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur was selected as case study for its pioneering combination of therapeutic and sensory stimulation concepts. This qualitative study’s findings are based on interviews and focus group with 15 therapists, 3 public users, 2 rehabilitation patients and 2 carers. This study generates user’s perceptions, which includes their experience of use, issues and benefits of TSSG. In comparison with Common Design Recommendation (CDR) from literature review, the study findings expanded to 16 parameters for a successful therapeutic sensory garden: publicity, spatial layout, location and site context, microclimate and weather, sense of sight, hear, smell, touch, taste, spatial, emotional and spiritual, accessibility, safety, variety of plants and garden features, maintenance and post occupational evaluation.
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Ar. Che Wan Ahmad Faizal Chewan Architecture Sdn Bhd
Seamless: Accessibility, Connectivity and Viability
How do we make the building accessible, viable, efficient and profitable at the same time? Everyday we face the issues of congestion, crisscross traffic, accessibility, movement and connectivity. The passion in getting the movement smoothly and seamlessly begins with creating vertical zoning for Aquatic Centre in 2004. Then in 2006 horizontal zoning by creating 3 wings for a market to make it accessible from any angle. In 2007 single covered walkway connecting the whole Health College Campus creating controlled and seamless movement. In 2010 the seamless approach applied to shopping mall to make it accessible to the top continuously while making it viable. In 2013 the challenged grown further into segregating traffic and pedestrian for a market. From staircase splitting the zoning developed further to a ramp zigzag to the top. By doing that, the space that usually sits horizontally can be stacked vertically. Accessibility opens to disabled, prams, trolleys universally. This approach discouraged the use of mechanical to move floor to floor and at the same time achieved saving on electricity. Architecture has more to be explored to make our life better and better. Seamless approach play small part of it benefitting many.
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Foo Yihung
University of Malaya
Accessible Transportation for All on the Use of Buses and Taxis: An International Comparative Analysis of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Hong Kong SAR, China Accessibility is the key factor leading to a good public transport system, which improves sustainable mobility especially in urban area like Kuala Lumpur. Mapping the overall accessibility of urban rail through areas, significant gaps remain along Kuala Lumpur and need to be filled in by buses and taxis services. Comparing the morning peak modal share for land public transport in 2011 with Hong Kong (90%), Kuala Lumpur has achieved a low percentage (16.4%) which has raised concern. The problem of Kuala Lumpur is not pedestrian friendly, and the issues identified in most bus/ taxi stops are of poor design. The aim of this research is to identify how does the street environment affecting user’s perspective on accessible travel using buses and taxis in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia compared to Hong Kong SAR, China which has an established public transportation system. Participant observation is carried out to evaluate and compare the street environment on the use of buses and taxis on specific routes of Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Survey questionnaire and interview are carried out to evaluate and compare the user’s perspective on accessible travel using buses and taxi in both cities. Findings show that the street in Kuala Lumpur is not seamless and the respondents identified a lot of improvements are needed on accessible travel. While the street environment in Hong Kong is acceptable and the respondents from Hong Kong felt that improvements had been implemented on accessible transportation. As a conclusion to this study, seamless street environment in Hong Kong leads to more bus/taxi ridership. Recommendations to improve the specific route in Kuala Lumpur are made, as an example to improve the street environment to barrier free in order to increase the bus/taxi ridership.
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Hannah Korsmeyer
Monash University, Australia
Sensing Safety
Australian girls regularly modify their behaviour due to a perception of danger when navigating cities, indicating that they internalise messages that personal safety is their responsibility. They stay at home rather than going out at night, they make different choices about their clothing, they limit their movement through the city, and many avoid public transport spaces entirely (Plan International Australia 2016, Bennett & Johnson 2015). Young women’s perceptions of safety influence their equal access to the city. To what extent does the sensory information in a public space inform a sense of safety or indicate that a space is ‘dangerous’? Geolocative data from the Plan International Australia ‘Free to Be’ campaign will be mined for sensory words used in young women’s descriptions of safe and unsafe spaces in the city of Melbourne. What is the rate of including sensory data spontaneously when reporting ‘happy’ vs. ‘sad’ spaces? How analysis of this sensory information can provided lead to recommendations for more inclusive public spaces for young women and girls?
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Mayamin Yuhaniz
Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak
Housing Perceptions of Working and Non-Working Malay Wives
A recent study on Malay-race wives had uncovered a list of dream houses and the contents for its spaces. Although the study was carried on a domestic level, the findings may reflect women’s perceptions to other realms such as public spaces. The paper intents to partake the findings of the study that may embark on the women’s senses. The study conducted a survey to a number of 135 wives at Bandar Tenggara, Johor, which is a suburban residential area. Half of the respondents are full-time housewives whilst the other half are working, which resulted in major differences between the two groups’ preferred attributes. It seems that working wives favour house designs that portray like relaxing nests such as resorts and hotel retreats, but dream homes for full-time housewives are motivated towards the convenience of caring for the family and focused on maintenance issues. Another interesting note is that non-working wives had a higher level of patriarchal system as their sense of selection were more dependent on the opinions and conditions of their husbands. However, working wives had more power to decide their type of house and had a more meticulous reference of house design attribute preferences. These findings advocate the working environment may impede the Malay women’s patriarchal practice and inherently influence their tendency selection of their surroundings. It is hoped the extraction of women’s senses and perceptions from the housing perspective may reveal their direction of experience and choice in other places mainly the public realm.
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Xeem (Noorazah) Mohd Noor Australian National University
“Thru These Architects Eyes”: Walking with Architects in Kuala Lumpur City
The city is a projected ideal of the urban planning and architectural practices as well as of everyday practices and experiences of the citizens. Many researches pointed to the conflicts between the concerns of urban space authorities and the people of the city. Although some critiques have suggested solutions involving a more grounded approach in designing by architects, no immediate progress can be seen in the practice of architecture. My research looks at the implicit ways an architectural habitus enculturated through architectural pedagogy can hinder a meaningful and empathetic approach to architecture for the community, specifically in the intrinsic values and meanings that affect the architect’s senses and experiences of the city. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notion of habitus and Goodwin’s Professional Vision, I look at how architectural pedagogy contributes to creating a unique habitus and cultural capital in architects, which creates a global tribe of architects through the perpetuation of such exclusive cultural. This paper will explore the ethnographic data gathered from walking down Jalan Ampang and interviewing architects about their experiences and ideas of the city. I also identify the certain rituals practised outside of formal boundaries of school and practice to further highlight the existence of a Global Tribe of Architects.
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Nur Amirah Abd. Samad, Ismail Said, Asiah A Rahim Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Enhancing Accessibility for a Universally Designed Public Space
Public space, apart from public building is an important physical element in our built environment. Accessibility relates directly with the built environment and followed by accessible design that is often associated with providing to the needs of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). The current realm of our built environment claims to be accessible but only restricted to new buildings of public attractions such as new and upcoming malls erected at urban developments. The unprecedented and left out public spaces in between these developments are the victims. These public spaces are the paths, the links, the connections, the nodes and the transitions of our built environment. This paper emphasizes the importance of enhancing the accessibility aspect in order to create a universally designed public space to have the expectation of seamless journey. Lack of seamlessness in the access route concludes that those public spaces have not been taken into consideration while designing or planning adjacent developments. Accessibility may have been provided but restricted and is not designed for all which eventually is essential for everyone to participate in social and communal life. Indeed accessibility is a crucial key factor to ensure social inclusion and social sustainability.
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Nurul Azreen Azlan
Delft University of Technology
The Other KL: Public Spaces of Democracy
Street protests form an integral part of democracy, since through an act of public claim-making, citizens could broadcast their grievances to the authorities and the public. Public space therefore has a political duty, and the publicness of public space should be interrogated through its ability to ensure that acts of citizenship such as public claim-making are possible. However, the trajectory of spatial development points toward an increase of spaces of consumption, in which the role of the citizen is transformed into the consumer. In a post-colonial state like Malaysia, this trajectory is often coupled with a heavy prescription of meaning and symbolisms on established city spaces by the authorities together with the necessary rules and regulations. In this paper, I would like to explore the significance of human senses in creating solidarity and building a community during street protests, focusing on how the design of public space is crucial in making this possible. Using the Bersih 4 protest as a case study, the paper illustrates how the camaraderie and solidarity formed in the streets during the course of the two-day protest effectively challenged the meanings and symbolisms ascribed to the space by the post-colonial authorities. Through the public spaces occupied during the protest, the paper illustrates the spatial requirements necessary for protest to happen, and contrasts it with the design of the postmodern administrative centre, Putrajaya.
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Tan Siew Poh
University of Malaya
Countering Gentrification and Designing for Community: Alternative Visions
In July 2016, 11 final year Master of Architecture students embarked in a year-long studio program, the design thesis where the studio masters proposed a theme called: countering gentrification and designing for community with alternative visions. The sites investigated, studied and proposed were based on areas that are either already gentrified or are about to be gentrified. Each of the two sites provided the students with ideas to create a design brief based on their observations, interviews and case studies of the communities that reside or work there. In a yearlong critical discourse and exploration of different architecture topics the students’ projects culminated with the design thesis defense individually and as a studio. The varied, diverse and studied approaches showed compelling counter proposals to the banal and totally profit driven reality. As parts, the different theses dealt with issues ranging from immigrant workers’ habitat, community streets, local community needs and desires, ritualistic architecture, disadvantaged people such as homeless children, life and death. As a whole, the theses combined confronts the value that society places in economic needs versus human nature. Through the design theses presented we are able to perceive ideas that people do not normally would think possible.
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Dr. Tutin Aryanti
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Screening the Gaze, Screening the Heart: Throwing the Hijab in an Indonesian Campus Mosque
A number of studies have shown that women’s participation in the mosque is often hampered by the strict spatial segregation that dissociates them from the mosque’s resources, including information, facilities, inclusion in the mosque management, and discussions in Islamic studies. However, an Indonesian campus mosque demonstrates the contrary. While the mosque has a flexible sexual segregation, the students as the main mosque users are free and having most access to participate in all programs. But they intentionally throw a hijab (portable screen) between their male and female members during their organizational activities. Using data collected through participant observations and interviews with male and female mosque student activists, this article examines the practice of spatial segregation in Masjid Al Furqan, the mosque of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia campus in Bandung (Indonesia). Instead of impeding their participation in the campus Islamic organization, the hijab, which is voluntarily applied, is acknowledged to be a tool to screen their gaze and their heart, so as to maximize their social participation in the Islamic campus community.
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Risha Ramli
University of Malaya
Perception of Different Groups of People with Disabilities on Transport Infrastructure in Kuala Lumpur with Special Focus on First Mile and Last Mile The transport system in city of Kuala Lumpur is a priority in advance society like Kuala Lumpur. However there are many challenges to ensure efficient connectivity within the transport system throughout the whole journey. A number of research on accessibility in Malaysia has focused on accessibility in buildings (Abdul Rahim, Abd Samad 2010; Chua, Mohd Yaacob, Hussein 2013; Abdul Kadir, Jamaludin 2012) however little information on connectivity in transportation modes and buildings which will benefit people of all physical and learning ability if the built environment is designed universally. The objective of this study is to evaluate the perception of different groups of Persons with Disabilities on problems in non-inclusive transportation and barrier-filled situation in Kuala Lumpur built environment. The study was carried out through focus group discussion with 25 users of public transportation which include bus, train and taxi from six groups that represents elderly persons, mother with pram, physically, sensory and learning disabled persons. The result showed interesting significant issues highlighted in regards to the specific needs of the group in regards to accessibility. In conclusion, consideration must be given to the infrastructure aspect of the transport system particularly the first mile and last mile which is holistic not only for abled body person but also for the whole spectrum of people including Persons with Disabilites.
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Rita Raposo
University of Lisbon, Portugal
A Taste of Public/Private (B)Orders: Ágora, Agón, and the Sensorium
The debate over the public/private divide and their (b)orders resurfaced during the last decades, both in the fronts of the ‘public sphere’ and the ‘public space’ (and more recently, the ‘virtual world’). Many social factors of different magnitudes may explain it: e.g. the advent of post-Modern society and post-Fordism (and their long array of socio-spatial restructurings and transformations); the changing “structure of feeling”, foci and relationship of contemporary social sciences and other (sometimes neglected or even alien) research fields; the apotheosis of neo-liberal narrative and politics; the raising fear and conscience of uncanny global risks and tragedies. Here, we privilege the analysis of the spatial dimension of the public/private (b)orders while not discarding references to the ‘public sphere’ and the ‘virtual world’ when relevant. As such, we discuss ‘public space’ (Ágora) and their complex relations to ‘private space’; we highlight the diversity and the potential of fight (Agón), and so politics, of public space; we look at the importance of the physical and symbolic features of those spaces to the sensoria and how it may condition people’ lives and (inter)actions. This paper contains four main sections: 1) ‘scenting the spirit of the time’ (the spatial and the cultural turns) – rediscovering space and physicality, the body and diversity; 2) ‘the roar of change, the sound of revolt, and the insidious noise of a deaf narrative’; 3) ‘a view of some analytic perspectives and dimensions of public/private (b)orders’; 4) ‘touching the public/ private sensoria’: the body/mind dichotomy, the sense-ratio, synaesthesia, media and technology.
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Dr. Sheetal Sharma
Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, India
Walk free Public spaces- Horizontal as well as Vertical
Urban lifestyle is continuously changing ang challenging Planners, Managers, Developers, Law and Order and Socio-economic sectors to keep on thriving for innovations and solutions to the ever-changing urban scenario. Decade back a theme was to make Public spaces near to home as a part of community planning. Recently public spaces are required to be multifunctional so that they can serve the major chunk of people. But still there is a conflict between as to these spaces should be vehicle free or walk free, as vehicle free makes walking exaggerate and walk free doesn’t allow much number of vehicles within. Physically disabled, or a pregnant women or a healthy person in hurry, all need to have direct access to his/her needs at shortest interval. The paper discusses the facts and demand about a mid size commercial zone and amid size recreational zone from the users. The primary survey and historical mapping of land use changes are correlated to overcome the conclusions. The readings are thus used to relocate or rearrange /modify the public spaces in a City.
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Yuhanis Adnan
University of Malaya
Women with disabilities, Physical Activity and Quality of Life
Participation in sport and physical activity has been linked to physiological and psychological benefits for able-bodied people, as well as for those with disabilities. For persons with disability (PWD), PA has traditionally been recommended as important for rehabilitation and for general well-being. Although many investigations have looked into the well-being of PWD, in relation to participation in sports and physical activities, there has been relatively little study examining the impact of self-efficacy for physical activity and sports on participation in PA and sports, and on self-efficacy for activities of daily living (ADL). According to Bandura (1977), self-efficacy is a judgement of one’s ability to perform at a certain level, and is not concerned with the skills an individual has, but the judgement by an individual of what they can do with the skills that they possess. Bandura (1986) also proposed that increasing self-efficacy for a behaviour leads to increased involvement in that behaviour, which can generalize to similar behaviors. Researchers have demonstrated that long-term physical disability represents a significant chronic strain because it involves lasting difficulties in managing necessary instruments or devices, and in attending social activities due to inaccessible facilities. Therefore, the greater the physical limitation, the bigger the hurdle in routinely meeting needs and securing life satisfaction (Bensen, & Jones, 1992; Hampton, 2000; Turner, & Noh, 1988). In support of this, Dijkers (1996) stated that, on average, people with disabilities have a lower QoL than nondisabled people. Thus, the development and maintenance of high efficacy for PA has important implications for the health and well-being of PWD and, in particular, women with disabilities.
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Zainul Asyraf Zukifli University of Malaya
Design Criteria of Fear and Safety for Women: Kuala Lumpur Public Parks
The public park is an environmental medium for achieving community engagement, where users of different genders, ages, ethnicities and abilities gather in one particular place with similar or different intentions. Public space such as public parks are treated as masculine spaces where men are dominant users, while private spaces like kitchen considered as feminine spaces. This can lead to fear by women going outside because women have different emotional and psychological aspects compared to men. Therefore, this research is to study the inclusive design criteria, focusing the gender-sensitive principle in assisting public parks towards safer realm. Besides that, the findings will be on three main category of design criteria based on summarization of both feminist theory and Universal Design principle: accessibility, adaptability and visibility. Based on the research outcome, it can be concluded that ‘accessibility’ is the friendliest design criteria that makes women feel safe and secured when using Kuala Lumpur’s public parks. This is due to the design of entrance and circulation of the parks which are safe to be used. Followed by ‘adaptability’ as the moderate design criteria selected by women where most of the outdoor equipment is quite easy to be utilized. The most unfriendly criteria that need to give major attention is ‘visibility’. By implying several design strategies that have been suggested by the key experts may improve the safety in terms of public parks’ visual aspects. The findings of the research may contribute to the understanding of safety of the design that not only plan based on physicality but also referring psychological aspects of the users.
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f.a.q. LECTURE ROOM/ BK2, LEVEL 3 Correction: Parallel session Lecture Room/ BK4 has been changed to Lecture Room/ BK2. ABSTRACT PRESENTATION SET UP Presenters should proceed to your respective panel venue to set up your powerpoint slides and audio-visual aid at least 30 minutes before your session. CPD POINTS Presenters and attendees are responsible to apply for CPD points to Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia on their own. Attendance sheet/ Payment slip will be available upon request. ACCESSIBLE WC Accessible WC is available on G floor, Level 1, and Level 3. Kindly approach members of our committee should you require any assistance. POST-CONFERENCE PUBLICATION It is our mission to promote new and exciting interdisciplinary scholarship on gender, disabilities, architecture, and public spaces. Thus, we will select between seven to eight papers for publication in a special issue of a SCOPUS/ISI-indexed journal. Depending on our selection, we will propose the publication of a special issue in the following journals: • • • • • • • •
Gender, Place, and Culture Space and Culture Indoor and Built Environment Urban Research and Practice Journal of Design and Built Environment International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment International Journal of Property Sciences Journal of Surveying, Construction and Property
The selection of papers for the special issue will be subject to the conference committee’s critical consideration. Presenters of selected papers will be notified within a month after the conference should they be interested in publishing in our post-conference special issue.