Comparative Analysis

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Architecture Theories of Architecture & Urbanism (ARC 61303)

PROJECT 2 : COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY

Jalan Besar, Klang & Queen Road Central, Hong Kong NAME

:

RUDY IRAWAN

ID

:

0328658

TUTOR

:

MR NICHOLAS NG

WORD COUNT

:

2689

CONTENT : 1.0

FOREWORD

2.0

INTRODUCTION

3.0

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2.1

JALAN BESAR, KLANG

2.2

QUEEN’S ROAD CENTRAL, HONG KONG

4-6 7-9

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS 3.0.1 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

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3.0.2 STREET TYPOLOGY

11-12

3.0.3 ALLEY VENDOR

13-14

3.0.4 FUNCTIONALITY & USER GROUP

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4.0 CONCLUSION

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5.0 REFERENCES

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1.0 FOREWORD The following essay is aimed to make a comparative analysis between Jalan Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong and Jalan Besar, Klang. Plenty of refurbishment and renovation projects were executed on both streets throughout the year to revitalize and enhance the spaces quality on its urban setting. Looking back through the history, both countries were colonized by the same ruler, thus similarity in both architectural traits can be found in each other’s.

By referring on the Jan Gehl’s ways in identifying urban aspects on site, the analysis will comprise urban elements such as social interaction, activities, typology, pedestrian movement, etc. Giving more in depth insight on both urban context which form framework on designing a better urban space for the community.

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2.0 INTRODUCTION : 2.1 JALAN BESAR, KLANG

Figure 1 : Street View of Jalan Besar, Klang

Being called as a royal town, Klang is a former capital state of Selangor, Malaysia. Inside this city, Jalan Besar lies at the south part of the Klang river. Well known as part of historical heritage, Jalan Besar surrounded by shophouses with different architecture style of different era.

In order to preserve the historical value on site, façade of shophouses are protected under the government law, thus facades and window style of shophouses musn’t be changed under any circumstances to keep the historical essence. Historical buildings are being renovated and reused, in case of reconstruction, adaptive reuse is the solution. Nowadays, new buildings other than traditional business can be found scattered around the area such as OCBC & RHB Bank, Pos Laju, eateries, causing Jalan Besar filled with necessity facility to carry out the daily needs of the surrounding community or visitor. Vibrant and lively environment can be discovered through the crowded and varies of activity by the people on site, where Jalan Besar community mainly consists of dweller’s worker, white collars, visitor, and the resident.

MORPHOLOGY

1800 Settlement started around the Klang river

1860 Rapid growth of Klang due to tin mining

1950 Completion of Railway and bridge ease the incomer

PRESENT One of the biggest city in Malaysia and rich in heritage value

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CONTACT POINT OF JALAN BESAR, KLANG

Figure 2 : Jalan Besar Site Plan

CONTACT POINTS : 1.

KTM

2.

Jalan Besar Road

3.

Alley Vendor

4.

OCBC & Post Office

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CONTACT POINT

CONTACT INTENSITY

ACTIVITIES

1. KTM - High Accumulation of crowd during train times High chance contact

2. Jalan Besar Road

- Moderate to high The intensity within this area is constant due to the traffic junction around contributes to more pedestrians

3. The Alley Vendor

- Moderate Most of the commercial outlets operate within this area which attracts more users to come.

4. OCBC & Post Office

- High This area is heavily congested by vehicles and pedestrians due to its role as an entry to Queen’s Road Central.

Necessary : Transit Optional : Meeting point with friends SOCIAL : Asking for direction, interaction in between local and visitor

Necessary : pedestrian walking, interaction between visitors and adjacent shop Optional : stops by in front of the commercial shops SOCIAL : interaction between shop owner and customers

Necessary : short cut for people passes by, Occasionally various human activities like hawker stall held throughout the street.

Optional : Dining in, resting SOCIAL : Having a conversation with the vendor

Necessary : doing daily errands: banking and posting mail Optional : Observing and seeing other people while waiting SOCIAL : Interaction between customers, locals and workers

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2.0 INTRODUCTION : 2.2 QUEEN’S ROAD CENTRAL, HONG KONG

Figure 3 : Street View of Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong

Located at the heart of Hong Kong city, Queen’s Road Central spans from Central to Sheung Wan, where alleyways are branched along the street such as Graham Street, Potting Street, Queen Victoria Street, etc. As a central, Queen’s Road is surrounded by vary of commercial structures and become a tourist spot where residential buildings are outnumbered by the landmarks and high rises around. Adopting Verticality urban planning, Central district is well known as a vertical city because of its significant urban feature. Population and insufficient land problem led to the construction of elevated pathways such as Central Elevators and steel typography where there is barely connection on with the ground level, therefore faster pace of human circulation due to lack of space experiences. Public realm on the ground levels tends to be surrogate by the vertical high rises and elevated paths, causing lack of social spaces. Thus, movement pace and vast scale of vertical structure form affect the Central urban environment.

MORPHOLOGY

1842 The beginning of construction by 300 coolies over the edge

1942 Land was further expanded over the sea due to population and developed

by Japan

PRESENT Queen’s Road Central as commercialized area famous for both tourists and local

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CONTACT POINT OF QUEEN ROAD CENTRAL, HONG KONG

Figure 4 : Queen Road Central Site Plan

CONTACT POINTS : 1.

Queen Road Central Bus Stop

2.

Central Road

3.

Pottinger Street (Stone Slab Street)

4.

MCM Broadwalk

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CONTACT POINT

CONTACT INTENSITY

ACTIVITIES

- High

Necessary : Transit

passive contacts as public transport users are strangers to each other

Optional : Tourist sightseeing and taking photo

- Moderate to high

Necessary : pedestrian walking, interaction between visitors and adjacent shop

1. Bus stop

2. Central Street

The intensity within this area is constant due to the traffic junction around contributes to more pedestrians 3. Stone Slab Street

- Moderate Most of the commercial outlets operate within this area which attracts more users to come.

4. MCM Broadwalk

- High This area is heavily congested by vehicles and pedestrians due to its role as an entry to Queen’s Road Central.

SOCIAL : interaction between Same public transport user

Optional : stops by in front of the commercial shops SOCIAL : interaction between shop owner and customers

Necessary : short cut for people passes by Optional : sightseeing, taking photo, transaction SOCIAL : interaction between locals & tourist (asking for direction)

Necessary : pedestrian walking, shopping Optional : gathering spot, waiting spot to cross opposite road SOCIAL : interaction between locals & tourist (asking for direction)

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CONTACT POINT : 3.0.1 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Crowded area and people social pattern on site determines the space quality of outdoor planning; therefore, transportation hub have important role in generating and bring in people from outer area. Higher human intensity in transportation hub as people come and leave, creates human flows in the urban area and triggers chance of contact due to the frequency of people.

Thus, transportation hub must be accessible and enhance the outdoor activities. As an alternative to the differentiated street systems, other ways of using cars and the other rapid means of transportation can be envisaged. The importance of an integrated transportation system to city life can be observed in those cities in which transportation has always been on foot. (Gehl, 2011,p.109).

In Jalan Besar, the KTM sits on the intersection of the streets. It becomes a focal point due to its strategic location and high human flow during the day. However, lack of maintenance around the KTM facilities such as unattended bus station and damaged covered walkway cause people to seek shading across the road. Looking through this opportunity, Mamak stalls nearby tends to provide seating at their frontage to gather customer, thus adding optional activity for the user while waiting for transit. As commuting and transit are the main activity, the area is constantly filled with people walking around, causing higher contact intensity and passive activities likely to happen here.

While the bus station in Queen Road Central encounters the same problem, where the bus stop facility is lack of care and proper seating area. As a starter point for bus user, the bus waiting area is surrounded by different type of shops such as the adjacent “Staveley Street�, an alley with variety of goods. This creates an opportunity for people to scatter around and experience the site rather than only waiting in dilapidated bus stop.

Figure 5 : KTM in Jalan Besar

Figure 6 : Bus Stop in Queen Road Central

Generally, both sites undergo the same problem, yet the aids of adjacent features such as nearby landmark and nodes, allows additional activities and improves the contact intensity on the area.

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CONTACT POINT : 3.0.2 STREET TYPOLOGY Wide road at Jalan Besar allows easy access and uncaged feeling for the passer by, where in this road paths layering can be seen. Asphalt road as primary path for vehicular, pavement for passerby, and 5-foot walkway. As 5-foot walkway is dominantly used by the pedestrian, higher contact chance in between pedestrian with the linked shop because people tends to stop and visit the shops, creates a positive outdoor area.A high intensity of contact can be observed along the walkway as the intimacy level is high in reference to proxemics – the human spatial bubble by Edward T.Hall.

Figure 7 : Street Typology of Jalan Besar

Throughout this linear path, different leveling along the 5-foot walkway with different geometry shapes of the arcs gives different experience for the pedestrians, where the 5-foot walkway also provides shading area during the afternoon. Some shops extend their business and occupy the walkway, thus creates a different realm as people passing through in example, people will feel different type of experiences by passing by the food stall occupying the walkway and tin craft at the front porch. This typology increases the passive contact through visual and forming the opportunity from passing by to engaging the shops.

Figure 8 : Frontage Typology Along the 5 Foot Walkway in Jalan Besar

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Queen Road Central street typology consists of 2 layers which is Asphalt road and Pavement road, where the pavement road is the dominant path. Wider pavement path allows higher human density to occupy the road during peak hour, with fences installed along the edge of the asphalt road in consideration of safety. Big dimension and scale of built form wrapping the street reduces the street enclosure, absence of variety in frontage limits the optional and social activities, causing higher passive contact. Fencing along the pavement walk to prevent illegal crossing create strong linear movement of people at the fast pace. Double way of the pavement walks in Queen Road Central allows optional activity such as window shopping and easier circulation for pedestrian to reach the destination, thus creates fast paced stops with minimum interaction

Figure 9 : Street Typology of Queen Road Central

Figure 10 : Street Typology of Queen Road Central

Despite the difference in between street typology, the purpose is similar where linearity of movement create intimacy in between people, therefore increasing in contact activity to trigger social engagement and understanding the characteristic of the urban realm.

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CONTACT POINT : 3.0.3 TRANSITIONAL SPACE Alleyway as secondary path which branched out from the main path, narrower compared to the main path and the implication of activities along the back lane will make a dynamic outdoor setting The Alley Vendor located adjacent to the carpark and operated by the local, acts as main streets connection. Narrow path proposes higher intimacy level in between, where it allows people to visually and physically engage to the activity along the narrow path. The exposed stalls enhance the passive contact of passerby, thus chance contact in business stimulates interaction between owner and customer. Constant shade by the shophouses and vegetation adjacent creates comfortable environment on this path which might attract pedestrian to come and participate as an optional activities along the alleyway.

Figure 11 : Alley Vendor in Jalan Besar

Figure 12 : Elevation view of Alley Vendor in Jalan Besar

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Located at the junction of Queen’s Road Central and Pottinger street, linkage path between 2 main streets where the linear movement is flanked by highrises and stalls on both sides, forming sheltered setting. Narrow and steep path initiates faster pace movement, yet visitor would divert the path into the stalls on either side. The narrow path allows more human proximity, such as bump on the shoulder and according to Jan Gehl, simple level, contacts can grow to other levels, as people wishes. Steps on the sidewalk can acts as resting point for passer by to sit down and overview the ongoing activity. Therefore, opportunity for interaction in social and optional activity such as conversation along the steps or engaging the stall.

Figure 13 : Stone Slab Street in Queen Road Central

Figure 14 : Elevation of Stone Slab Street

High sense of intimacy in alleyway which also proposes high contact point through active and passive contact. Narrow spaces on both spaces don’t restrict the activities going on rather it allows engagement in interaction or others social activities.

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CONTACT POINT : 3.0.3 FUNCTIONALITY & USER GROUP Based in the book “Life Between Building�, it is stated that people attract people. Many reasons for crowd to occur in one area such as landmarks or activities where Jan Gehl also stated activity as people generator. Therefore, this cause a certain connection to the function of a built environment where it serves a certain purpose which contributes to common interest or needs

Figure 15 : OCBC Bank in Jalan Besar

Major distinction of both street is the function of buildings which attract different kind of user groups. In Jalan Besar, the public facility such as OCBC bank and post office creates the traffic and human flow on Jalan Besar, as most of the users are adults and elderlies doing their necessary activity.

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On the other hand, Queen Road Central is dominated by contemporary built environment.

Henceforth buildings such as Adidas and MCM acts as attractor point for youngsters and tourists as the site context is in the middle part of the city and tourist hotspot. Based from these points, Human intensity in Jalan Besar is more dominated by people due to the necessary activity instead of the crowd. Different with the Queen Road Central street, where it is follows the Jan Gehl concept of people attract people. This is proven through crowded area around the commercial shops by the youngster and tourist, thus trigger the curiosity of the passer by and engage the activities in the commercial building which is already an opportunity for optional activities to happen

Figure 16 : MCM & Adidas Building Attracts passer by in Queen Road Central

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CONCLUSION : In a nutshell, activities and behavior of human act as a vital role in the construction of in-between spaces in an urban space. Environment setting as a factor that influences the usage of spaces and human movement pattern in relation to human interaction in within the space.

In Jalan Besar, the practice of preservation allows more details of essence of the streetscape and human interaction along the linear setting, slowing the circulation pace due to the stopping points around the urbanscape. Yet, lack of optional activities in Jalan Besar as people only drop by for a certain purpose and leave when the job is done can be seen through human density at morning and night. The KTM and public facility such as OCBC and post office is crowded which creates the human flows in Jalan Besar. As night time arrives, the street become dormant and only passed by some vehicular.

In contrast with Queen Road Central, the street is more well facilitated as compared to the Jalan Besar. But then, the result of radical development, dimensions and scale overgrowths and reach beyond the suitability for the pedestrians to experience, thus important details of the urban setting tend to be missed and limit the interaction in within the setting, faster circulation pace because of limited stopping points. On the other hand, Queen Road Central has wider scope of activities during the day and night time. Located at the central which is contextually strategic and well known as entertainment district, wide range of user group which creates an active and lively street atmosphere.

Looking through the comparison of spaces function and activities in within, it proves the importance of promoting movement of people for experiences and trigger interactions in within the setting. Thus, the quality of the urban setting as a crucial aspect in generating activities around the environment.

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REFERENCES : 1. Gehl, J., & Koch, J. (2011). Life between buildings: Using public space. Washington, DC: Island Press.

2. Britannica, T. E. (2015, January 21). Klang. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Klang-Malaysia 3. Ingham, M. (2007). Hong Kong: a Cultural History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA. 4. Lampugnani, V. M., Pryor, E. G., Pau, S., & Spengler, T. (1993). Hong Kong architecture: the aesthetics of density. New York, NY: Prestel.

5. Zhong, H. (2009). Urban transformation of Central District: as a place of living. Hong Kong: Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage.

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