Comparative Analysis Essay - Jalan Braga vs Jalan Besar

School of Architecture, Building and Design

Theories of Architecture and Urbanism ARC61303

Comparative Analysis Essay Jalan Besar, Klang, Malaysia & Jalan Braga, Bandung, Indonesia

Name Wong Teck Poh ID 0327462 Tutor Mr. Nicholas Ng

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction

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2.0 The Two Streets: Identifying contact points

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2.1 Jalan Braga, Bandung, Indonesia

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2.2 Jalan Stesen 1, Klang, Malaysia

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3.0 The Factors: Comparing contact points

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3.1 Methods of Comparison

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3.2 Comparison of Contact Points and Quality of the Physical Environment

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4.0 Conclusion

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5.0 References

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INTRODUCTION

The project takes a further look at two streets situated within a common urban context of different countries in Asia. The aim of the project is to conduct an in-depth comparative analysis of the two case studies based on Jan Gehl’s theories as proposed in his book - ‘Life Between Buildings’ (2011).

The two linear streets in question are Jalan Braga of Bandung in West Java, Indonesia and Jalan Besar of Klang in Selangor, Malaysia. The comparison between the two streets focuses on the similarities and differences of contact points, based on the quality of the built environment of these contact points and thus its effects on social activities patterns and the varying contact intensity.

In ‘Life Between Buildings’, Jan Gehl categorizes outdoor activities in public spaces to three: (1) necessary activities which are compulsory, everyday tasks and activities that will take place under nearly all conditions; (2) optional activities which are activities that are participated by choice and if time and place make possible, dependent on exterior physical conditions; and (3) social activities which evolves from the necessary activities and optional activities, depending on the presence of others in a public space.

Contact points of the two case studies are identified based on these definitions as these outdoor activities are generators of contact among people at a certain space in the urban context.

Figure 1.1: Extracted graphic from Jan Gehl’s ‘Life Between Buildings’ showing the relationship between quality of the physical environment and the density of outdoor activities.

The comparison will study the quality of the physical environment of the contact points of the two cities to identify tangible factors that contribute to the public life of a city and also highlight the importance of the space between buildings as a dimension of architecture, urban design and city planning, thus creating successful public spaces.

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THE TWO STREETS

2.1 Jalan Braga, Bandung, Indonesia

Bandung is the capital city of West Java in Indonesia and has a deep establishment of the Dutch colonials. Bandung has received gradual development to become a resort city. Hotels, restaurants and boutiques were introduced, giving Bandung its nickname ‘The Paris of Java’.

Jalan Braga is a promenade street located at the heart of Bandung, Indonesia. The 800m long street stretches from north to south, parallel to the Cikapundung River to its west. Colonial shophouses line the street and houses an array of entertainment and amenities, as well as a shopping center and several cultural hubs at the midpoint of the street. Nowadays, Jalan Braga is known globally as an entertainment landmark in Indonesia, and is one of the most visited place for tourists visiting Bandung.

Figure 2.1: A typical street view of Jalan Braga.

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1.0.

Contact points of Jalan Braga are identified based on the definitions aforementioned in

1. Plaza Cikapundung River Spot 2. Braga Street Sign 3. Braga Permai 4. Braga City Walk 5. Landmark Convention Hall 6. Outdoor benches (located at intervals along the street)

Figure 2.2: Contact points of Jalan Braga.

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THE TWO STREETS

2.2 Jalan Besar, Klang, Malaysia

Located near the maritime port, Klang is a city that grew from the port and tin mining activities available due to its strategic location next to the Klang River. Also known as the Royal Town of Klang, it is the former capital of Selangor due to its importance in the tin industry.

Jalan Besar is a one-way street in South Klang of Selangor, Malaysia, lined with traditional Chinese two-storey shophouses on one side and newer shophouses of four storeys on the other.

The shophouses along the 220m street is used for commercial and residential purposes and is also home to traditional businesses such as Chong Kok Kopitiam. The junction of the road is marked by the KTM station, which is critical in bringing non-locals to the street for certain activities. Jalan Stesen 1 is located perpendicular to Jalan Besar. Due to the lack of activities, Jalan Stesen 1 is regarded as a transient street even though it is located in a heritage site that is rich in historical value.

Figure 2.3: A bird’s eye view of Jalan Besar.

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1.0.

Contact points of Jalan Besar are identified based on the definitions aforementioned in

1. Open field 2. Colourful Crows installation 3. Chong Kok Kopitiam 4. KTM station 5. Cendol stall 6. Five-foot walkway

Figure 2..4: Contact points of Jalan Besar.

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THE FACTORS

3.1 Methods of Comparison

The relationship between the quality of the physical environment (aforementioned in 1.0) and the resulting contact intensity is studied through a method of side by side comparison between contact points of the two streets (as identified in 2.1 and 2.2). Tangible factors that can affect the public life and the spaces in which they take place are identified from these contact points to form a basis for the comparison.

In ‘Life Between Buildings’, Jan Gehl focused on the condition of open spaces and the availability of activities as attraction in these spaces. Public life occurs mostly in public open spaces of an urban context as they allow various contact.

Transitional zones are brought up as they create the soft edges between buildings, and are crucial in defining indoor and outdoor areas. Transitional zones can contribute to the public life if they encourage staying outdoors to support the life between buildings.

Communal spaces in cities are made meaningful and attractive by contact points which are created from a wide spectrum of activities. (Gehl, 2011, pg. 14) They serve the role to develop additional communal life which allows for a diverse public life.

The pedestrian routes are also highlighted as they are the basis for walkability of a city in the urban context. It requires proper planning to be a successful contributor of the urban fabric.

Kevin Lynch’s ‘The Image of the City’ which proposes the elements of legibility to study the urban characters of a city can be applicable in the comparison. Elements that can identify opportunities for social interaction in an urban context such as landmarks and nodes are justified to be studied. Both of these elements contribute to orientation in an urban context, and is detrimental as an aspect of public life study.

Therefore, these factors are identified: (1) (activities) in a public open space (2) (time spent) in transitional zones (3) (function) of communal spaces (4) (amenities) in pedestrian routes (5) (viability) of landmarks (6) (generator) of nodes

The quality of these spaces is looked into to identify elements that contribute to a successful public life, by ways of the contact intensity generated.

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Figure 3.1: The varying contact intensity identified by Jan Gehl. Low-intensity contacts governs the life between buildings and are prerequisite for more complex interactions.

A contact point should facilitate passive contacts for opportunities of higher contact intensity. (Gehl, 2011, pg. 15)

Figure 3.2: The comparison of built form and its effects on forms of human contact as identified by Jan Gehl. (Gehl, 2011, pg. 62)

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THE FACTORS

3.2 Comparison of Contact Points and Quality of the Physical Environment

Public open spaces

Jalan Braga is a promenade street which runs parallel to the Cikapundung River of Bandung, Indonesia. A positive public realm is created between the street and the river by having a public open space to improve the quality of space. The Plaza Cikapundung River Spot allows various recreational activities by providing an open space and seating areas with view towards the river and canopies of tree for shading.

The quality of outdoor spaces can directly influence the availability and variety of outdoor activities, as echoed by Jan Gehl in ‘Life Between Buildings’. Another point brought up by Gehl is that ‘people and human activities attract other people’ (Gehl, 2011, pg. 23). This is evident in the contact point of Jalan Braga - Plaza Cikapundung River Spot, where the seating areas in the form of terraced steps and picnic tables and chairs are provided around a central fountain forms a good quality outdoor space. This allows for an abundance of necessary and optional activities, which also brings in food stalls along the spot to generate more human traffic to the space.

Figure 3.3: Plaza Cikapundung River Spot provides various activities for visitors, generating contact between people of different intensity.

Figure 3..4: The poor quality of the physical environment of the open field in Jalan Besar results in a lack of activity, even though the open space is well maintained and planted with greeneries.

Jalan Besar of Klang is located near an open field in the middle of an urban built environment of traditional shophouses. The outdoor space is an urban green space that is able to provide much needed space for relaxation and physical activities. (World Health Organization, 2016) The public open space is underutillized however due to the lack of public amenities and infrastructures. The poor quality of the outdoor areas therefore only allows necessary activities to occur.

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Contact intensity in these contact points has a distinct difference. Plaza Cikapundung River Spot - due to proper planning - is able to generate a range of contact intensity from low to high as social activities occur in abundancy. In comparison, the urban green of Klang facilitates high contact intensity such as friends meeting friends, as it is a landmark due to the lack of greeneries surrounding the area. Low contact intensity such as passive contact of seeing and hearing is difficult to occur due to the poor quality of the outdoor space.

Figure 3.5: Comparison of the surrounding built environment of the contact points.

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Transitional zone

Transitional spaces are spaces that separates two different realm or programmatically significant spaces, e.g. space between public realm and private realm or space between the interior and exterior of a building. (Kray, 2013)

Braga City Walk, located in the middle of Jalan Braga, creates a contact point using the transitional space between the shopping centre and the street. A large setback from the street allows for a public open space that facilitates different outdoor activities. An extended roof from the shopping centre also allows the space to be shaded which is ideal in Indonesia’s tropical climate. The necessary activities of Braga City Walk (shopping) generates human traffic to the contact point. Optional activities such as resting or waiting for friends can also occur as the good quality of the place and situation encourages it. Therefore, ‘resultant’ activities or social activities can happen spontaneously due to human presence and movement in the same space.

(Gehl, 2011, pg. 12)

Figure 3.6: The recessed space creates a transitional zone between the walkways and the building.

Figure 3..7: The transitional zone between the station and the main road allows spaces of waiting and possibility of interaction.

Klang is served by a few Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Komuter stations that connects the city to other districts of Selangor. The Klang Komuter station is located north to Jalan Stesen 1 and is an essential commodity to the local community as it allows local workers to transit to their workplace and visitors to travel to Klang for certain famous spots. The train station facilitates necessary activities such as waiting for the train and promotes optional activities such as hiring a taxi. Due to the frequent intervals of human traffic near the station as people come and go, the transitional space between the station building and the external environment becomes a key contact point of the area.

The quality of the outdoor transitional space is improved by the extending canopies of the station building and greeneries to provide shading. The area is dedicated to taxi and mini bus service. Spontaneous nodes are generated as people wait around the area for picking up or to cross the street.

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Contact intensity and frequency of these transitional spaces vary however due to the functionality of the spaces. Braga City Walk provides opportunity for various optional and social activities such as community events and entertainments which allows low to high contact intensity. Klang KTM station however, being a place of transit, only facilitates low frequency of contact as there is a lack of activities as attraction and the fast-paced human movement discourages high intensity contact even though the human density is high.

Figure 3.8: Comparison of the surrounding built environment of the contact points.

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Communal spaces - eateries

Communal spaces, whether public or private, indoors or outdoors, are spaces that are used and shared by the community. Outdoor communal spaces are essential to serve the community and facilitate communal life for a more diverse public life as it provides chances for spontaneous social interaction.

Braga Permai is a local restaurant that has been established since 1918, serving local and Dutch cuisines to visitors. The restaurant makes use of a recessed space as an outdoor seating area for customers. The exposed nature of the outdoor space allows for visual connectivity towards the passers-by, forming attractions for people to stop by as they view the necessary activities provided by the restaurant. The seating space forms a optional pause point for the pedestrians that are walking along the paved walkway. A tourist stand is also located at the entrance of the space, creating opportunities of contact between tourists and locals.

Figure 3.9: Braga Permai can be easily noticed from the signage as well as the recessed space along the pedestrian path.

Figure 3.10: The spillage of function of Chong Kok Kopitiam onto the public realm of five-foot walkway and red brick pavement.

Chong Kok Kopitiam is famous among Klang locals and Malaysians as the breakfast place, as they serve traditional breakfast food that is suitable for the diverse community of Malaysia.

The restaurant experiences high influx of customers in the morning, and it dwindles down as it closes in the late afternoon. Due to the high quantity of customers, seating areas are set up along the five foot walkway, making use of the shaded area but disrupting the pedestrian circulation of the street. However, the extended function allows for visibility towards the necessary activities of Chong Kok Kopitiam, further attracting people to the contact point.

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Both these communal spaces generate similar degree of contact intensity of low to high due to its function. Low intensity contact happens when people observe and conduct in passive activities of seeing and listening which occurs often at an eatery. Optional activities such as waiting for food or seating spaces also contribute to opportunities of passive contact. In the case of Chong Kok Kopitiam, spontaneous contact can happen between strangers as people are sometimes forced to seat together to overcome the issue of a lack of seatings. High intensity contact such as dining with friends and families can also be identified at an eatery.

Figure 3.11: Comparison of the surrounding built environment of the contact points.

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Pedestrian route

The public realm is defined as the space around, between and within buildings that are publicly accessible, including streets, squares, parks and open spaces. These areas and settings support or facilitate public life and social interaction. (Lennard, 1995) The pedestrian path is an important part of the public realm.

Jalan Braga shows evidence of promoting walkability from its streetscape, i.e. paved roads, wide walkways and the addition of street furniture such as outdoor benches. These efforts to better the quality of the public realm of Jalan Braga allows for a contact point that occurs in intervals along the street based on the position of these outdoor benches. The street furniture generates pause points along the pedestrian circulation which promotes social contacts of different intensity from low to high.

Figure 3.12: Different amenities allocated at the pedestrian routes increases walkability of the street as it provides resting and gathering spaces.

Figure 3.13: Five-foot walkways of Klang allow spontaneous gatherings due to the shade it provides.

In Jalan Besar and Jalan Stesen 1, the traditional shophouses generate a public realm that is of intimate scale. The five foot walkways, which is one of the main elements of a traditional shophouse, allows for better walkability on site due to the shade that is created. The fivefoot walkway also has different levels and steps according to each individual shophouse which sometimes create favourable condition for a person to sit on the steps along the walkway.

However, due to the nature of the commercial function of the shophouse on the ground floor, the five foot walkway often becomes vessel for the owners of the shops’ function as goods and items for sell are often placed among the walkways. This limits the outdoor activities that can occur in this public realm and results in low contact intensity.

The comparison between these two public realms highlight the importance of a designated space that can facilitate positive social interaction as well as promoting walkability in an urban context.

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The outdoor benches of Jalan Braga allows for low to high contact intensity. Five-foot walkway only caters towards moderate to high contact intensity however due to the lack of lingering activities at these area. There is a clear separation of the pedestrian route from the shophouses of Jalan Braga. The five-foot walkway present in Jalan Besar acts as a mediator between the public realm and the private realm as the space are shared by both parties.

Figure 3.14: Comparison of the surrounding built environment of the contact points.

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Landmarks

The Braga Street Sign located at the junction of Jalan Braga and Jalan Naripan is an important landmark of Jalan Braga and also serves as a contact point of the site. The sign creates a physcial identity to the street and is used as a landmark by visitors to position oneself. Due to its strategic location at the junction, it is promoted by the surrounding necessary activities such as bank errands and going to work. The street sign received attention on forming a successful landmark as it is situated on terraced steps that can act as seating areas to facilitate optional activities. The good condition of the public space allows social activities to occur spontaneously.

Figure 3.15: The Braga Street Sign is strategically placed at the junction, with terraced steps to serve as seating areas to generate interaction.

Figure 3.16: The Crow Installation of Klang marks the site clearly due to its installation methods, allowing visibility from far away.

The crow installation at Jalan Stesen 1 adjacent to Jalan Besar is a similar contact point as the signage also serves as a landmark for the location of the site. Installed on the upper levels of an exposed wall of a traditional shophouse, the sign bears a cultural and historical meaning of the site as crows were introduced to Klang as scavengers to collect food leftovers and trash from the city streets. The position of the signage ensures visual connectivity as it is located in a open space that is occupied by a private parking lot. The introduction of the installation can turn a negative space to a positive public realm. The parking lot is used to hosts events, where the installation becomes a relatable backdrop.

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Both of these contact points generates low to moderate contact intensity as the signages cater towards tourists mostly. These contact points provides a platform for interaction between the visitors and local community as it generates opportunity for low-intensity contact, which is essential for other forms of contact to grow. (Gehl, 2011, pg. 19)

Figure 3.17: Comparison of the surrounding built environment of the contact points.

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Nodes

According to Kevin Lynch, nodes are strategic focus points for orientation like squares and junctions. Nodes are accessible and can be further enriched by its function.

The Landmark Convention Hall marks an starting or ending point of the street as it is located near the north end of the street. Events are often held at the hall which can accommodate up to 1,500 attendees. Food stalls are set up daily along the five-foot walkway of the building which is shaded, creating a node point as people stop by for snacks and food. However, the lack of seating areas limits the contact duration between the vendor and customer to be short which facilitates for more interaction. The densely arranged stalls creates an active frontage to the building as human movement animates the space. The resulting image allows it to be a successful node as the addition of activities ease orientation at the area.

Figure 3.18: People gathering near the entrance as they awaits for the start of an event.

Figure 3.19: The difference of scale is easily noticed between the two, creating a visual contrast.

Similar node point can be found at the side alley junction of Jalan Stesen 1. Located at the vehicular entry point of the street next to a carpark, food stalls are set up in the open space with multiple stall umbrellas to provide shading. Seating spaces are provided as well, generating desirability for visitors to rest and have a snack. The smaller scale of the stalls presents a visual contrast to the neighbouring shophouse and the open carpark. Location of the stalls along the side alley provides potential of low intensity contact as locals often use the side alley to access different parts of the site.

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Although having similar functions and surroundings, these contact points generate different contact intensity. The node point of Landmark Convention Hall facilitates low intensity contact and discourages high intensity contact due to the lack of resting places. Duration of contact is cut short due to the short nature of the exchange between food vendors and customers.

In the node point of the food stalls at Jalan Stesen 1, contact intensity ranges from low to high with higher density as the duration of contact is lengthened by the presence of seating areas.

Figure 3.20: Comparison of the surrounding built environment of the contact points.

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CONCLUSION

The comparative analysis has determined several desirable qualities of outdoor spaces in the urban context that can contribute to the liveliness of the public street life, enriching life between buildings.

As echoed by Jan Gehl, seating opportunities should be created in public spaces to give all user groups inspiration and opportunity to stay. (Gehl, 2011, pg. 159) Gehl hypothesize that primary seatings such as benches and chairs are to be provided when the need of seating is limited. They must be placed strategically and correctly to facilitate human contact. Secondary seatings such as steps, low walls etc. is added when the need of seating is high. Interesting methods of providing seating are sitting landscapes, merging functions that also provide sitting purposes. Plaza Cikapundung River Spot of Jalan Braga creates secondary seating spaces out of terraced steps with a view towards the occuring social activities in the plaza and of the water fountain in the middle. Primary seating is also provided in the form of picnic benches.

It is also important for these outdoor spaces to integrate weather protection as the climate is quite harsh in these countries. Shading is required for a comfortable outdoor space.

Transitional zones can be enhanced by diverse activities as they provide opportunities to lengthen the time spent outdoors.

The comparison also shows that a clear division of spaces will contribute to better public life as aspects such as walkability will not be disturbed by spilling of functions to the pedestrian routes.

These outdoor spaces are to be planned properly as they are detrimental to generate urban life that is functional and beneficial. Jan Gehl (2011, pg. 31) states that ‘...character of outdoor activities are greatly influenced by physical planning.’ The potential of a contact point can either be realised with purposeful planning or diminished with futile planning.

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REFERENCES

Books 1. Gehl, J., & Koch, J. (2011). Life Between Buildings: Using public space. London: Island Press.

2. Lennard, S. & Lennard, H. (1995) Livable Cities Observed, Chapter 5, The Public Realm and the Good City. Carmel, CA: Gondolier Press.

3. Lynch, K. (2012). The Image of the City. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Articles 1. Kray, Christian & Fritze, Holger & Fechner, Thore & Schwering, Angela & Li, Rui & Anacta, Vanessa. (2013). Transitional Spaces: Between Indoor and Outdoor Spaces. 8116. 14-32. 10.1007/9783-319-01790-7_2.

Websites 1. Urban Green Spaces. (2016, August 04). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/sustainabledevelopment/cities/health-risks/urban-green-space/en/

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