Theory of urbanism and architecture Comparative Essay

1. 1
Theory of Urbanism and Architecture
(ARC61303/ARC2224)
ASSIGNMENT 2
Student Name:
Tan Chee Siang
Student ID:
0315159
Tutor:
Mr. Lam Shen Fei

2. 2
Table of Content
1.0 Introduction of Assignment
2.0 Introduction of Site
3.0 Information about the social environment
4.0 Source of inspiration
5.0 Activities as Attraction
6.0 Activities and Play habits
7.0 Sitting of preferences
8.0 Uniquely Place of Stimulating Experience
9.0 Conclusion
10.0 References

3. 3
1.0 Introduction of Assignment
In this project 2, we are require to compare our selected site of Design
Studio which is Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and our previous
project 1 analysis site at Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA and produce a
critical comparison essay.
The objective of the project is to point out three types of outdoor
activities (necessary, optional and social) and contact point which
related to theory of Jan Gehl article – Life Between Buildings in two
different selected street with tangible and intangible analysis.

4. 4
2.0 Introduction of Site
Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jalan Sultan is located at Kuala Lumpur which is one of the main roads that connects Jalan
Petaling and Jalan Tun H S Lee. There are several significant places such as famous Indian
temple, Pasar Karat, Katsuri Walk and Petaling Street. The famous attracts a lot of tourist and
also people from other state. Jalan Sultan has become a vibrant place in Kuala Lumpur. The
communities are divide into two groups which are Chinese community and Indian community.
There are separation between two communities in two area which is north part as Indian
community and South part as Chinese community. There are also some third “community”
which is Homeless.
Figure 2.2 Figure Ground with Label
Figure 2.1 Mapping from Google Map - Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur

5. 5
Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA
Seattle is a major port city that has a history of boom and bust. Seattle is a city and the seat
of King County, Washington, United States. Seattle was known as the "Queen City”. Same as
Jalan Sultan, there are several significant places such as Pike Place, Pier, harbor Steps and
Victor Steinbrueck Park. Because of major port nearby it, it bring a lot of foreigners in for
business and travel purpose. The main community are Seattleites.
Figure 2.4 Figure Ground with Label
Figure 2.3 Mapping from Google Map – Western Ave, Seattle

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3.0 Information about the social environment
Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Petaling Street is one of the significant places and also the main working space for the local
community. Every early morning, the shop lot owner will open their shop and bring out the
goods prepared to start a day of business. After a while, those stall owners gradually move in
their stall to set up.
Even though they are from different place, they are “colleagues”, “competitor”, neighbor and
also family, formed as group of Petaling Street. As a businessman there, this is their necessary
activities in their daily life. As a tourist, it may be a social activities for them, they can have a
gathering, meal and also purchase goods. However, in probably contains optional activities that
people just hanging around if they have time or purpose to participate. With a strong
atmosphere of Chinese essence in air, it attract more foreigner tourism to visit here.
Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA
Figure 3.1 Street view showed the scene of morning.

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Along the Western Avenue street, it forks another way into Pike Place which can also
connected to next street – 1st Avenue. Along this Pike Place, there is a famous market center.
The locals are attracted walk into the Pike place by the market.
There are also commercial activities as necessary whereas the business having negotiation
and pass by just to access to 1st Avenue. Although that is a road for car to access, pedestrian
is priority to walk on the road into Pike Place Street. During weekend or holiday, more people
will gather there to have tea time, window shopping and leisure time. It becomes an optional
activities for the local to gather. There will have most people participate when it comes to
festival period, it held some social activities like performance, and food stall drive to create
more interaction.
Conclusion
Even though two places are having some similarity which create a lot of contact point. Petaling
Street also called as China Town attract mostly to tourism instead of local community. On the
other hand, Pike market center is a necessary place for people to buy grocery in daily time.
The social environment generally talk about how people live and work with it particularly.
Figure 3.3 Entrance view of Public Market Center.
.2 People having
optional activities.
Figure 1.2 Street view showed the scene of morning.
Figure 3.4 People is privileged to walk freely along the road.

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4.0 Source of inspiration
Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Back alley used to be a secondary walkway or somewhere that is not fully utilize. However,
Jalan Sultan has its own identity of street characteristic of creating contact point at the back
alley, there are few of food stalls either is closed or opened. Because of back alley is a
potential place for the locals to utilizes, once there is a person held stall, it will followed by more
people to join in and gradually it become a gathering space.
Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA
Harbor Step is one of the gathering space for the community. In between of Harbor Step are
two 5 storeys apartments. The resident used to come down from apartment and gather at the
front. With natural sun shading by two tall apartments and decorative feature steps are ttwo
reasons that attract people to gather.
Conclusion
From the theory of Jan Gehl, he claimed we are inspired by seeing people in action. Both site
has its similarity to utilize the potential space to make more gathering space. Hence, it provides
more opportunity to create contact point.
Figure 4.1 Back Alley with full of food stall.
Figure 4.2 Back Alley with full of food stall.

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5.0 Activities as Attraction
Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
At Jalan Sultan, there are several attractions that create contact point such as “makmak” stall,
flower stall and book stall. The activities affect the human behavior and attract them to gather.
When people see or hear somewhere with many people will be attracted. People buy flower
before went into Indian Temple to pray, it is their necessary activities. People having meal at
roadside “makmak” stall as optional activities. People chatting and eating in the food stall as
social activities.
Figure 5.1 Human activities create contact point.
ATM machine is always a contact point on the site,
normally ATM will set up in convenience store,
people will enter to withdraw at the same time buy
something in the convenience store. It create
optional activities and also necessary activities.
Figure 5.2 ATM machine on the site of busy street.

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Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA
On the other hand, there is no food stall as attraction but the restaurant and café there are
quite attractive also. Especially, the famous coffee café – starbuck is always the first choice for
the locals to gather. With a cup of coffee, sit down and chit chat the whole day is not a problem.
In Westen Country, people are busy working, so they used to buy a coffee while on the way to
work. It may become their necessary activities in daily or sitting down together and chit chat the
whole day as optional activities. While there are more and more people gather there, it
becomes a social activity.
Conclusion
In Scandinavia an old proverb tells it all: People come where people are.” In two different
places, there are different kind of attraction. However, both human activities affect the crowd
and create contact point on the site.
Figure 5.3 Starbuck Café has become an activities as attraction.
Figure 4.1 Back Alley with full of food stall.
Figure 5.4 Famous Café that attract people to gather inside or outside.
Figure 4.1 Back Alley with full of food stall.

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6.0 Activities and Play Habits
Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA
We can see that there are few groups of locals having their time at gather around at back alley.
People used to have their own private gathering space. They wish to find a quiet place in the
same time also provide sun shading to gather. However in the Western Avenue, they are lack
of space for them to have their private gathering because there are lack of potential place for
local community to hang out.
Conclusion
This is the theory of Jan Gehl which stated that “more detail the interest in being in contact with
other”. People usually need to have their private time.
Figure 6.1 Famous Café that attract people to gather inside or outside.
Figure 4.1 Back Alley with full of food stall.
Figure 6.2 There are lack of places for people to have activities and play habits.

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7.0 Sitting of preferences
Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In Jalan Sultan, benches are less to find around there, only a few places provide. It is because
the hot tropical weather, it refuse people to sit under the open space. We can only find some
public seating bench at the bus station. It is fully cover by the roof of the bus station, so people
willing to seat inside there. The seating is actually provided for them to seat and wait for their
bus arrival. While they choose to sit together, it becomes an optional activities at the bus
station.
Beside the bus station, some of the local community also create their own seating area outside
the five foot way along the street. They used to seat face toward the pathway, to see the traffic
and the moment car went through. Because there are a lot of illegal parking, and they also
enjoy watching the car which is illegal parking been caught and tolled away by the traffic police.
Figure 7.1 Public sitting preference in bus station area.
Figure 7.2 Five foot way become a positive space to seat.

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In Jalan Sultan, there are lack of greenery surround the site, but tree is still one of the favorite
spot for people to have a seat because of natural shading device. This is their necessary
activities while sitting it for some purpose.
For business, people who owns a portable and flexible business create their own seating too.
They usually find their most comfortable and a place that have more crowd (contact point).
Beneath the bridge, it provide a good shading device. Hence, there are few stalls selling food
and also provide seat for people. It will attract more people to gather than the spot without
cover under the bridge. Contact points are usually occur under this condition of requirement.
Figure 7.3 The construction worker and locals prefer sitting under the tree during lunch time.
Figure 7.4 The locals selected their preferred spot to start up business.
Figure 7.5 Food stall under the Bridge.

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Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA
At Western Avenue Seattle, because of different season and climate impact, there are more
benches placing outside for public. The bench is always facing toward the pathway because
road will always active.
In Seattle which is “The City of Flower” provide a lot of greenery for two purpose. The first
purpose will be beauty the city by planting colorful plantation. The second purpose is to provide
shading area for the residents to come out for outdoor so that it will create more contact point
and social activities to increase interaction between neighborhoods.
Figure 7.6 Victor Steinbrueck Park provide benches to the public.
Figure 7.7 Victor Steinbrueck Park provide benches to the public.

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However, the weather in Seattle is dry and hot during summer. Hence, some of the shops will
provide canopies outside their shops. People will gather there because of canopy for shading
purpose.
While waiting for pedestrian traffic light to access, the locals can sit at the seating area that is
provided. It create an temporary contact point for people to have little of interaction.
Figure 7.9 Seating area at the street before pedestrian walkway.
Figure 7.8 Showed that shops provide shading devices for public.

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Bus stop
Conclusion
In two different sites with two different climatic impact, it affect the usage of the locals to utilize
the seating area at public. Another impact is that people will seat at somewhere to rest while
waiting for something such as waiting for traffic light. Seating area usually have variety of
opportunity to occur activities. So it is great to provide as many seating area as possible, and of
course with shading. There are similarity in these two site, that is people choose to seat on the
direction which have more views.
Figure 7.10 Bus stop also act as a seating area for the public.
Figure 7.10 Diagrams show the positive of seating area.

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8.0 Uniquely Place of Stimulating Experience
Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Petaling Street is always a vibrant spot in Kuala Lumpur, no matter there is local or tourism,
they will like to gather there. Either they are having necessary (working purpose) or optional
activities (windows shopping), it definitely become one of the contact point to create social
activities. Social activities such as having meal, chatting, negotiation of price deal, performance
and so on make the whole area happening from day time until night time.
Figure 8.1 Vibrant front entrance of Petaling Street.
Figure 8.2 Lively scene inside the Petaling Street.

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Western Ave, Seattle WA, USA
Victor Steinbrueck Park can be said as one of the most vibrant area in Western Avenue. Most
of the local community will gather there for leisure and entertainment. The reason that there is
the most contact point because it face the infinity of the sea view, and there full field of grass
for people to lying down and having activities such as picnic. There become a spot for social
activities also. In addition, there are a lot of facilities provided for people such as public seating
area. The interesting thing is that there will be a continuous contact point spread from here
which mean the main contact will also create another contact point. For example, when people
is having picnic at the park, they may also go to the café or restaurant surrounding to have a
drink or meal. It is what social activities affect the necessary activities and also optional
activities at the same time.
Figure 8.3 Overview of Victor Steinbrueck Park.
Figure 8.1 Vibrant front entrance of Petaling Street.
Figure 8.4 Lively scene around the Victor Steinbrueck Park.
Figure 8.1 Vibrant front entrance of Petaling Street.

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9.0 Conclusion
Overview of two vibrant sites which are Jalan Sultan and Western Avenue, there are quite a lot
of similarities in between. However, there are also quite a few contrasts or different compare to
each other. In my opinion, at Jalan Sultan, the community create the contact point and social
activities by themselves, however on the other site Western Avenue Street are government
organized to provide activities instead of created by the current community. To sum up, two
different site from different country by different culture and history influenced in different
climatic impact, they have their own identity and characteristic while in a way creating the same
effect of these three types activities and contact point.

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10.0 References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle
http://www.rudi.net/pages/8741
http://www.pps.org/reference/jgehl/
http://www.academia.edu/13448521/Chapter_Review_of_Life_
Between_Buildings_by_Jan_Gehl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Seattle